MARC Records From Serials Solutions (www.serialssolutions.com)

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MARC Records From Serials Solutions(www.serialss
olutions.com)

• Jennifer Bowen
• Presentation to UR Library Staff
• February 2004

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Products Available from Serials Solutions

• E-Journal AMS (Access and Management Suite)
• Includes A-Z List of Electronic Serials (website,
  Excel spreadsheet, etc.)
• Most Serials Solutions customers have this
  product
• CONSER-Based full (mostly) MARC Records for
  Electronic Serials to load into a local system
• Article Linker competitor to SFX

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How the MARC Record Service Works

• Library sets up profiles to
• Choose which records to get aggregator
  databases and also individual journal titles
• Customize the Records
• Serials Solutions delivers batches of MARC
  records (every other month)
• Library loads them into their local system

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Why are SS MARC records better than what we have
now?

• Full, complete records for most titles (over 80
  are derived from CONSER records)
• Alternative titles (and vs. )
• Subject headings
• Single record for all electronic holdings even if
  in multiple aggregators
• Print bib. record in Voyager will still be
  separate
• Will need to phase this in with current records

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Other Advantages of MARC Records

• Flexibility
• if we change our subscriptions, its easy to
  change which records we get from SS
• Can accommodate Public Services Aggregator
  Review
• More timely updates
• Bi-monthly rather than 3x/year (local
  aggregators)
• Serials Solutions will maintain URLs if they
  change format

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Lists of E-Journals by Subject?

• Two possibilities
• Local solution, using class numbers in SS MARC
  Records (some records lack these)
• Serials Solutions Subject Browsing
• http//www.serialssolutions.com/sb_home.asp?f-1
• Uses Ulrichs subject headings
• Free if we subscribe to MARC records
• Integrate into our website
• May or may not fit our needs

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What Will It Cost?

• Subscription 7,088 per year (or 12,758 if we
  subscribe for two years)
• Includes Waldo discount
• Based on estimate of receiving between 10,000 and
  15,000 bib. records.

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What Can We Customize? Record Selection

• For which databases do we want records?
• Dont have to get them if
• full text not always available
• if URLS dont go directly to the journal title
• SS administrative module helps with this
• Do we want brief records for titles that dont
  have CONSER records
• (yes, probably, to ensure full coverage)

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More Customization Individual MARC Records

• Local holdings? SS is working on this to allow
  more local customization
• Example NERL Science Direct set
• Style of URL, including wording of public note
  customized by database
• Other MARC fields, globally (i.e for all records)

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Possibilities for Enhancing Individual Records

• NOTE These are not certain yet!
• We have two possibilities for making changes or
  enhances to records, if needed
• Make change locally in Voyager cant now
  because all aggregator records are reloaded
  periodically (with SS, we probably wont need to
  reload all records)
• Make changes in OCLC through a CONSER Enhance
  Project, so that all libraries will benefit

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Q Why is this taking so long?A Big Voyager
Bug

• Problem we cant load records with multiple
  URLs and copy all URLs into the Holding Record
  automatically
• We are the only library with this problem
  related to our use of single-record technique and
  displaying URLS from Holding Records

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Timeline of UR Discussions

• Fall 2002 Started talking about SS Records.
  Knew we couldnt do it until after 2001.2 upgrade
  because of Voyager bug
• May 2003 IMS SS Workflow Task Force looked into
  whether we could make it work
• Erin, Sharon, Denise, Kostya, Jennifer
• Visited RIT
• Corresponded with SS on questions
• Monitored SS Discussion List

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Timeline (cont.)

• July 2003. Voyager upgrade to 2001.2.
• Bug was supposed to be fixed.
• Loaded SS test records they didnt work!
• July-Dec. 2003. Melinda pushed Endeavor to fix
  the bug, as they had promised
• October 2003. SS suggested work-around
• Test records loaded ok, but maybe problem with
  long URLS
• Melinda pushed Endeavor to investigate this too

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Timeline (cont.)

• January 2004
• Endeavor informed Melinda that they wont fix the
  bug until the Unicode release (next summer at the
  earliest!)
• We decide to go ahead with presentation to staff
• Long URL problem? Well find a local fix (even
  if manual)

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Serials Solutions Workaround to the Voyager Bug

• They will provide records with ONE URL that we
  can copy to MFHD (no problem)
• URL will point to websites that they maintain
  that contain multiple URLs.
• They want to start moving other customers to this
  model.
• Test Records in Voyager
• New Mexico State University

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SS Test Records in Voyager (Records say TEST
RECORD DO NOT USE)

• Multiple URLs
• Abacus
• ABA journal
• ABA banking journal
• ABA bank marketing
• 33 metal producing

• Single URLs
• 21st century fuels
• 401(k) advisor
• AAAS report
• AB bookmans weekly
• ABA bank compliance
• ABC news transcripts

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Any Disadvantages???

• It wont be perfect right away!
• Some local holdings may need adjusting
• We will need to fit these records into what weve
  already cataloged in Voyager
• An ongoing project
• We will still have a few brief records
• Some wont have subject headings, alternate
  titles, etc.

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Summary

• Serials Solutions MARC Records will give us
• clearer OPAC displays
• more flexibility
• better records
• more timely updates
• Cost ca. 7,000 per year (subscription)