Boolean logic and common command language searches can help when adding or changing subject headings in a catalog. It is important to filter out existing subject headings to avoid duplicates. Words in subject and words in title searches can help target specific headings or titles. Doing a test global change first and reviewing the report is important before making actual changes to records.

1. Boolean logic coupled with a common command language search is helpful
• The beginning retrieve is very important, in cases where you are adding a subject heading or subdivision
it is important to filter out what you are adding in order to not get duplicate subject headings and/or
subdivisions; For instance if I wanted to add the subject heading Sustainability to records that have the
subject heading Sustainable architecture I would need to find the records that don’t already have both
those headings; words in subject = sustainable architecture NOT words in subject = sustainability which
translates to “wsu=sustainable architecture NOT wsu=sustainability” in Aleph, this search would then give
me records that don’t have both subject headings; when the subject heading Cookery changed to become
Cookbooks or Cooking, in order to not change something about cooking to cookbooks I used the title
search cookbook (and cook book, not knowing what form the title might use) and recipes (coupled with
the subject search) thinking that many cookbooks have either of these words in their title (this of course
would/will miss a few … the Joy of cooking for one but the great majority would be fixed and not
confused);

2. Again, common command language searching is your friend; wsu is words in subject and wtt is words in title;
wsu=cookery AND wtt=cookbook OR wsu=cookery AND wtt=cook book OR wsu=cookery AND wtt=recipe; one
can make a long string in order to avoid the need to cross files; I used the above retrieve because Cookery
became Cooking or Cookbooks and I did not want to change something that should be Cooking into Cookbooks
(while not infallible, there will be some mistakes)
In the 01 Library; Services; Retrieve Catalog Records; Retrieve Records Using CCL (ret-03)

3. Double check that your retrieve actually has results and isn’t empty; to do this you can “do” a print to test if
your retrieve is populated; you do not need to actually print it
Successful retrieve

4. Do a test Global Change first; which is indicated by the radio button set to “no” under the “Update database”
section of the “manage-21” or Global change
01 Library; Services; Catalog Maintenance Procedures; Global Changes (manage-21)
Update database
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%24%24 is the new way to symbolize
subfield in the Aleph Report function

5. When the Global Change test is finished Aleph creates a report (it is what you named your output file) that
illustrates what will/would have been changed; it is found in the File List in the Task manager/“cup” menu on
the far left;

6. After you look over the “test” Global change report and find it satisfactory, go back and set the radio button to
“yes” Update Database; Even though the batch log in the Task Manager states that your global change has
been successful the records have not all been changed yet, you need to give it time (according to how big your
beginning file is/was; large global change files should be scheduled to begin at night when library is closed in
order to not crash the system