Link Maintenance in a Web-accessible OPAC Robin Fay Discovering invalid 856s Determining appropriate action Implementing a plan

Robin Fay

Discovering invalid 856s

Determining appropriate action

Implementing a plan

The 856 field provides a hyperlink to online articles & journals Help! It’s not there! Discovering missing URLs Patrons, Staff Reports Link Maintenance in a Web-accessible OPAC

The 856 field provides a hyperlink to online articles & journals

Help! It’s not there!

Discovering missing URLs

Patrons, Staff

Reports

Reasons for invalid 856s are often temporary Server errors Network problems including internet security (e.g., firewalls) Timeout problems due to too much strain on bandwidth Access requirements/site licenses Site maintenance Link Maintenance in a Web-accessible OPAC

Reasons for invalid 856s are often temporary

Server errors

Network problems including internet security (e.g., firewalls)

Timeout problems due to too much strain on bandwidth

Access requirements/site licenses

Site maintenance

Reasons for invalid 856s can be permanent Vendor problems Site has moved Site is no longer published Link Maintenance in a Web-accessible OPAC

Reasons for invalid 856s can be permanent

Vendor problems

Site has moved

Site is no longer published

Resolving invalid 856s Independent URL checking software (LinkBot, Link Sleuth) Reports generated from the library catalog Human intervention verify that bad links need to be corrected Link Maintenance in a Web-accessible OPAC

Resolving invalid 856s

Independent URL checking software (LinkBot, Link Sleuth)

Reports generated from the library catalog

Human intervention

verify that bad links need to be corrected

Other issues Resolving 856s where the content has changed Consistency of information displayed in the OPAC from the 856 Pre-URL($u) are invisible to a large variety of OPACS Consistency of labeling the 856 information in the OPAC Different vendors do different things Link Maintenance in a Web-accessible OPAC

Other issues

Resolving 856s where the content has changed

Consistency of information displayed in the OPAC from the 856

Pre-URL($u) are invisible to a large variety of OPACS

Consistency of labeling the 856 information in the OPAC

Different vendors do different things

The importance of link maintenance In 1998, GPO which has approximately 8,000 records with MARC 856 fields found in a test of last used URLs discovered that more than 20% were either bad or no longer useful Link Maintenance in a Web-accessible OPAC

The importance of link maintenance

In 1998, GPO which has approximately 8,000 records with MARC 856 fields found in a test of last used URLs discovered that more than 20% were either bad or no longer useful

Selected Bibliography URLS, PURLS, & TRULS: Link maintenance in the Web-accessible OPAC, Tyler, Computers in the Library, http://www.du.edu/!ttyler/cil99/proceedings.htm Precoordination Unnecessary in LCSH?Are Web Sites More Important to Catalog than Books? A Reference Librarian's Thoughts on the Future of Bibliographic Control, Thomas Mann, http://lcweb.loc.gov/catdir/bibcontrol/mann_paper.html Making room for MARC in a Dublin Core world, Medeiros, Norm. Online, Nov. 1999, http://www.onlineinc.com/onlinemag/OL1999/medeiros11.html

URLS, PURLS, & TRULS: Link maintenance in the Web-accessible OPAC, Tyler, Computers in the Library, http://www.du.edu/!ttyler/cil99/proceedings.htm

Precoordination Unnecessary in LCSH?Are Web Sites More Important to Catalog

than Books? A Reference Librarian's Thoughts on the Future of Bibliographic Control, Thomas Mann, http://lcweb.loc.gov/catdir/bibcontrol/mann_paper.html

Making room for MARC in a Dublin Core world, Medeiros, Norm. Online, Nov. 1999, http://www.onlineinc.com/onlinemag/OL1999/medeiros11.html