Paper presented at the Cataloguing & Indexing Group conference in Edinburgh, UK in 2018.

1. CIG Meeting
Edinburgh 2018
Skeletons in the cupboard: how
to deal with legacy data
Vasso Frangeskou
University of Bristol

2. Setting the scene
Library catalogues include records of inconsistent
standards such as:
• Historic legacy data
• BIB records to enable lending
• Data on print or online card catalogues
2

3. Setting the scene
• These data cannot be matched/compared
• They are problematic when:
• Participating in collaborative enterprises
• National Bibliographic Knowledgebase
• Migrating data to WMS
• Mapping collections for the new University Library
3

4. Setting the scene
• Driving factors to seek new ways to tackle
problem
• Time constraints
• New technology
• Aim of presentation is to show how
• New technology (MARCEdit) & New workflows
• Save time
• Improve metadata
• Increase metadata discoverability and sharing, and
• Contribute to better data management
4

5. 1. NFC (Not Fully Catalogued)
single items
2. Multi-volume items
3. Multi-volume items
4. Chemistry books
5. Store books
6. Ebook collections
7. New books
8. Gifts/Standing orders
replace BIB records
add new records
replace BIB records
replace print cards
replace online cards
edit vendor records
edit order records
add new records
5
Projects for batch editing records

6. Projects involve all levels of staff
• Cataloguing workflows utilise three staff levels:
• Library Assistants (LA) for clerical processes
• 1.5 FTE
• Have also Collection Management duties etc.
• Senior Library Assistants (SLA), ie cataloguers for
downloading records
• 4 FTE
• Have other duties, like e-library enquiries, SFX etc.
• Assistant Librarians (AL), senior cataloguers for batch
editing records and uploading in Aleph
• 1.4 FTE
• Other duties include Collection Management, Original and rare
books cataloguing etc.
6

7. Project 1 (NFC single items)
• Substitution of BIB records of single items with
new downloaded records
• Deletion of existing BIB record
• Transfer of item record to new record
• Statistics
• In Oct. 2015 there were 46,358 BIB records
• Re-catalogued so far 17,294 i.e. 37%
• More statistics later
7

8. Project 1 (NFC single items)
039, 997 Indicate this type of record
Examples of BIB records
8

9. Project 1: Workflow
1. LAs run a report to identify all BIB records in a
class mark/shelf mark order and print lists
9

10. Project 1: Workflow
2. SLAs take a list of 50 such records, and:
• Retrieve books from shelves
• Use Aleph to download from COPAC or OCLC a record
that matches the book in hand
• Add a field 992 $aNFC
• For identification
• Save record in Aleph
• Move item record from BIB to new record
• Delete BIB record
10

11. Project 1: Workflow
3. ALs batch edit records
• Run Aleph report (weekly) to identify all NFC records
• Extract file from Aleph
• Use ME (MARCEdit) to edit with a special task
• 992 NFC is then changed to
=900 $aPreviously NFC batch edited
• Upload edited file back in Aleph
11

12. Project 1: Workflow
Part of the task used for sorting NFC records
12

13. Project 2 (add new records)
• These are multi-volume uncatalogued series
• Patrologia Latina: 138 new records
• Patrologia Graeca: 79 new records
• Batch download and editing of bibliographic
records
• Upload of new records
• Batch creation of item records
13

14. Project 2: Workflow
1. University of Edinburgh provided the records
• This speeded up the retrieval of records from OCLC using
the Z39.50 tool within ME
2. AL runs a special task to edit them in ME
• Known issues of the series are variations in date,
publisher etc.
3. Before upload, check books on shelf
• LA consults volume
• AL updates record on laptop with ME
14

15. Project 2: Workflow
4. Addition of field 892 to be used post upload to
batch create the item record
=300 $a1620 columns ;$c29 cm.
=490 1$aPatrologiae cursus completus. Series
Graeca ;$vt. 10
=504 $aIncludes bibliographical references.
=546 $aTexts in Greek and Latin in parallel
columns.
=650 0$aTheology$vEarly works to 1800.
=650 0$aTheology$xHistory$yEarly church, ca. 30-
600.
=700 1$aMigne, J.-P.$q(Jacques-Paul),$d1800-1875.
=700 0$aGregory,$cThaumaturgus,
Saint,$dapproximately 213-approximately
270.$tOpera quae reperiri potuerunt omnia.
=830 0$aPatrologiae cursus completus.$pSeries
Graeca ;$vt. 10.
=892 $b01$hBR60$1BOOK$403$30
15
=300 $a2 v. ;$c29 cm.
=490 1$aPatrologiae cursus completus. Series
Graeca ;$vt. 112-113
=546 $aText in Greek and Latin in parallel columns.
=651 0$aByzantine Empire$xHistory$vSources.
=700 0$aTheodosius,$cDiaconu
=700 0$aRomanus$bI Lecapenus,$cEmperor of the
East,$d-948.
=700 1$aMigne, J.-P.$q(Jacques-Paul),$d1800-1875.
=830 0$aPatrologiae cursus completus.$pSeries
Graeca ;$vt. 112-113.
=892 $b01$hBR60$1BOOK$403$30$7v. 2
=892 $b01$hBR60$1BOOK$403$30$7v. 1

16. Project 2: Workflow
5. Upload file to add new bibliographic records
6. Batch creation of items
Example of Aleph
report to batch
create item records
16

17. Project 3 (multi-volume items)
• These are multi-volume series with BIB records
• Rerum Italicarum Sciptores: 105 replacement records
• Corpus Scriptorum Ecclesiasticorum Latinorum: 40
replacement records
• Same as Project 2 but
• Uploaded records replace existing BIB records
• For this ME is used to
• Create a brief file with BIB records’ system numbers
• Merge this with the file of new records
17

18. 18
Project 4 (replacing print cards)
Chemistry book
records on catalogue
cards
Accession
number

19. Project 4: Workflow
1. LAs retrieve all cataloguing cards from card
catalogue and send to C&M department
2. SLAs use 60 cataloguing cards to look in COPAC
for rarity of item
• If not rare, item is to be discarded
• If rare, item is to be kept and card is set aside for a
record to be retrieved
• If not sure, book is recalled for consultation
19

20. Project 4: Workflow
3. SLAs download records from OCLC using Z39.50
within ME
• Details on card are enough in most cases to identify
the right record
4. Accession number is added in a 999 field
• Older accessions indicative of donors
5. ALs run task in ME to edit file
• Shelf location added in 998 field
• Upload in Aleph and batch create item records
20

21. Project 5 (replacing online cards)
• Research Reserve books on online cards
• Same process as Project 4 but using card
catalogue online
• 190525 online card entries
1. SLAs search for “Store” (4334 hits)
2. Choose record from list
21

22. 3. Open card
4. Download record
within ME
5. Add fields:
=998 $aStore 1912
=999 $a74455
22
Project 5 (replacing online cards)
Shelf
mark

23. Project 5 Replacing online cards
6. ALs run task to edit file, add 892 field, upload
file and batch create item records
=100 1$aSalmon, George,$d(1819-1904).
=245 10$aTraité de géométrie analytique à trois
dimensions /$cpar G. Salmon ; ouvrage trad. de l'anglais
sur la 4ième éd. par O. Chemin.
=260 $aParis :$bGauthier-Villars,$c1882-1892.
=300 $a3 vol. in 2 (xvii, 336 p.; x, 295 p.; viii, 220 p.)
;$c23 cm
=650 0$aSurfaces.
=650 0$aGeometry, Analytic$xSolid.
=892 $b90$hStore 75973$2m$1BOOK$490$32$7v. 2
=892 $b90$hStore 75972$2m$1BOOK$490$32$7v. 1
=900 $aBatch edited uncatalogued books.
=998 $aStore 75972
=998 $bStore 75973
23

24. Statistics
• Total number of BIB records (Oct. 2015) 46,358
• NFC project
• From Jan-Jul 2018 8,800 19%
• All NFC catalogued so far 17,294 37%
• Chemistry Books
• Of 782 uncatalogued books about
• 2/3 were withdrawn and 1/3 catalogued, ca. 260 books
• Store books
• Ongoing project, ca. 100 so far
24

25. Statistics
• Other cataloguing projects (running parallel)
• New books 9,497 records 216.48m
• Gifts 517 11.74m
• Bateman Collection 1045
• Theatre Collection 589
• Medical History Collection (Sept. 16) 3,648
• E-books (in a year) 7500
• Bristol theses (in a year) 610
Grand total: ca. 42000
25

26. Summary
• Less time on cataloguing new acquisitions
• More retrospective cataloguing
• Theatre Collection, Special Collections, Bateman Collection
• Streamlined processes
• Save time
• Increase accuracy & record quality
• Records are validated before upload
• Monthly COPAC error list is much reduced
• More efficient
26

27. Summary
• But lower standards
• Not much time is given for any additions
• Record level is classed as unseen (LDR/17: 1)
• Each type of batch edited procedure has a 9xx
field added in record for ease of identification:
900 $bBatch edited NFC record
• Plan to update records for provenance
information
• Addition of 999 with accession number an aid to this
27

28. Thank you
Any questions?
More on MARCEdit
https://marcedit.reeset.net/downloads
V.Frangeskou-Richardson@bris.ac.uk