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This article was downloaded by: [Northeastern University]On: 22 November 2014, At: 11:33Publisher: RoutledgeInforma Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954Registered office: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH,UK
The Serials Librarian: From thePrinted Page to the Digital AgePublication details, including instructions forauthors and subscription information:http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/wser20
Michigan State University'sSerials JourneyWen-Ying Lu Workshop Leader a , Allen ThunellWorkshop Leader b & Donnice Cochenour Recorder ca Michigan State University , USAb Bibliographic Enhancement Team , Michigan StateUniversity , USAc Colorado State University , USAPublished online: 22 Oct 2008.
To cite this article: Wen-Ying Lu Workshop Leader , Allen Thunell Workshop Leader& Donnice Cochenour Recorder (2002) Michigan State University's Serials Journey,The Serials Librarian: From the Printed Page to the Digital Age, 42:3-4, 255-260, DOI:10.1300/J123v42n03_15
To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1300/J123v42n03_15
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Michigan State University�s Serials Journey:A Merry Little Spartan Tale
of MARC HoldingsWen-ying LuAllen ThunellWorkshop Leaders
Donnice CochenourRecorder
SUMMARY. The goal of the CONSER Publication Pattern Initiative isto enable cooperative creation, sharing, and distribution of pattern andholdings data using the MARC 21 Format for Holdings Data (MFHD).This workshop described the participation of Michigan State University Li-braries (MSUL) in this initiative. The workshop included an overview of theCONSER Initiative, the implementation of the project atMSUL, their collab-orationwith the ILSvendor to loadMFHDrecords into their local system, ex-amples of records created during the project, as well as vendor, staffing,workflow, training, administrative, and OPAC display issues. [Article copiesavailable for a fee from The Haworth Document Delivery Service: 1-800-HAWORTH. E-mail address: <[email protected]> Website:<http://www.HaworthPress.com>]
© 2002 by the North American Serials Interest Group, Inc. All rights reserved.[Haworth co-indexing entry note]: �Michigan State University�s Serials Journey: A Merry Little Spartan
Tale of MARC Holdings.� Cochenour, Donnice. Co-published simultaneously in The Serials Librarian (TheHaworth Information Press, an imprint of The Haworth Press, Inc.) Vol. 42, No. 3/4, 2002, pp. 255-260; and:NASIG 2001: A Serials Odyssey (ed: Susan L. Scheiberg, and Shelley Neville) The Haworth InformationPress, an imprint of The Haworth Press, Inc., 2002, pp. 255-260. Single or multiple copies of this article areavailable for a fee from The Haworth Document Delivery Service [1-800-HAWORTH, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.(EST). E-mail address: [email protected]].
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This workshop reported on the CONSER Publication PatternInitiative1 from the perspective of the Michigan State University Li-braries. Wen-ying Lu and Allen Thunell shared their experiences work-ing on the project from its inception to implementation in a test databaseat their institution.2 Lu began the workshop by describing the CONSERPublication Pattern Initiative, a two-year pilot project to add publicationpattern data using theMARC 21 Format for Holdings Data (MFHD)3 tothe CONSER database. Another major goal of the Initiative is to workwith system vendors to develop systems that are MFHD compliant andto enable importing and exporting pattern data across systems. Whilepattern data were machine-loaded from Harvard University records to39,491 CONSER records in February 2001, the Initiative includes agoal to reach 1,000 member-input patterns by June 2001. The value ofmember-input records, created through the normal daily routines of li-brary technical services units, is the ability to review and evaluate thenecessary administrative support, training, vendor support, and work-flow modifications required to incorporate this type of activity intodaily procedures.Thunell described the steps required to initiate the project at MSUL.
First, he stressed the need to ask for administrative support for use ofstaff resources and approval for future expenses required to take part inthe project. SinceMSUL isn�t a CONSER library, special authorizationwas needed to enable them to edit the CONSER records on OCLC.They applied for participation in the project and were given CONSEREnhance authorization, which permitted them to edit the fields ofCONSER records relevant to the project (310, 362, 500, 515, fixedfields for frequency and regularity, etc.). Local technical services staffand a project leader were identified and training was begun. Finally,their ILS vendor was contacted to request their cooperation with theproject. BecauseMSUL does not have a separate serials unit, the projectrequired establishing new communication channels between the appro-priate library staff, systems staff, ILS vendor staff, and CONSER ex-perts.Lu recounted the specific steps required to get started: applying to
CONSER for participation in the Initiative, making a commitment re-garding the number of records that were estimated to be contributedduring the year, learning the guidelines regarding which records to en-hance and how to enhance them, and installing the macro provided byOCLC which automatically creates a pair of 891 fields from data in thebibliographic record. The macro �pubpat.mbk,� which works withOCLC Passport software, is available to download from OCLC. Ac-
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cording to the OCLCweb site, �For use by participants in the CONSERPublication Patterns Experiment, this macro adds publication patternfields to serial records. To add a pair of publication pattern fields, re-trieve a serial record, run the macro, then edit the resulting 891 fields asneeded.�4 The 891 tag itself is not standard MARC, but was defined byOCLC for the CONSER project to embed pattern information (MARC21 fields 853-855) and associated holdings (MARC 21 fields 863-865)within subfield $9. The macro uses the data from various fields in thebibliographic record to construct the corresponding MFHD 85x/86xfields embedded in the 891 tags. According to Lu, on the one hand, themacro saves a lot of time for input; on the other hand, the resulting datain the 891 fields must be reviewed carefully because the macro isn�tperfect, especially with some of themore irregular publication patterns.Lu reviewed the procedures for inputting the appropriateMFHD data
into the OCLC record. Two copy catalogers, Anne Scholberg and ChrisCraycraft, perform the record upgrades following the standards andguidelines established by CONSER. For example, currently receivedserials are the highest priority; pattern data for ceased serials are not be-ing input at this time. MSUL is not currently creating 854/864 and855/865 fields for supplements and indexes, as these are optional ac-cording to the guidelines and have lower priority for this two-year pilotproject. Lu also includes the 891 fields whenever she creates an originalcatalog record on OCLC. Therefore a vast majority of the new patternsare added in existing CONSER records while a few of the new patternsare in original catalog records. For quality control purposes, records arereviewed once a week before updating the record on OCLC and down-loading into their local ILS. By April 2001, MSUL had created 92 newpatterns for the project.Lu identified several areas within their local procedures that required
review as part of the successful conversion of the 891 fields fromOCLCrecords to local ILS system. They examined local workflows for han-dling new serials titles (including standing orders and firm orders), thelocal ILS system�s capability to handle publication patterns and hold-ings data in MFHD and in a predicative system, and various potentialOPAC displays for MARC holdings data. MSUL was able to purchaseprogramming for a loader from their ILS vendor that interprets the 891fields, automatically creates a new check-in record with 85x/86x pat-tern and holdings data, and generates a holdings statement for theOPAC. If a check-in record already exists, the loader will still create anew check-in record. More system development needs to be done to en-
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able loading subsequent patterns for the same title without creating anew check-in record each time. This is an ILS vendor specific problem.Workflows were modified due to the project. For example, prior to
the project if a record did not contain a 362 field, copy catalogers werenot required to verify frequency/publication pattern data. However, tocomply with the Initiative guidelines, verification of frequency/publi-cation pattern is required. In the past, the serials acquisitions staff cre-ated new serials check-in records prior to submitting the new title forcataloging. Now this is accomplished by the loader during the catalog-ing process. Also, serials check-in students and staff must be trained towatch more carefully for and report any changes in frequency/publica-tion patterns for existing titles to the catalogers so they can create newpattern data. In essence this has resulted in the elimination of duplicateeffort in figuring out the publication patterns while adding responsibil-ity for the creation of check-in records to the serials catalogers� tasks.Thunell discussed several management issues involved with imple-
mentation of the project. A project of this type requires leadership, newcommunications channels, and awareness of the political issues in-volved. One needs administrative support for staff priorities to be modi-fied, work assignments to be changed, and workflows to be modified.Justification for participation will be important to gain administrativeapproval. Thunell suggested stressing potential future benefits of betterpredictive check-in patterns, fewer errors in online data, and the valueof contributing to cooperative initiatives.On a more practical management note, a major challenge was to coor-
dinate all of the disparate staff and keep the project within the timeline.Training required both leadership and a willingness to learn. One trainingdifficulty was dealing with the variety of experience levels of the projectstaff; that is, developing training that wouldn�t leave the less experiencedstaff behind and wouldn�t offend the more experienced staff. Workflowshad to be reviewed to identify the most efficient process where new taskswere added, and staff had to be flexible enough to adjust to these new as-signments. To prevent frustrations on the part of staff when project ques-tions arose that couldn�t be answered locally, a process to get timelyanswers was necessary. CONSERHOLD-L, an online discussion list forthe project, met this need by providing responses for daily problems.5Lu and Thunell also discussed the need to communicate with one�s
ILS vendor to let them knowwhat is wanted or needed for the project tobe successful. It is essential to know the ILS vendor�s policies regardingnew programming development, possible timetables for delivery, andcontinuing support. Most vendors will be open to such projects if they
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perceive that there is or will be a broad interest across the library com-munity in the product. The full implementation of national standardsshould be emphasized.The library�s public services staff also need to be involved in decisions
about public display of holdings in the OPAC. By creating a variety oftest records that exhibit the various display possibilities allowed by thelocal ILS, staff can gain input from those on the so-called �front lines� todetermine the preferred display options. This also provides a forum toalert the public services staff of the changes to come in the OPAC dis-play. For example, captions may be included where they weren�t before.Holdings statements at the detailed level of specificity (Level 4) may in-cludemore information than before. Because all gaps are indicated at thislevel, the holdings statements may be easier for the public to interpret butmay clutter up the OPAC display. Also, holdings statements may includea mix of Level 3 summary holdings and Level 4 detailed holdings.Future plans for MSUL include continuing to contribute pattern data
to the CONSER Publication Pattern Initiative, continuing to integratemaintenance of pattern data into their local workflows, working withtheir ILS vendor to enhance the system�s ability to utilize MFHD dataand to make the system fully MFHD compliant, and continuing to fol-low the ANSI/NISO Z39.71-1999 standard for holdings.During the discussion following the presentation, participants were
enthusiastic about the project and the value of participation. Most ques-tions regarded specifics about how records were modified for problempublication patterns, how the ILS treated the data andwhat options existfor variations of treatment, what happens if the MFHD fields are addedto the cataloging record on the local system and then uploaded toOCLC, and how one could volunteer to participate. Lu noted that theSerials Cataloging Cooperative Training Program (SCCTP)6 offers se-rials holdings workshops and their training and course materials canalso be purchased for local use. Libraries can volunteer to participate inthe CONSER Publication Pattern Initiative by contacting Jean Hirons,CONSER Coordinator.7
NOTES
1. Access the CONSER Publication Pattern Initiative Web site at http://lcweb.loc.gov/acq/conser/patthold.html (7 June 2001).2. Since the use of coded holdings (MARC 21 85X and 86X fields) will involve
changes in their OPAC display, before MSUL incorporates MFHD records into the
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production database, they are continuing to review the public display with their localDatabase Advisory Committee (DBAC) composed of technical services, systems, andprimarily public services representatives charged with the primary responsibility tomake recommendations for improved OPAC displays for patrons. Any recommendedchanges in the OPAC display byDBAC are limited to whatMSUL can dowith their lo-cal systems support.3. Access the MARC 21 Concise Format for Holdings Data at http://www.
loc.gov/marc/holdings/echdhome.html (7 June 2001).4. Access the OCLC Passport macro Web site at http://www.oclc.org/oclc/pass-
port/download.htm (7 June 2001).5. Contact Jean Hirons at [email protected] to join the discussion group.6. Access the SCCTPWeb site at http://lcweb.loc.gov/acq/conser/scctp/home.html
(7 June 2001).7. E-mail Jean Hirons at [email protected].
CONTRIBUTORS� NOTES
Wen-ying Lu is Catalog Librarian and Linguistics Bibliographer, Michigan StateUniversity. Allen Thunell is Manager, Bibliographic Enhancement Team, MichiganState University. Donnice Cochenour is Serials Librarian, Colorado State University.
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