RSIG MINUTES

8/18/99

 

PRESENT: Susan Bell, Nancy Boggess-Korekach, Zora Breeding, Sue Davis, Peg Earheart, Sylvia Martin, Monica Sanchez, Flo Wilson, Mary Ellen Wilson

 

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Sylvia made the following announcements:

Josh Roberts, a student worker, has completed checking the list of RS Cats charges made before 6/1/98 that still show as charged to RS. He compiled a list of items that need to be discharged from RS - either because they cannot be located or because they were found elsewhere. Sylvia gave the list to Peg for her staff to work on. Sylvia commented that Josh worked well for RS this summer by completing a project for Zora, helping with periodical check-in, working for Binding/Marking, and helping at the Annex.

 

Cen/Sci staff who will be receiving shipments for shelf-ready material from Blackwells will need to participate in RS' time/cost study if the shipments arrive during an analysis week Sylvia indicated the tasks with which they would be involved - all of them falling within the Order Services product center.

 

TOC (Table of Contents) record enrichment is currently on hold. Flo has asked Sylvia to see if Blackwells could receive an FTP file of all monograph records added last year to run against their TOC file to determine how many records would have received TOC. This process would help approximate the annual cost of TOC enrichment. Flo said that the addition of TOC was discussed at the LMC meeting, and that a 505 format was favored. Zora added that CAAG also agreed that an enhanced 505 would be the preferred format option. [Sylvia has since received word that BNA is able to run an analysis for us.]

 

The signed license for Offline Return has been returned to Solinet, but no records have yet been received. Sylvia will follow up with Solinet to see when we might expect our first records. The issue was raised as to how we would separate PromptCat records that are already updated when received from those in-house records that need updating.* PromptCat records are distinguishable by the presence of 980 and 981 fields. These fields normally disappear when overlaid. Discussion revealed that Solinet no longer distinguishes charges between prime time and offtime use of OCLC.** ACTION: Nancy will protect the 980 and 981 fileds so that they will not disappear. Sylvia will check with PromptCat and also the University of VA to see how other libraries deal with this situation. Flo will check on OCLC charges.**[Flo later confirmed that usage charges are the same, regardless of time of day.]*[It has since been discovered that PromptCat adds a 994 field with $a 92 to the bib record that indicates that it has been updated offline.]

 

Sylvia has recommended to Flo and Mary Ellen that the periodical vendor review, scheduled for this fall, be postponed until some stability becomes apparent among vendors. The recent acquisitions and mergers of several major vendors has made it difficult to know which vendors will "survive" these transitions and how reliable their services will be.

 

LC CORE MATERIAL: Zora explained that LC has adopted core level as their standard for cataloging new material instead of the full standard that they had been using. Because it comes into Sirsi as encoding level 4, the material is being sent to LAIV copy catalogers as current instructions dictate. ACTION: Ann Barnett is revising instructions to route encoding level 4 material to the LAIII. This material can also be treated as speed cataloging.

 

CALL NO. FORMATTING: Zora reported that there is a recurring problem when receivers forget to remove the $b from a call no. that they are copying from the bib record and pasting into the call no. field. This same problem occurs when an ident is added to an existing copy that predates Sirsi. There was some discussion about idents. Monica noted that idents are not always true idents - sometimes they are revised or new editions. Receivers don't research these, but send to cataloging for a decision as to whether or not a new record should be used. The issue also arose as to the YBP order no. that appears in the call no. field. This no. appears in the OPAC, and could be mistaken by a patron for a call no. ACTION: Mary Ellen will talk with receivers about the call no. formatting problem. They will be asked to put XX in front of the YBP order no. so that the OPAC will show "not available."

 

EDUCATION CUR. LAB GRANT: Susan reported on her recent talk with JoNell Owens and Mary Beth Blalock. Both of these people assured Susan that they were aware that not all material ordered on the grant fund (1950) could be handled RUSH. They will note RUSH (24 hour turn-around) on all orders that are indeed RUSH; other orders with a requestor shall be given high priority, although not necessarily 24 hr. turn-around. Susan suggested that if there is a requestor, the receiver print out the order, boldly note it as 1950, and insert it in the book Susan stressed the importance of having all staff involved with this special funded material fully aware of its priority. She would like a meeting of all involved staff when Kathy Ma (the verifier for this material) returns from her vacation. ACTION: Mary Ellen will inform receivers of Susan's flagging suggestion as above. Sylvia will arrange for a meeting to include Susan, Monica, Mary Ellen, Kathy, Yun-Fen Shu, Becky Atack, Sue, and Karen Pillow. Mary Ellen will get a print-out of all things ordered thus far on the 1950 fund and ask Education to prioritize as to RUSH, etc. (These items were not requested as RUSH originally.)

 

SHELF-READY UPDATE: The first file of records for Blackwells PromptCat books has been received along with books, excluding those that are being physically processed. All records are in one file and cannot be separated for loading. Therefore, if loaded, those books that are not yet here will appear as in the stacks according to the profile that is established for them. The alternative is to shadow these records, once loaded, and then unshadow upon r receipt. In talking with PromptCat staff, Sylvia learned that the ability to separate files according to subaccounts is an enhancement that will be available Aug. 26. In the meantime, there should be 2 more shipments that will require manual manipulation.

 

SHELF-READY EVALUATION: Sylvia distributed some suggestions that she and Mary Ellen had discussed for the comparative study between in-house and outsourced processing of approvals. Discussion followed. It was decided that the study, consisting of 4 samplings, should start within the next month and should be finished no later than Nov. 15. A report of the findings will be written in Dec. ACTION: Sue and Zora will manipulate a monograph record to see what kind of data can be derived from a log scan. It is hoped that much of the needed information can be captured from a logscan.

 

NEXT MEETING: Sept. 1, 2:00, GLB (RS Conference Room)