Saturday, July 22, 2006

Material Types and Arrival Dates for Sets and Serials

The correct material types in item records for multi-part print titles are the
following:

1. Monographic set ISSBK

2. Volume of a serial Issue

3. Volume of a periodical ISSPR

After adding a volume for any of the above it is necessary to arrive the volume.

1. Go to the Serial Information item screen.

2. Place cursor in Arrival Date window.

3. Enter F12 to get today’s date added to the field.

4. Update the records.

It is not necessary to change any other fields in the Serial Information item.




Friday, July 21, 2006

Searching SuDoc Numbers

There are two browse indexes which retrieve SuDoc call numbers. Call Number SuDoc indexes the call number in the holdings record and in the 086 of the bib record. The Government Documents index indexes only from holdings records, making it the preferred index.

The Government Documents index is also retrieving Canadian document classification numbers since those were coded as "S" in NOTIS and now as "3" in Aleph.

Thursday, July 20, 2006

Piece Counts from NOTIS Item Records

The NOTIS item record included a field in which the number of pieces associated with an item could be entered. For example, a book has two folded maps in a pocket, or a portfolio contains 20 loose plates. Use of this field was not consistent, however. Since Aleph does not have a corresponding field, any piece counts in NOTIS could not be migrated to Aleph.

When there are loose items in pockets or when a portfolio contains loose material, please follow this procedure.
  • Go to General Information Display (2) and then to Circ Note. Instead of indicating a piece count, describe the situation.
  • Examples: 1 map in pocket 2 plates in pocket 25 sheets in portfolio
When the barcode is scanned in Circulation at the time of charge and discharge circulation notes display in a separate window alerting staff about these loose items.

We will explore the possibilities of a report of piece counts from NOTIS to be used for adding information to Aleph item records.
Entering Barcodes


Aleph does not verify barcode numbers to ensure that the numbers are valid. NOTIS read barcodes and determined that the numbers entered, and in the order in which they were entered, equalled the check digit. Inasmuch as Aleph does not do this calculation it is possible to enter an invalid number. To avoid entering an invalid number, use barcode scanners to enter barcodes into item records.

Monday, July 17, 2006

Holdings Records

A comprehensive policy statement on creating and editing holdings records will be produced. Until that is done, please follow these basic guidelines.
  1. Enter holdings in 866, 867, and 868 the same way you did in NOTIS, omitting the use of the subfields B, S, and I.
  2. In the LDR (leader) accept the N for new; at this time do no change N to C if changes are made to the holdings record. This appears in the 7th position in holdings records converted from NOTIS; it is in the fifth position in holdings records created online in Aleph.
  3. In the LDR (leader) use the Type of record codes.

v Multipart item holdings (non-serial) x Single-part item holdings y Serial item holdings

This appears in the 8th position in holdings records converted from NOTIS; it is in the sixth position in holdings records created online in Aleph.