Bibliographic Record Management in the SILS Network Zone

This page will be updated again after go-live. Please consult your local RMFG representative with any questions in the meantime.

Last Updated 06/14/2021

Introduction

This is intended to be a living document that will evolve as the UC campuses begin to work together in a shared environment. It is meant to provide some initial guidance on how catalogers at each campus work with bibliographic records in the Alma Network Zone (NZ) while recognizing that they still need to serve their specific user groups. It aims to balance opportunities for collaboration and shared workloads with allowing campuses to meet their own unique needs.

The system-wide Resource Management Functional Group will assess, expand, and supplement this document as necessary as additional areas for standardization and clarification arise.

Best Practices

• “First do no harm”: remember that the NZ is a shared environment and that all changes to non-local fields in the NZ record are immediately visible in all other IZs

• USE YOUR SANDBOXES: new processes, procedures, profiles, etc. should be tested in a sandbox environment before being used in production

• Records should be linked/added to the NZ as much as possible (regardless of whether this happens in a campus IZ or in the NZ directly)

• Batch cataloging done directly in the NZ (whether new or updated records):

  • Add a 908 field to each record using the following structure:

    • “Campus name;date [YYYYMMDD]; short description.” 

    • Do not insert any other information between the campus name and the date.

  • RMFG (and other succeeding policy bodies) will review the volume of 908 notes to see if adjustments to this policy are needed

• Multiple correct approaches to description (analysis vs. set records, descriptive standards, etc.) are allowable

• Import profiles used for records in the NZ (regardless of whether the records are new or updates) must include the following:

  • Naming conventions:

    • UC-wide profiles must start with “allUC”

    • Campus profiles must start with the campus name (UCB, UCLA, UCSF, etc.)

  • Check for existing NZ matches and use/enhance them when matches are found

  • Guidance and other best practices

• Merge rules

  • Merge rules used for records in the NZ:

    • Naming conventions

      • UC-wide rules must start with “allUC”

      • Campus-specific rules must start with the campus name (UCB, UCLA, UCSF, etc.)

    • Protect:

      • All existing fields in the 900-949 range

      • $9 local for all other local fields

      • 506 fields for Open access

    • Campuses are encouraged to either use or make a local copy of the appropriate “all UC” rule when one exists

    • Additional guidance and background

• Normalization rules

  • Normalization rules and processes used in NZ existing NZ records

    • Naming conventions

      • UC-wide rules must start with “allUC”

      • Campus-specific rules must start with the campus name (UCB, UCLA, UCSF, etc.)

    • NZ processes must be requested by CDL (see decision)

    • NZ rules should take “allUC Normalization #1” into account

    • Should not remove 6XX fields with the exception of 655_4

    • Additional guidance and background

• What to do if there are substantial differences between the NZ record and the item in hand

  • If you’re able to update the existing OCLC record, do so and bring a new copy into the NZ or wait for WorldCat daily updates to fix the NZ record if the record is in scope for WorldCat daily updates (see decision)

  • If you need substantial edits to the existing OCLC number and there is no better record in OCLC and no one at your campus is able to update the existing record, send a request for edits to the UC Alma listserv with this subject:

    • Resource Management Please Update OCLC ####

  • If you need a record with a different OCLC number:

    • Search the NZ for a new record, if found, move local holdings and update in OCLC as needed

    • If there is no record in the NZ, search OCLC, bring in the record that you need and move your local holdings onto the new record

  • If there are no other campus holdings on the unwanted record, you can use “copy to catalog” in order to break the NZ link with the record and delete your IZ copy; campus catalogers should not delete NZ records (see below)

Policies

• Ownership of records:

  • Once a record is in the Alma NZ, it belongs to the entire system instead of a particular campus. 

  • Campus catalogers should be mindful when overlaying NZ records for which their institution does not have holdings 

    • Shared authority control is encouraged

• OCLC numbers in NZ-linked records

  • Bibliographic records linked to the UC NZ should include OCLC numbers with the following exceptions:

    • CZ-linked records added by CDL

    • Brief records for Gobi “on order” items that will be replaced by full bibs with OCLC numbers

      • Records for “on order” items should follow system-wide guidelines

• Catalogers do not need system-wide permission to update/change an NZ record, including SCP-contributed records (except for SCP local fields: 901, 930, 924, 946, 908 that should not be edited under any circumstance) but see above best practices for making changes to NZ records

  • Catalogers should not remove fields that are correct, even if they were not accepted in their pre-SILS ILS (see “normalization” and “merge sections above”). The normalization rule:  “allUC Normalization #1” can provide some guidance around what fields are accepted UC-wide.

  • Changing/deleting OCLC numbers in the NZ:

    • Do not change the OCLC number of a bibliographic record that exists in the NZ

    • Generally, do not delete the OCLC number of a bibliographic record that exists in the NZ

• Generally, after searching in the NZ for a record, any needed changes to non-local data should be made in the OCLC master record and then brought into Alma via one of the methods below:

  • WorldCat Daily Updates

    • Campuses do not need to do anything to trigger the update process other than ensure that their holdings are accurately represented on the OCLC record

  • Batch cataloging

    • Import batches through campus IZ using an IZ profile first and then run a linking job

    • Import batches through campus IZ using an NZ profile 

    • MARCEdit Alma integration (local fields only) 

    • Import batches directly into the NZ (specific cataloger roles and packages only)

  • Manual cataloging

    • OCLC Gateway (see document)

    • MARCEdit Alma integration

    • Built-in Metadata Editor

    • Single record import 

    • “Regular” import profile process

• For manual cataloging, always search the NZ and local IZ before going to OCLC or doing other external searches. Whether for ordering, adding items or updating bibliographic information, campus staff should know whether an OCLC record already exists in the system before bringing in a new copy

• Generally, most changes to existing NZ bibliographic records and the addition of new records to the NZ should be done through a campus Alma instance.

  • Specific exceptions and how they will be handled post go-live can be found here: Master list

• For at least the remainder of Phase 4, campuses should request changes to NZ-only processes or rules from their RMFG reps. This includes any additional direct NZ accounts. See this decision page for more information

• Deleting NZ records:

  • Campus catalogers should not delete the NZ copy of NZ-linked records because  NZ records can appear “bare” (that is lacking inventory) but still be used by other records in the system that are not visible within a campus. For example:

    • Boundwiths and other related records

    • CZ portfolios with NZ bibliographic records

    • Holdings are still attached in OCLC and the record will be brought back in via WorldCat updates (see setting/unsetting OCLC holdings)

  • If an NZ-linked record is no longer needed in a particular IZ, campus staff should unlink the record from the NZ and then delete the IZ copy.

  • If an NZ record does not appear to have any additional holdings, they should be marked for deletion by adding a 902 field with 

    • 902 ## $$a NZ RECORD REPORTED FOR DELETION

    • Note that this field should not be used for IZ-only record deletion

  • CDL staff will review reported records and records that do not have other relationships/dependencies in the system will be deleted

Communication and general troubleshooting

• Start local:

  • Check with your local teams, including but not limited to Resource Management, Acquisitions/E-resources, Implementation Coordinators, etc. 

  • Questions can also be routed through RMFG reps for the remainder of Phase 4

  • Campus staff can also send cataloging questions to: UC_Alma - Google Groups

• Subject line: Resource Management       

• See additional SILS decision pages: Cohort decisions

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