The Missing Link(er): Serial Analytics in Alma

Kristi BerglandCecilia Genereux

Stacie Traill

Overview

• What are serial analytics? Why do we catalog this way?

• University of Minnesota practices in Aleph• Aleph-to-Alma migration concerns• Serial analytics in Alma: how-to and workflow

concerns• Problems identified after go-live• Future possibilities

Definitions

Series

1) A group of separate resources related to one another by the fact that each resource bears, in addition to its own title proper, a collective title applying to the group as a whole. The individual resources may or may not be numbered.

2) A separately numbered sequence of volumes or issues within a series or serial (e.g., Notes and queries, 1st series, 2nd series, etc.).

-- RDA Glossary

Definitions

Analytical Description

A description that describes a part of a larger resource (e.g., a single volume of a three-volume biography, a single map forming part of a map series)

-- RDA Glossary

Series: Advances in Biochemical Engineering/BiotechnologyAnalytic title: Biotechnology of Hairy Root Systems (no. 134)

Series: Patrologia OrientalisAnalytic title: Vie et miracles de Samuel de Waldebba(t. 53, fasc. 1=no. 235)

Series: Special Papers in PaleontologyAnalytic title: Devonian spore assemblages from northwestern Gondwana: taxonomy and biostratigraphy (no. 89)

Why analyze?• Materials analyzed are classified together as a set

and item records live on the host bibliographic record.

• We generally followed LC practice in determining cat sep vs. analyzed set/series.

• Within specific disciplines, volumes may have distinctive titles, but users know of them via series. We consider user needs and subject specialist input when determining treatment.

Aleph Host Record Holdings

Subfield x code indicating this is an analyzed set/series.

Analyzed volume holdings

Subfield x code indicating this is an analyzed vol.

Analyzed volume bibliographic record

$$a = type of LKR field$$b = ADM number$$v = enum. a$$i = enum. b

Why are analytics important for music materials?

• Composers complete works/collected editions

• Historical Sets• Sound recordings in

closed stacks• Music scores multi

part, volume, accomp. materials

LKR fields added retrospectively

• We added LKRs to records in prominent series, specifically identified analytic-dense class ranges, and to currently received series.

• With nearly 4800 host records, the addition of LKRs to their analyzed components was a significant investment of time and effort for the benefit of our users.

Migrating LKRs to Alma

LKRs in Aleph served an important purpose – providing real-time item availability for analyzed titles -- that users and public services staff relied on.

Losing that in migration wasn’t an option.

Migrating LKRs to Alma

Ex Libris developed functionality in Alma for standard MARC field 773 to provide linking to item-level information and real-time availability equivalent to Aleph’s LKR…

…but we had questions.

Migrating LKRs to Alma: Questions

Q1. How would nonstandard LKR fields migrate?

Q2. How would they work in the Alma/primo environment, without a traditional web OPAC?

Migrating LKRs to Alma: Questions

We knew of the planned functionality for 773, but lacked detailed documentation.

How would a standard 773 linking entry field work for this purpose?

Aleph LKR vs. MARC 773Aleph LKR MARC Standard 773

Used ADM record ID to link directly to items. Not the same as bib record ID and would not migrate to Alma.

Uses any standard ID (but typically LCCN or OCLC number) in $$w to link to a bibliographic record for host series. Not necessarily a unique identifier.

Used enumeration and (optionally) chronology in separate subfields without captions to link to specific item records

Uses captioned enumeration information in a single $$g to identify component parts within host series. Not easily machine-parseable.

Aleph LKR vs. Alma 773

Aleph LKR Alma 773

Used ADM record ID to link directly to items. Not the same as bib record ID and would not migrate to Alma.

ADM ID converted to Aleph Bib ID in migration process. Aleph Bib IDs retained in 035 fields to provide title-level link.

Used enumeration and (optionally) chronology without captions to link to specific item records

no:, iss: and yr: captions in repeatable $$g applied to enumeration/chronology in Aleph LKR fields. These captions are required for 773 to create a working availability link.

A1. Alma’s implementation of 773 for item-level linking uses a standard MARC field in a somewhat non-standard way.

Test Migration: It works! (mostly)

A2. Real-time availability in Alma/Primo happens via direct query of Alma (Get It tab in Primo is a “window into Alma.”)

Holdings for series record

LKR converted to 773 field

Holdings info for host series

Item availability for analyzed title

Holdings for series record

LKR converted to 773 field

Series and volume numbering prominently displayed

Item availability filtered only by 1st level of enumeration

773: The Nitty Gritty

Documentation is limited and sometimes contradictory.

However, with testing we are able to use it for: • Serial analytics • Bound Withs

773 Continued

The 773 uses these subfields to create relationships between bibliographic entities:

t = Titlez = ISBNw = system identifier of host recordg = enumeration, chronology, barcode

Subfield g

Subfield g codes that can be used to point to a specific item:

Year = yr:Vol. or barcode = no:Issue = iss:Part = pt:Pages = p:

Example: Analyzed issue of a journal

Publications of the Babylonian Section Vol. 8, no. 2 (1922) has issue title: Old Babylonian contracts

773: :$$t Publications of the Babylonian Section $$w (OCoLC)1639979 $$g no:8 $$g iss:2

A 2 vol. set that are 2 numbers of the series Advances in polymer science.

Vols are individually bound, each vol gets a 773 field to represent its number within the series.

Alternative practice: Instead of using the series no. in subfield g, could use the barcode on the piece.

Example: Bound-Withs

Annual fertilizer review was bound with the preceding title, Fertilizers, an annual review of world production, consumption and trade

773: : $$t Fertilizers, an annual review of world production, consumption and trade $$w 9959948910001701 $$g no:1952-1959

Example: Monographs bound together

The first title is considered the host resource and subsequent titles get a 773 referring to the host record containing the item record.In this example, The Anglo-Telugu primer has been bound with: A short grammar of the Telugu language.The 773 has been coded with only the title and the MMS ID. However, could add $$g with barcode.

Workflow ChangesAleph: Could check results of LKR immediately in

Aleph OPAC

Alma: Must wait for a scheduled job and Primo publishing to run before seeing whether the 773 is working (overnight, best case scenario).

Could have student staff add/verify LKR as part of record preparation; not currently a comfortable option.

We’re Live!

• University of Minnesota went live on Alma December 23, 2013.

• What we discovered after we went live:“We have XYZ. Why does Primo say we don’t own it?”

Problems Identified after Go-Live

• Holdings and item for another location on the analytic record cause the 773 link to fail

• 773 links are not always generated even when a correctly formatted 773 is present (fixed with April release?)

• Migrated 773 fields dependent on retention of Aleph ID in 035 field of record for host series.

• Migrated 773 fields pointing to items in suppressed locations showed the suppressed locations in Primo

Holdings for non-analytic copy

Holdings for analytic copy (no item)

Failed, but properly constructed 773

No item availability displays :-(

Wrap Up

What we’d like to see in the future:• More complete documentation• Documentation included in Help and

Resource Management Guide.• It isn’t always clear how the field is

expected to function in a multi-campus, multi-holdings environment.

Resources

77X Fields in AlmaDocumentation Center > Alma > Product Documentation > Resource Management > How To Documents and Presentations

http://www.customercenter.exlibrisgroup.com/DocumentationCenter/Ex%20Libris%20Documentation/Alma/Product%20Documentation/Resource%20Management/How%20To%20Documents%20and%20Presentations/77X%20Fields%20in%20Alma.pdf

Thank you!

Kristi Berglandbergl007@umn.edu

Cecilia Genereuxgener002@umn.edu

Stacie Trailltrail001@umn.edu