OCLC’s Bibliographic Record Notification Service in the I-Share Environment

Consortial Cataloging and Authority Control Committee

Original draft February, 2004
Revised by CCAC October, 2004
Approved by IUAG November 12, 2004
Approved by ILCSO Board of Directors, December 3, 2004

Updated May 2007 by the I-Share Cataloging and Authority Control Team to incorporate consortial and system name changes.

Updated February 2009 by the CARLI Office to update the OCLC delivery options currently available and to document the process for loading Bibliographic Record Notification records using Voyager bulk import.

At its December 5, 2003 meeting, the ILCSO Board of Directors asked the Consortial Cataloging and Authority Control Committee to investigate options and make recommendations for the consortium to take advantage of OCLC’s Bibliographic Record Notification service. In broadest terms, the service, sometimes referred to as BibNote for short, allows a library to receive replacement copies of bibliographic records from OCLC when certain improvements have been made to the master record in OCLC’s database.

How BibNote works

General information and step-by-step procedures for using the BibNote service is available from the URL below:

http://www.oclc.org/support/documentation/bibnote/overview/default.htm

A more general description of the service, with a link to frequently asked questions, is available from the URL below:

http://www.oclc.org/bibnote/default.htm

An important thing to note is that the service is not historical. Libraries will only receive notification of changes that happen to bib records after they begin the service. It is also important to note that the service does not select records based on headings changes, so a subscription to BibNote will not be a substitute for authority control work. Once the service is begun, libraries may receive files of upgraded records as often as daily.

Methods of delivery of upgraded records and processing options

OCLC offers several delivery options for BibNote:

(1) OCLC can send the bibs to CARLI via EDX for loading into the library’s Voyager database using the appropriate bulk import rules. This option would involve no library staff labor, but would also not allow any review of records.

(2) The files can be delivered to the library through OCLC Product Services Web. From PSWeb, a library can retrieve the files of records, manually import them into the Voyager cataloging client to compare them with the version currently in the database, and accept, reject, or edit the upgraded record. This option would allow libraries to protect any local customization they may have previously made to the bib.

(3) OCLC can deposit bibliographic record notification files in the library’s local EDX account. The library would process the file the same way as in option (2).

Cost

The BibNote service is included in the ILLINET Group Services pricing model that went into effect July 1, 2004. This means that there are no per-record charges incurred by the library for a BibNote subscription, under this pricing structure.

NOTE: there is a separate charge from OCLC for creating the local library’s EDX account for delivery option (3).

Subscribing to BibNote

Libraries wishing to use BibNote will need to complete an order form with the assistance of the ILLINET/OCLC Office at the Illinois State Library. The form can be viewed at <http://www.oclc.org/support/forms/pdf/bibnot.pdf>.

I-Share libraries who want to use option (1) described above need to complete the "Delivery to Network" section on the order form as follows:

Name: CARLI
OCLC Symbol: ILL
EDX box: checked

Also, add a textual note to this area of the form that states "contact CARLI staff member Gordon Fellows (fellows@uillinois.edu) to discuss EDX setup.”

It is the library’s decision about receiving email notifications when new BibNote files have been created/delivered. This option on the order form is not required for delivery of the files to CARLI’s EDX account, so use of this option is entirely at the discretion of the library.

Implementation Options

Recommended: Load BibNote Records into Local Databases

Given our consortial database architecture, it seems the most practical way to implement BibNote would be for individual member libraries to subscribe to BibNote, loading these files into their individual databases using the library’s desired delivery and processing option. Improved records would then have the potential to be loaded into the Universal Catalog, depending on the quality hierarchy process. This plan would extend the freedom to each library to participate in BibNote or not, and if they do, to choose how their BibNote files would be processed.

If the library elects to use delivery option (1) described above, in addition to completing the OCLC order form, the library’s I-Share Liaison or Director must file a Work Request Online (WRO) to set up the loads of the records into the local Voyager database. Use the WRO form for “Voyager Bulk Import” and complete as follows:

Name of the bulk import data file: BibNote

Bulk import rule code (case sensitive): <library’s decision, but the most common rule is NOHLDREP (e.g., No Holdings Replace mode)>

Should there be an “ok to export” flag on the bibliographic record?: Select no

Is this a one-time load or a recurring load?: Select Recurring load

Not Recommended: Load BibNote Records Directly into the Universal Catalog and Use “UC to Local” Functionality

The comments above indicate how BibNote may be incorporated into our current practice of doing all adding, changing, and deletion of bibliographic records in local databases, and having those changes reflected automatically in the Universal Catalog through the duplicate detection and quality hierarchy process. However, it may be technically possible to receive a single BibNote batch from OCLC that includes selected records for all I-Share participating libraries, load the file directly into the Universal Catalog, and then feed the replaced records down to individual catalogs via Voyager’s UC to Local reverse export functionality.

Individual libraries may have differing opinions on whether the UC to Local function is a good idea or not. In theory, the Universal Catalog has determined, through the quality hierarchy, a “best” version of bibs identified as duplicates, and the UC to Local function would allow the “best” version to be shared with all libraries with holdings attached to the bib in the UC. However, the quality hierarchy process is not as sophisticated as we might wish, and there are many possibilities for a local bib of high quality, or edited to include local information, to be replaced by a version less desirable to the individual library. It is also important to understand that the UC to Local function would apply to all bibs, and not just those received through BibNote. Every edit done on a bib record by any member library could potentially cause a replacement of the same bib in another library’s catalog.

It is also possible that a bib freshly replaced in the UC by BibNote may be again replaced and reverted back to an older form by cataloging activity of one of the member libraries. This is particularly likely if some libraries opt out of the UC to Local function. Similarly, when periodic rebuilds of the Universal Catalog take place, BibNote records would be lost unless they had been copied down to the local catalog whose record happens to win in the quality hierarchy process during the rebuild.

Loading BibNote files directly into the Universal Catalog may have some appeal if there were a financial advantage, but it appears that there is not, especially after the adoption of flat-fee OCLC pricing.

For these reasons, the committee does not recommend pursuing the UC to Local option. If the UC to Local functionality is enhanced by ExLibris to offer solutions to the concerns expressed above, then CARLI should re-evaluate this option at that time.

Summary

The Consortial Cataloging and Authority Control Committee recommends that CARLI take the following actions regarding the OCLC Bibliographic Notification service:

Inform libraries, through a Forum presentation or other means, of the options and benefits available through the BibNote service, and how it may be incorporated into local workflows
Give libraries the option to participate or not, depending on their needs
Plan to load BibNote files into local catalogs if libraries choose EDX delivery to CARLI