Alma Cataloging User Group - February 2023

Comments/Questions? - None

Old Topics:

• Resource Type for eBooks and eAudiobooks
  • The Discovery group met on Friday and decided to go forward with eAudiobook as a local resource type, to try it out. Liz will be sending an email out asking libraries if they have questions or objections, and that we will be implementing it over Spring break.
  • Shelby pointed out there were varying responses to the eBooks part, so we are starting with eAudiobooks.

New Topics:

• Serials Update import profile in the NZ
  • A question came from Katie Lynn at law about why serial bibs were not updating, and Liz noted that the import profile for updates is “non-serial” it was just set up this way, and she didn’t remember discussing it.
  • Shelby noted that this was set up prior to migration so we didn’t really know what was going to happen.
  • Tina explained that there are two imports into the Network zone, one where ODIN libraries set their holdings in OCLC and it brings records in new records, and one that brings in updates made by anyone in WorldCat that updates the records in the Network zone. We believe the new record import is bringing in both serials and non-serials.
  • Shelby explained that she thinks there are some serials coming in through the non-serials import too.
  • Tina asked if anyone has a reason or an objection to ODIN having an equivalent update import for serials? Shelby thinks she is fine with it, but if we set it up we need to follow up with what happens. Tina gave the example of NDSU having many records for title changes to a serial. Decisions that probably wouldn’t happen now, so she localized those records so they would not be updated.
• February Alma Feature release was February 5: https://knowledge.exlibrisgroup.com/Alma/Release_Notes/2023/Alma_2023_R…
  • Alt key combinations for the Metadata Editor menus: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55N0VYvuUgs
  • New fields in the portfolio – Available from date, Available until date. A daily job (Electronic portfolio availability update) runs every day and checks these dates and sets the portfolio to “available” or “not available.” These fields have also been added to the Change Electronic Portfolio Information job. A similar set of fields already exist in the Electronic Collection Service- Active from and Active until.
  • Analytics – new interface for finding and sharing analytics objects: https://youtu.be/sfKZ2Idd-zA
• Reschedule March meeting to Monday, March 20th.

Open Discussion:

• How to do it in MarcEdit
  • Tina did a demo of MarcEdit show how to-
    • Open a file with MarcBreaker (make sure UTF-8 is selected)
    • Navigate the menus of MarcEdit
    • Delete a field
    • Delete a field containing certain data
    • Using the find all search to check data
    • Find records missing a field
    • Find and replace to update the 006 field missing the o
    • Adding a field only if it is not present
    • Using the field count report to figure out how many records are in a file
    • Creating a task list
    • Compile the file as a Marc file
  • Shelby showed a document that outlines the steps she takes in Alma when using MarcEdit to revise records.
    • Create a set
    • Run job to unlink the records from the NZ
    • Export the records as binary
    • Edit the records with Marc Edit
    • Import the records without creating inventory, matching 001/001 (another import for federal docs)
    • Create a set of imported records
    • Run job to link the records to the NZ
  • The second document Shelby shared was a planning document, for determining what the vendor is sending in their records and what she wants to remove and add to them.