OCLC EXPERT COMMUNITY EXPERIMENT
Purpose: To address the needs of OCLC users who want to make changes to master records without the hassle of becoming an ENHANCE participant.
Experiment started on February 15 and will continue for approximately 6 months. No need for new authorizations. Includes all formats. Almost all records are eligible: PCC records are excluded, but LC records (both full and CIP) are included if not also PCC.
Guiding principles: Do no harm! If in doubt, don’t! Have piece in hand.
- Don’t change record into something else (e.g., change editions, formats, etc.)
- Avoid making changes to reflect local practices.
- Leave records alone that are cataloged in other languages.
- Fix common errors such as: typos, incorrect subfields, incorrect filing indicators, tracing of series, country codes, dates, missing 246’s, and headings out of sync. with NAF.
- Only add subject headings and call numbers in schemes not already present on the master record. For example, you may add an LC call number if not already on the record, but do not add an additional/alternative LC call number or change the number on the master record. In other words, the purpose is to correct errors and enhance the catalog record, not to recatalog it.
Simple to do: On the master record, make necessary edits, then go to ACTION, then REPLACE.Princeton’s NUC symbol will be added to a $d in the 040 and the “Replaced” date will be updated.
Use OCLC-CAT to share experiences or . Can still use standard procedure to report errors outside the scope of the experiment.
Princeton policy:
- If youare getting a record from OCLC and see errors before exporting, you have the option of upgrading the master record, then exporting to Voyager and finishing the cataloging as usual.
- If you are working on a record already imported into Voyager and see a lot of errors, you have the option of going to OCLC and upgrading the master record, then exporting/importing the record and re-overlaying it in Voyager, then finishing the cataloging as usual.
MELT implementation: when we have the book in hand we will update the master records for these reasons:
- romanization errors
- typos
- names don’t match authority record
- original script is missing
- no subjects are present
Cataloging may be done in two stages. First, changes to the master record in the categories above, after which use the Replace record command. Second, any additional changes not included in the list (like adjusting subject headings for Princeton use), then create the IR with the Produce and Add IR command.