[DCRM-L] Question: Local notes in OCLC master records

[Margaret F Nichols]

This is one of those issues where I'm of two minds. On the one hand, I wholeheartedly share in Larry's frustration with the difference between RLIN's sophisticated features and WorldCat Local's lack of those features (powerful as WCL is in some other ways). The handling of local notes is only one of a number of instances of this woeful difference. On the other hand, once OCLC had developed a database that relied so heavily on what looks to me like the fundamentally flawed concept of the master record, and once it had built up a file of millions of bibliographic records based on that concept, I can have some sympathy with the OCLCers' inability to stop everything and totally restructure their database in order to provide us with better service. It's hard to see what they *can* do about the master record, in fact, aside from a tweak here or there.

If I were Queen of OCLC and had unlimited funds, I suppose I'd direct my minions to develop a completely new database (on a model closer to RLIN's, allowing for public display of institutional records, etc.) while continuing to provide uninterrupted service through the existing database, since many libraries depend so heavily on the latter. But in the real world, I can imagine how hard (maybe impossible) it would be to do this--impossibly expensive, fiendishly difficult from a technical standpoint, etc. We all saw what a time RLG had, just making the transition from RLIN to RLIN21. 

Meanwhile, who knows--maybe the transition to RDA will force OCLC's hand, or then again, maybe it will create such big problems that these will appear small by comparison ;-) .

Ever the optimist,

Margaret Nichols

______________________

Margaret Nichols
Head, Special Materials Unit
Library Technical Services
110 Olin Library
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY 14853-5301
Tel. (607) 255-3530
mnr1 at cornell.edu
________________________________________
From: dcrm-l-bounces at lib.byu.edu [dcrm-l-bounces at lib.byu.edu] On Behalf Of Laurence Creider [lcreider at lib.NMSU.Edu]
Sent: Monday, November 16, 2009 3:50 PM
To: Dooley,Jackie
Cc: DCRM Revision Group List
Subject: Re: [DCRM-L] Question: Local notes in OCLC master records

Sorry, you are correct, of course.  That makes the provision of IRs a
noble gesture rather than the satisfaction of a requirement.  Still, the
results have been distressing, and non-profit hardly means non-commercial.
OCLC has been a very strategically-oriented organization for a long time;
that is one reason it is still with us.  It is just hard being a flea on
the dog.

Larry

On Mon, 16 Nov 2009, Dooley,Jackie wrote:

> One small correction: OCLC did not purchase RLG and/or RLIN. It was a
> 2006 merger of two non-profit organizations.
>
> Jackie
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Laurence Creider [mailto:lcreider at lib.NMSU.Edu]
> Sent: Monday, November 16, 2009 12:29 PM
> To: Dooley,Jackie
> Cc: DCRM Revision Group List
> Subject: Re: [DCRM-L] Question: Local notes in OCLC master records
>
> I'm sure that OCLC went out of their way and tried, but the fact remains
>
> that once again OCLC purchased a competing product that in many respects
>
> was better and have replaced with something that is less effective.  The
>
> same thing happened when OCLC purchased WLN and the BNA authority
> system.
> I was verbally promised by a company representative who is still at OCLC
>
> that OCLC would provide the same sort of authority control (100 + 240
> and
> series validation).  Two years later, OCLC was unable to provide the
> service and gave up on the attempt.  As far as I can tell, OCLC did not
> even try with IRs; I do not remember being given any option.
>
> OCLC is the big player, and we all benefit from WorldCat and OCLC's
> attempts to provide what we need.  The fact remains, however, that OCLC
> develops products that we do not always want rather than products
> that we need.  When libraries, particularly research libraries, are
> putting more emphasis on what makes their collections unique, it seems
> insane to make it impossible to access the local notes for special
> collections materials. The scholars working on topics will have to check
>
> the catalogs of individual libraries.  Of course, if those libraries
> choose to use WorldCat local, scholars will be completely out of luck.
>
> Off soapbox.  This is my personal opinion and is not directed at Jackie
> at
> all.
>
>
> Larry
>
> Laurence S. Creider
> Special Collections Librarian
> New Mexico State University
> Las Cruces, NM  88003
> Work: 575-646-7227
> Fax: 575-646-7477
> lcreider at lib.nmsu.edu
>
> On Mon, 16 Nov 2009, Dooley,Jackie wrote:
>
>> First, realize that I'm in OCLC's Research division and so not
> remotely
>> in a position to speak authoritatively about most aspects of WorldCat
>> Local or any other catalog product or service. So I'm speaking from my
>> own sense of things, not in any "official" or particularly
> knowledgeable
>> capacity.
>>
>>
>>
>> About all I can say is that incorporating the IRs was a major endeavor
>> on OCLC's part because the RLIN record paradigm was so completely
>> different from OCLC's master record concept-and I would hope any of us
>> can imagine what such a core structural difference would mean for any
>> major software environment such as WorldCat. As for making IRs
> available
>> for free ... as a non-profit cooperative to which it's essential to
> keep
>> prices as reasonable as possible, I'm assuming that such an extension
>> was deemed not to be cost effective.
>>
>>
>>
>> Jackie
>>
>>
>>
>> From: dcrm-l-bounces at lib.byu.edu [mailto:dcrm-l-bounces at lib.byu.edu]
> On
>> Behalf Of Robert Maxwell
>> Sent: Monday, November 16, 2009 11:45 AM
>> To: DCRM Revision Group List
>> Subject: Re: [DCRM-L] Question: Local notes in OCLC master records
>>
>>
>>
>> It seems unfortunate to me that OCLC has chosen this model. For one
>> thing it creates two classes of libraries where there really isn't a
>> good reason to do so. Second, it discourages use of IRs (if you have
> to
>> pay for them on top of your regular subscription you certainly will
>> think twice about using them-or at least your administrators will).
> The
>> IR concept is such a good one, OCLC should not be putting obstacles in
>> the way of using them.
>>
>>
>>
>> While I'm thinking of it, another obstacle appears to be lack of
> public
>> interface with them. They don't show up nor are they searchable, as
> far
>> as I know, in the FirstSearch interface (which is our public view of
>> OCLC), or (far less) in worldcat.org. At least I haven't been able to
>> find them in either place. If this is the case IRs are further
>> marginalized. The only place I am able to see BYU's institution record
>> for a given master record is in the Connexion client or web version,
>> which is not helpful to the public. Jackie?
>>
>>
>>
>> Robert L. Maxwell
>>
>> Special Collections and Ancient Languages Catalog Librarian
>>
>> Genre/Form Authorities Librarian
>>
>> 6728 Harold B. Lee Library
>>
>> Brigham Young University
>>
>> Provo, UT 84602
>>
>> (801)422-5568
>>
>>
>>
>> From: dcrm-l-bounces at lib.byu.edu [mailto:dcrm-l-bounces at lib.byu.edu]
> On
>> Behalf Of Dooley,Jackie
>> Sent: Monday, November 16, 2009 12:34 PM
>> To: DCRM Revision Group List
>> Subject: Re: [DCRM-L] Question: Local notes in OCLC master records
>>
>>
>>
>> Libraries that aren't ex-RLIN can purchase IRs. I would be surprised
> if
>> few have done so, but I've never inquired. -Jackie
>>
>>
>>
>> Jackie Dooley
>>
>> Consulting Archivist
>>
>> OCLC Research and the RLG Partnership
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> From: dcrm-l-bounces at lib.byu.edu [mailto:dcrm-l-bounces at lib.byu.edu]
> On
>> Behalf Of Auyong, Dorothy
>> Sent: Monday, November 16, 2009 11:31 AM
>> To: DCRM Revision Group List
>> Subject: Re: [DCRM-L] Question: Local notes in OCLC master records
>>
>>
>>
>> Whenever we create a Master Record/Institutional Record combination, I
>> have instructed our catalogers to remove all local notes and tracings
>> from the Master.
>>
>>
>>
>> I seem to remember that 590 and 500 notes tagged |5 will automatically
>> be stripped from the Master record.  Added entries (7xx) and 655 (form
>> genre) headings coded |5 will NOT be automatically stripped and I have
>> my catalogers strip those from the Master.  Without the corresponding
>> justification in the local note, they are just bad "noise" in an MR.
>>
>>
>>
>> I don't know that the option to create IRs was ever extended to OCLC
>> libraries or it remains a legacy of we few, proud and unapologetic
>> former RLIN libraries <smile>
>>
>>
>>
>> Dorothy Auyong
>>
>> Principal Rare Book Cataloger
>>
>> Huntington Library
>>
>> dauyong at huntington.org
>>
>
>
>
>

Laurence S. Creider
Special Collections Librarian
New Mexico State University
Las Cruces, NM  88003
Work: 575-646-7227
Fax: 575-646-7477
lcreider at lib.nmsu.edu