Library of Things, Local Materials, and MARCOnline Records

Two ways of cataloging

We want you to be able to make your own decisions when cataloging materials of this type. Please keep in mind that SWAN encourages the creation of records that can be shared amongst all libraries. Depending on the needs of your staff and patrons, you may make a choice between these two methods of cataloging:

1. A MARCOnline record
2. A standard catalog record

We will explain each option below.

MARCOnline records

Usage

MARCOnline records are brief records you may create in any of the following situations:

• A full OCLC record is not necessary for the item.
• A full OCLC record would be impossible to create.
• You wish to have a record that only your library edits and uses.

MARCOnline records are good for

• Collective records where the exact model, shape, and brand of the items varies. An example is a generic record for all cake pans or all umbrellas that your library circulates.
• Records for items that would never circulate via ILL.
• Records for local items that do not warrant inclusion in OCLC such as archival collections, genealogy collections, or school yearbooks. You may choose for yourself whether these types of materials would benefit from an OCLC record. SWAN Bibliographic Services can always create OCLC records for you if necessary.

Characteristics

MARCOnline records are similar to pre-cats. They contain as much information as is necessary to identify the item, but they may not be up to full cataloging standards.

When creating a MARCOnline record, please select "MARCONLINE" format policy in the Bibliographic Control tab. This policy allows us to filter MARCOnline records out of cleanup reports and MARC extracts. This policy is new as of Fall 2020, and retrospective assignment of this policy will take some time.

The format policy controls the fixed field labels in the bibliographic record. No matter what format of material you are cataloging, all MARCOnline records will have a text-oriented fixed field similar to pre-cats. This will allow you to use the Fiction/Nonfiction facet for these items if necessary.

If you need to create a MARCOnline record with a fixed field layout of another type, please contact SWAN support.

Sharing MARCOnline records

Historically, MARCOnline records in SWAN have been unique to the library who created them. If two libraries circulate the same model iPad, for example, each library would use their own bibliographic record to represent that iPad. We now hope to reduce the amount of work you need to do and decrease redundancy in the catalog by encouraging you to share MARCOnline records whenever possible.

We encourage the use of shared records when:

• You are circulating materials as received from the manufacturer.
• The record is unique to a particular model or edition.

You should use a record specific to your library if:

• You have created the item yourself, such as a book club or STEM kit.
• You have removed, changed, or added components to a shipped item such as charging cables, adaptors, or headphones.
• You have added or removed software or files from a computerized device, such as a preloaded Roku or iPad. This gives you license to maintain detailed contents notes and added entries.
• You wish to use a generic record for a collection of different items such as maintaining all brands of mobile hotspots on a single record.

Identifying shared vs. unique records

To create a record for your library's exclusive use, please indicate your library's 3-letter code or name in the 245 field. You may use some license in constructing the 245 field for a unique record to suit your needs. Examples:

245 10 CTS football hero cake pan.
245 10 INS Roku with Netflix and Vudu.
245 10 Glen Ellyn mobile wifi hotspot device.

By contrast, do not include your library code or name anywhere in a bibliographic record that is shared. In this case, the 245 must reflect the name of the material from the item itself. Do not use descriptive titles on shared records.

Local collections subject headings

Local subject headings are coded in the 690 field. The 690 is a protected "Local" field in the Symphony database and will be preserved if a bibliographic record is overlaid. 

When creating local subject headings, please strive for consistency. For example: 

690   Tinley Park Library of Things. 

MARCOnline pre-cats

Please retain the 977 field and its default value "PRE-CAT" on MARCOnline records. We will examine these records as a courtesy and perform edits as needed to ensure the record is searchable in Aspen. We may also determine that a library-unique record might be better off shared if there is nothing to indicate uniqueness other than the library's name. In this case, we will reach out to ask whether we can change or merge the record before taking action.

Standard catalog records

In contrast to MARCOnline records, standard catalog records are subject to all policies and formatting guidelines prescribed by the SWAN standards. Standard catalog records are created on and imported from OCLC and will have an OCLC number in the 001 field. We also perform holdings maintenance on these records so your holdings will appear in OCLC and be searchable in WorldCat.

Deciding what records receive full OCLC cataloging

As pre-cats appear in our catalog, SWAN staff will make the decision whether a record should receive a full OCLC overlay or whether a MARConline record is more appropriate. We make this decision based on the information in the record, its potential use, and whether the creation of the record is feasible to perform in a timely manner. If we are unsure, we may reach out to the creator of the pre-cat to ask.

If you wish to guarantee that a record receive full OCLC cataloging, please include a local note as instruction:

591    Please provide OCLC overlay.

The vast majority of pre-cats receive OCLC record overlay.

Sharing standard catalog records

All records with OCLC numbers and full cataloging are to be shared between libraries.

No library-unique records will receive OCLC overlay.