Skip to main content
Main Content

OCLC Holdings Maintenance

SWAN maintains your library's OCLC holdings using a tool we developed called the OCLC Holdings Manager (OHM). No action is required on the part of member libraries regarding holdings maintenance.

Holdings update process

SWAN performs holdings maintenance on a monthly basis.

At the beginning of each scheduled month, SWAN generates a full bibliographic and item MARC extract. OHM analyzes this extract and generates a table of OCLC numbers along with which of our member libraries has qualifying items attached. Qualifying items are any that OHM does not filter out using item type and location criteria listed below. Bibliographic records must have an OCLC number for OHM to process holdings. SWAN Bibliographic Services is attempting to add OCLC numbers to records lacking them in order to make holdings maintenance more comprehensive.

OHM then compares this table with a previous version to determine all holdings additions and deletions since the last update. Finally, OHM uses the OCLC API to send add and delete requests and sync your OCLC holdings with our catalog.

Records withheld from processing

OHM's processing removes certain bibliographic and item records before holdings maintenance is performed.

OCLC DO NOT SET

Records with a 945 field containing the string "OCLC DO NOT SET" are not sent for processing. SWAN does not actively use this field at present, but some legacy records and records obtained through migration may contain this field, so our processing retains this function.

Item Type

Items of the following Item Type do not get added as OCLC holdings regardless of the bibliographic record to which they are attached:

  • ART
  • EBK_READER
  • EBK_RD_NEW
  • EQUIPMENT
  • EQUIPMENTJ
  • E-BOOKS
  • ILL_BOOK
  • LEASED_AB
  • MP3
  • MP3_SPK_WD
  • NS_ILL_PRT
  • NS_ILL_VID
  • NEW_RENTAL
  • ON_THE_FLY
  • PUPPET
  • PUZZLE
  • TOY
  • UNKNOWN

Current Location

Items of the following Current Location status do not get added as OCLC holdings regardless of the bibliographic record to which they are attached:

  • DISCARD
  • ON-ORDER
  • UNKNOWN

Local holdings records

SWAN does not currently maintain Local Holdings Records on behalf of our member libraries. If your library wishes to maintain these records on your own, please feel free to do so.

Troubleshooting

If you notice a problem with your library's OCLC holdings, please send in a ticket to SWAN. We may be able to fix holdings errors by overlaying a new record with an OCLC number, or by manually adjusting your OCLC holdings.