Case Studies in Cataloging E-Monograph Collections

• The collection's website indicates that the collection was launched in September 2002 with over 500 titles. However, only 473 analytic MARC records were provided. We contacted the project's Managing Editor for Library Relations about the discrepancy. She replied, "There are several multi-volume sets that have one record, thus the lower number of records than titles."
• 275 titles were added in October 2003, resulting in an additional 266 MARC records.
• 225 MARC records added Fall 2004 through Spring 2005.

• The subscription to the project includes high-quality MARC records which were created or edited at the University of Michigan Libraries.
• After loading the records, a few global changes were performed:
  1.) The proxy prefix was added to the URL
  2.) The 001 was moved to an 035 |a. The 001 range for the records in Phase 1 was ULATP5015 to ULATP5487. The records also had 035s in the following format: (dli)HEB00001. We left the existing 035s in the records.
  3.) A |n containing the note URL: http://www.historyebook.org was deleted from the 773. Clicking on the URL in this note caused Aleph to execute a search on the title in the 773 field instead of linking to the History E-Book page.
  4.) A 928 was added so that the records would be sent out for authority control.
  5.) Added a 940 with the text HISTORY E-BOOK PROJECT.

• URLs are in the bibliographic record in an 856 field. Due to workflow considerations described below, MARC holdings records were not created.
• We used the local Aleph record type EB (Electronic Book) which Kevin Kidd defined for the Oxford Reference Online collection. This record type causes the URL for the resource to display in QUEST search results screens where information from the holdings record normally displays.

• High-quality records created or edited by the University of Michigan Libraries were included with the subscription to the Project. It made sense to batch load these records. Michigan's description of the cataloging follows:

Included are 739 records; 732 Books format records with a 533 reproduction note representing the books in electronic page-image format; 6 Books format records with a 534 original version note representing the books in electronic text format; and a "collection-level" record, in Computer File format, representing the Project.

The records themselves originated from a variety of sources (vendors, OCLC, RLIN), and are representative of a variety of cataloging standards: pre-AACR1, AACR1, and AACR2. The Monograph Cataloging Division of the University of Michigan Library has made every effort to bring these records up to current national standards; inevitably, a few may miss the mark.

The following describes the content characteristics of these Phase 1 + 2 MARC records:

With the exception of the collection-level record, all of the records in this file reflect the original print versions of the documents (with the addition of appropriate computer file fields).

Fixed Fields:

Record Type: a - Language material
BLvl: d - Subunit of a collection

006

Form of material: m - Computer file
Type of computer file: m - Combination

Variable Fields:

007 Record characteristics for remote access computer file format for textual data
035 A unique identifier of the record
040 MiU |c MiU (University of Michigan NUC symbol)
090 LC call number derived from the original print version
260 Record publisher information pertinent to the original print source
300 Physical description for the original print source
533 Reproduction note on the processing of the page-image version - or
534 Original version note for text-based items
6XX Relevant LCSH assignments
7XX Additional access points
830 Uniform title series added entry
856 URL for Electronic access

• Michigan's treatment of the e-books conforms with LCRI 1.11 and LC's Draft Interim Guidelines for Cataloging Electronic Resources. (See earlier discussion of this issue in Oxford Reference Online Case Study.)
• The only thing unusual about the records is their bibliographic level; the titles are cataloged as components of a larger collection. The bibliographic level sub-unit is coded d and the records have a 773 field referring to the collection of which the sub-units are a part.
• The question was raised as to whether or not the database as a whole should be cataloged given that we have analyzed all the titles in the database. Our current policy for print titles is not to catalog the series when the title is analyzed. The catalogers will discuss this question and devise a parallel policy for digital resources.
• We did not create MARC holdings records. Kevin Kidd defined EB (Electronic Book) as a local Aleph record type. This record type causes the URL for the resource to display where holdings record information normally displays in QUEST search results screens.

• The readme file which accompanied the records states:
  

  From time to time new History E-Book Project records, reflecting both retrospective as well as newly-published titles, will be made available. The University of Michigan's MARC records for these titles will also be available as the texts are added to the collection. Libraries and other information providers interested in receiving notification for these record updates should email: lib.spo@umich.edu.

• Move the 001 to an 035 |a. (The records already had one 035 field which remained in the record, resulting in 2 035s per record.)
• Add a 928 so that the records will go for authority control
• Add a 940 with the text HISTORY E-BOOK PROJECT

• Deleted fields 059, 998, 099
• Deleted URL from field 773 |n
• Added BC proxy prefix to 856 |u

• 1) Changed "intranet" to "internet" in fields 533 and 538
• 2) Modified 856 |u to point directly to resource (instead of to metadata)

• Move the 001 to an 035 |a. (The records already had one 035 field which remained in the record, resulting in 2 035s per record.)
• Add a 928 so that the records will go for authority control
• Add a 940 with the text HISTORY E-BOOK PROJECT
• Deleted fields 059, 998, 099
• Deleted URL from field 773 |n

• Modified 856 |u to point directly to resource (instead of to metadata)