Why are OCLC records preferred in Minerva?
- The only automated way to search for duplicate records in Millennium is by using the mode “Headings reports”. This method searches recently loaded files by looking for duplicate occurences of the number found in the 001 field. In order for this search to work correctly, valid OCLC numbers are needed whenever possible. If a record with a valid OCLC number has been duplicated in the catalog by another record with a different control number, such as a Library of Congress number, the report will not recognize this duplicate.
- The failure to use a valid OCLC number in the 001 field can cause mismatching or duplication in MaineCat. When records from Minerva (or Solar or Ursus) move into MaineCat, the very first point the system tries to match to an existing record is the 001 field. If a bib record with an OCLC number is compared to a record with a Library of Congress number (“DLC” in the 003), the records will not match, even though they are for the same item. Instead, a duplicate entry in MaineCat is created.
When a record goes into MaineCat without a 001 field, the system will look for a match in the 020 ISBN field. If this fails, then the system will attempt to find a match for the first 3 words of the title in the 245 field. These last 2 steps clearly are less accurate ways to find matches.
How to identify an OCLC number
- The easiest way to identify an OCLC number is by examining the 001 and 003 fields of a bib record. In most cases, current OCLC records have a 001 field with a 9 or 10-digit number. Older records may have OCLC numbers with fewer digits. This number should not include any letters of the alphabet. The next field in the record will be the 003 that appears as “OCoLC”. This combination of the 2 fields indicates that it is an OCLC record. At times the record may not include a 003. If this is the case, look for a 035 field containing “OCoLC” and a number that matches the one in 001. If this field is present, the record is likely from OCLC.
- If a number appears in the 001 and the 003 says “DLC”, it is not an OCLC number and it should be removed. Leave the 003 field as is if you wish. Hint: the first 4 digits of these DLC numbers usually are the year it was created, such as 1999, 2005, 2011, and so on.
- If the 001 contains numbers and letters, it is not from OCLC. Remove this number.
- If the 003 field has a code that is clearly neither “OCLC” nor “DLC”, remove the code in the 001 unless a 035 field as described above is present.
Verifying OCLC numbers
If you are considering using a record and are just not sure about the number in the 001 field, you can go to www.worldcat.org and try to search for it there. The records found in WorldCat are usually accurate OCLC records.
Some examples:
If the first few fields of the bib record look like this, the 001 is NOT OCLC:
Example 1:
o 001 1lzls
y 003 OCoLC
y 005 20110705091153.0
y 007 vd csaizq
y 008 110526s2011 xxu106 vleng d
i 024 1 025192106057
i 028 4 2 MCA235089002|bUniversal
y 035 (OCoLC)727131990
What to do: delete 1lxls from 001, replace with 727131990 (from the 035)
Example 2:
o 001 9ilms
y 007 vd csaizq
y 008 110701s2011 cau106 vleng d
i 024 1 025192106057
y 041 1 eng|afre|aspa|beng|bfre|bspa|heng
What to do: remove the 001
Example 3:
o 001 9064071
y 005 20110904194647.0
y 007 vd cvaizk
y 008 110425s2011 cau106 e vleng d
o 019 743097077
i 020 9780012637371
i 024 1 025192060571
i 028 4 2 61113683|bUniversal Studios Home Entertainment
y 040 LPU|cLPU|dTEF|dOCLCA|dTEF|dMR0|dIEP|dUPZ|dORX|dBUR|dIA4|dLVC|dRV8|dWSB|dUUC
What to do: remove the 001
(published 10/27/2011)
