Subject: [NGC4LIB] Question about maintaining OCLC holdings

From: Lois Reibach <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 27 Apr 2010 10:53:45 -0400

Cross-posted, please forgive duplication

We are a small membership library with research collections and a
circulating collection.  Our cataloging was done on OCLC in the early
1980's, then on RLIN, then back to OCLC when RLIN was absorbed.  For a
variety of reasons, we have not yet done our reclamation of holdings that
was allowed when we migrated from RLIN to OCLC, but are now in the planning
stages.

Most of our firm orders go through Brodart, where we also get catalog
records that are then loaded into our local system, and the books arrive
fully processed with spine label and card and pocket.  I'm trying to figure
out what to do with these titles as we move forward.  Brodart is a
participant in Worldcat Cataloging Partners, but as I looked into that last
week, using that service would complicate our workflow rather than simplify
it.

Many of our members do check our catalog from home, but we don't yet have an
interface that is optimised for mobile devices.  We are going to subscribe
to Worldcat beginning in the next fiscal year, and I'm concerned about
access to our holdings for these Brodart titles through Worldcat,
particularly since that will be the only interface for mobile access to our
catalog.  Up until now, we have not been setting holdings for these titles,
but once all of our holdings are in Worldcat it seems like that should be
maintained.

Any advice on if the OCLC holdings for new, firm orders, should be
maintained, and if so, how, would be greatly appreciated.  Also, if there
are other issues to consider that I didn't think to mention, I would be
happy to have them raised.

Thanks for your help.

-- 
Lois Reibach
PT Cataloger
The Athenaeum of Philadelphia
219 South Sixth Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106

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