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Frequently Asked Questions

1. How do I request an in-process item?
2. Why are some catalog records very brief?
3. Whom should I contact if I need a title cataloged or a catalog record updated?
4. The 1995 Technical Services redesigned processes eventually created a new unit and workflow, using paraprofessional staff to assign call numbers to those materials that lacked copy or call numbers on receipt. Has this been successful?
5. Vendor services have figured prominently in the ongoing redesigns in Technical Services? How successfully have they been used in cataloging?
6. Prior to going to the CLASS unit, materials without copy and with imprints less than 5 years are selected by MARC catalogers for original cataloging. What are the criteria for this selection?
7. Does Stanford participate in cooperative cataloging programs?
8. What happens to those materials older than 5 years, or not cataloged by the MARC unit, or not found in the MARCADIA cycling?
9. In the distant past Cataloging & Metadata Servicess were notorious blackholes and backlog creators. How do you manage to avoid these pitfalls?

1. How do I request an in-process item?

Locate the title in Socrates and view the LONG display. If the item is still in-process, you will see a link to "Request this item" at the bottom of the screen. Follow the link to use the request form.

2. Why are some catalog records very brief?

If the brief record is for a new title, the record is being automatically cycled through the MARCADIA program and will receive a fuller record within two years. If the record is for an older title, the record was probably created from a card in the old card catalog and never updated. We generally do not update either category under normal circumstances.

3. Whom should I contact if I need a title cataloged or a catalog record updated?

Please see the extensive tables detailing workflow and contacts by type of material.

4. The 1995 Technical Services redesigned processes eventually created a new unit and workflow, using paraprofessional staff to assign call numbers to those materials that lacked copy or call numbers on receipt. Has this been successful?

Classification on receipt has been a cornerstone of our successful redesign. It allows all materials (not only those with copy) to go to the shelves within 2-3 weeks of receipt in the CLASS unit. These materials do not need to be retrieved again, as cataloging that is received through cycling simply overlays the brief record in the database. The paraprofessional staff has excellent language skills, training and desktop support to help them achieve this fast turnaround of materials.

5. Vendor services have figured prominently in the ongoing redesigns in Technical Services? How successfully have they been used in cataloging?

Very successfully. As fundamental as shelf-ready materials, EDI, the class-on-receipt concepts have been to our overall redesigns, so has the use of other vendor services for cataloging. The MARCADIA process for automated copy searching involves sending a batch of classed-on-receipt records every six months (in October and April). These records are searched by Marcadia against the RLIN database. Matches that meet our profile are returned for overlaying the classed-on-receipt record in Unicorn. We expect a match rate of about 40% in the initial search. Those that have no match are searched again after 12 months. The match rate of this second (and final) search is expected to be about 30%. The overall match rate, therefore, is about 58%We also use a vendor authority process through LTI. This smoothes our redesigned cataloging process, because it allows our local copy catalogers to process records quickly without authority searching. It allows us to import records from a wide variety of vendor sources, without compromising quality, authority control being applied post-cataloging. The traditional catalog has become part of a much larger and diverse discovery environment that includes vastly increasing digital resources for which we provide metadata. Traditional values with regard to standards and database integrity are only magnified in complex digital repositories. We anticipate that vendor services will continue to be an important component of our processing model in the increasingly complex environment of the future.

6. Prior to going to the CLASS unit, materials without copy and with imprints less than 5 years are selected by MARC catalogers for original cataloging. What are the criteria for this selection?

Each MARC cataloger reviews materials in their subject/language area and selects the following categories: designated priority items, firm orders, reference, terminal sets, textbooks, anthologies, primary source government documents and local publications, major publications in the field, substantial current topical/research interest. This process is subjective, but informed by maintaining relationships with selectors in the area. This front-end selection was an integral part of the 1999-2000 redesign of the original cataloging workflow (see initial and midyear reports). It provides the underpinnings for the national cooperative cataloging program PCC. In addition catalogers have an increased sense of contribution, giving immediate access to the latest items in a scholar's field, rather than items from backlogs that are several years old.

7. Does Stanford participate in cooperative cataloging programs?

We do participate in these programs, the major one at the moment being the Program For Cooperative Catalogn (PCC) in three areas, NACO, BIBCO and SACO. Staff members here serve in a number of roles, the most intensive of which are the Regional NACO Trainer and the NACO Hebrew Funnel positions. We do not participate in CONSER, as we do not catalog in OCLC, which is currently a program requirement. All original cataloging at Stanford has a default value of PCC standard. Either BIBCO full or core depends primarily on the assessment by the cataloger in the subject area, with core-level used as often as it can expedite the process. About a quarter of original cataloging records are done at the core level. Paraprofessional staff in the MARC unit provide PCC level cataloging as well. We have had a recent success in this area for our Slavic Belle Lettres. Use of the PCC national standard, allows us to share our records globally through utilities such as RLIN and OCLC. In this way we reduce the amount of effort for each library in providing access to its materials. We also make agreements to catalog certain materials right away, so that others can use our records. This practiceof providing immediate cataloging for all Chilean imprints as part of our contribution to the Program for Latin American Cataloging (PLAC) ceased in December 2007. We hope to participate in metadata cooperative programs for digital resources as they become available.

8. What happens to those materials older than 5 years, or not cataloged by the MARC unit, or not found in the MARCADIA cycling?

Items with imprint date older than 5 years (less likely to have cataloged copy, so not good candidates for cycling) are cataloged upon receipt by paraprofessional staff in the CLASS unit at Encoding Level 3 as completed records. Items with imprints less than 5 years, that cannot be cataloged by the MARC unit in the required turnaround time, cycle for copy through Marcadia. Non-matches from MARCADIA receive Level 3 cataloging. We are currently assessing the possibility of doing this cataloging without retrieving materials from their permanent shelving locations. Since Level 3 has become an essential processing tool, we are designing an assessment survey to review its impact, as part of our quality assurance program.

9. In the distant past Cataloging & Metadata Servicess were notorious blackholes and backlog creators. How do you manage to avoid these pitfalls?

Our department concentrates on building good liaison strategies with other departments to assure an smooth and efficient flow and accountability for materials, with a minimum of handoffs. There is minimal space in the department so things need to keep moving. The Materials Control Unit manages a logging procedure for materials that are in the department to assure turnaround times. They are extremely responsive to locating in-process materials for patrons. Our Catalog Liaison has concentrated on helping Collection Development to manage Bulk Collections that cannot be processed through the mainstream acquisitions process. For a list of these see Project/grants Chart. In the Fall of 2000, we created a Metadata Unit to assure that our processes would begin to scale for digital resources. To see the extent of this burgeoning area see Metadata Project List. There will be a profound effect on all traditional cataloging departments from digital library programs, where backlogs and black holes can have a more devastating effect than they have had with traditional print resources.

Last modified: June 5, 2008