WLA - 2010

Who's going to the 2010 Annual WLA Conference and which days will you be attending?

What sessions are you planning on attending?

Are there any sessions that you can't make it to that you think someone should try to attend and report back to the committee on?

WLA Program

Meeting with Jane Richards from WiLS:

Here's a recap of the meeting we had with Jane yesterday.  If there's something you have a question about or that you don't see mentioned here, please feel free to send me an email.

• All libraries have full access to OCLC Connexion.  This means that you can download as many records into Sirsi as you need to, and you will not be billed extra (over the amount paid for the subscription...and Becky said she will be getting this information out to the individual libraries).
• You may continue/begin to use SmartPort choosing the OCLC symbol to search for bib records.  This may or may not be putting MPL's symbol on the records in OCLC, but it doesn't matter as this will not affect MPL's subscription, and the holdings will be fixed when Ginger runs her reports. Ginger is going to look into adding an OCLC link for each library, so the appropriate holdings are attached from the start.
• You may also download bib records directly from OCLC into Workflows by using OCLC Connexion (web based), or OCLC Connexion Client (which must first be downloaded onto you computer).  Workshops/Webinars and Tutorials on how to use these tools this are available through WiLS and Minitex.  Perhaps we could set up a session that a group of us could attend?
• Ginger is, I believe, thinking of running OCLC cleanup reports more often in order to delete OCLC holdings from items we have discarded, and to attach holdings to items that we own.

• Did you know that your library gets a monetary credit from OCLC every time you MANUALLY remove your library's holding in OCLC for deleted items?  Yup, they credit you $0.25 per record.  Amy has been doing this for MPL for years, and she says that we get hundreds of dollars back every month. Downside: it's a time-consuming process. You do not get credited if your holdings are automatically removed from OCLC through the reports that Ginger runs. 
• Libraries also get credit for creating original records and updating existing records in OCLC--however, unless you have been trained to perform original cataloguing, you should not be doing this.
• Jane also informed us of an OCLC service called Cataloging Partners. We had actually looked into this at some point, but found the cost to be prohibitive (when looking at doing it with Baker & Taylor).  But then Jane told us that she believes Amazon For Libraries (free service) works with OCLC to provide bib records to libraries for free!  This could fill our need for On-Order Records for DVDs purchased through Amazon right?  Ann Reimer and I signed MPL up for the service this morning, and we'd be happy to let you know how it goes.  You can find a full list of vendors that work with OCLC here.

I think that's about it!

Minutes from LARS Cataloguing Policy Committee Meeting

Held Thursday September 23, 2010 at Lester Public Library 9 am.

Attended: Cheryl, Amy, Chris and Kathy


Chris welcomed everybody and Amy volunteered to take notes.


We finalized the wording on the Cataloguing Policy to send it LARS for recommended adoption.


Fast Adds and Use of Connexion and Smart Port: Most of this discussion was tabled until after we meet with Jane Richards (from WILS) and find out what exactly smaller libraries are paying for and what services they get. It was decided that until we get some answers ONLY MPL should be using the OCLC link through Smart Port. When other libraries use this it is MPL’s holdings that get attached.


We talked about MPL doing all of the cataloging on OCLC and what financial impact that might have. This would be accomplished through reports.


At the next LARS Catalog meeting (9am, November 18th, @Brillion) Amy will demo how she catalogs on OCLC. Ann will demo how she creates an Amazon order in SD, so we can see how non-B&T on-order records are created. Amy will also bring MPL’s ILL procedures and any other procedures that MPL has finished.

Discussed possibility of using one agreed upon format for magazine records, including putting the year in front of the call number for each issue. This discussion will continue at the full cataloging meeting in November when the magazine people are there.


We discussed again, the differences in using a serials record vs. a single record for travel books. We talked about using the serial record and going back to removing the subfield c in the 260 line like we did when Lisa Bruere was here. We also discussed graphic novels and with them we ALWAYS want one book, one record and do not duplicate.


Fixed fields…wait until after conversation with Jane to make decisions.


Training…what level do libraries need? How often? Who will do it? None of these questions got answered but we will discuss again in the future.


Original cataloguing …MPL will continue to do for everybody (10 per year and evaluate at end of every year to see if this is too much or too little), especially local history stuff. Using a fast add or short record for ephemeral stuff may be acceptable.


We discussed “Ag in the classroom” material and how/who it should be cataloged. MPL will continue to catalog those on OCLC as in the past.


There is a LARS cataloguing meeting on November 18 in Brillion at 9 am. At that meeting we will set the date for the next Cataloguing Policy Committee meeting.