Members present:  Doug Swiszcz (BAR), Mary Skaba (BUR), Ulla Virks (CHA), Paul Holliday (CRA), Celine Auclair (CUM), Debra Tirrell (EPL) Deborah Homer (JAM), Mike Barrette (JOH), Melanie Ruggieri (LIN), Sue Connor (MID), Diane Leathem & Izabella Casselman (NPT), Pam Glen (NSH), Paul Arsenault (PAW), Kristin Smith (WAR),Karen Light (WES), Barbara Shapiro (WWA), Lesya Kreshchuk, Lisa Davis & Patience Terrizzi  (OSL Cataloging).

1. Deleting the Horizon data held in Item Records' 949 field
This data pertains to information from the item records in Horizon, which were brought over to Millennium as data within the 949 field in each record. This data includes the contents of Horizon item fields like Call No., Volume, Price, Internal Note, and Status (at the time the data was loaded for migration). The OSL catalogers have suggested that this field should eventually be deleted from Millennium item records, and that libraries should begin utilizing this data sooner rather than later.

2. Scanning items into a review file for deletion
 Many libraries are still sendinglists of items for Patience to delete from Millennium. Patience demonstrated a procedure for scanning the barcodes of items to be deleted into a review file, after which libraries should contact her to ask her to delete the items in the file. This procedure will be posted on the Millennium Cataloging website.

3. 856 tag - how it displays in the OPAC
The 856 tag-which is intended to provide a link to another  website-shows up in the middle of the bib record in OPAC. It looks unattractive and, most of the time, it links to a site that is not particularly informative or interesting. Furthermore, most libraries' OPACs are "locked down"-meaning that users cannot connect to the web from these dedicated catalog workstations-so that OPAC users within the library are unable to follow these links anyway. OSL Catalogers recommend that catalogers who have the ability to edit bibliographic MARC records should delete any 856 tags that they find.

4. St. George's duplicates
The OSL Catalogers continue to whittle away at the duplicate St. George's bib records.  To date, 500 of the several thousand duplicate records have been merged with existing OSL records (often, the St. George's record is better than the OSL record, so the latter is being merged into the former!)

5. 333's
Libraries are encouraged to search by Catcode to see if they have any 333 records. (Simply choose Catcode from the index, then enter 333 to bring up a list of the various libraries' 333 records.) These are "call for cataloging" records for which OSL Catalogers need additional information in order to create a complete record.

6. OSL Stats
Handouts showing the statistics for work done by the OSL Cataloging staff were distributed. These statistics show that the catalogers are busy indeed. Patience mentioned that she has finished the 449 project, which involved transferring  only those series which are of interest to the consortium as a whole, from the 449 MARC tag in bib records to the 440 series tag. Patience also took time to praise her fellow staff for their hard work.

7. Demo - Setting up Macro's in Millennium
Paul Arsenault from PAW demonstrated how to set up macro's in Millennium. These are customized function keys that can be programmed to eliminate the need for constantly keying in repetitive data. For example, since Millennium requires that you type in all 14 digits of a barcode number, you could set up a macro key containing the barcode prefix for your agency.
If you use the unshifted sense of the function keys, plus each function key in conjunction with the Shift, Alt, and Ctrl keys, up to 44 macro's can be programmed. Paul demonstrated how PAW has one generic item record template, but then uses macros to accommodate the various item codes, item types, etc. that PAW uses. A handout was distributed detailing this procedure.

8. Overdrive
A lengthy discussion ensued regarding the Overdrive Committee's request that MARC records should exist in the OPAC for all of the Overdrive titles available to OSL users. OSL Catalogers have concerns, including the time/effort that it would take to search for these titles in OCLC or to create original records, particularly since many of these titles might be leased for a short period of time. Since these titles-regardless of who pays for them-are available to all OSL users, there would not be any items attached to the bib records for these titles. An OPAC user who was using the SCOPE feature of III to limit a search to one particular library would therefore not retrieve an Overdrive bib record. Another concern is that, just as the links in OPAC from 856 tags (see item 3 above) will not work for users in most libraries (because OPAC's are usually PC's dedicated for that purpose, preventing the user from accessing the Web), so too in-library users will not be able to follow the link that is intended to bring the user to the Overdrive site. Since a major concern of the OSL catalogers is the amount of time involved in dealing with the large number of Overdrive titles, perhaps staff from those libraries that actually expend the funds to lease Overdrive titles should assume some of the responsibility involved. For example, should individual library staff  be expected to request cataloging from the OSL Catalogers, just as they would for any other collection that their library acquires? Because there are so many complex issues involved, the Database Management Committee will recommend to the Steering Committee that it be given more time to explore the ramifications of the Overdrive Committee's request.

9. Other
Co-chair Melanie Ruggieri will soon be updating the Millennium Cataloging website. If you think that there's something that should be included on the site, please let Melanie know.

Because many libraries are not indicating in their requests for cataloging which version of a movie they own, the 250 tag (Edition) for the bib template for DVD's will now give catalogers a choice of specifying Full Screen or Widescreen.

Some libraries are creating bib records without attaching any items to them. Although OPAC will not allow users to place holds on such bib records, staff in some libraries are placing holds on them in the Millennium client. Staff should not do this, because patrons will see that there are holds on these records, and want to know why they can't place their own holds on them. However, the real issue is that libraries should not be creating bib records without attaching at least one item record (or, in the case of the one library that uses the Acquisitions module, at least one order record) to them. One library in particular was identified as a source of these bib records without holdings, and a motion was passed by the committee empowering Patience to contact that library and ask that this practice be discontinued.

The next Database Management Committee meeting is tentatively scheduled for Monday, February 25, 2008, at the (East Providence) Weaver Memorial Library at 9:30 am. Watch the Catalogers' message board in February for confirmation of the date and location.

Respectfully submitted,
Doug Swiszcz
Barrington Public Library

Sue Connor
Middletown Public Library
Database Co-Chair

Melanie Ruggieri
Lincoln Library
Database Co-Chair