Background
GL and HL
When the current database was loaded in 1990 selected records for the GL,
HL, and LL processing units were loaded with special location codes. The
GL and HL records represented print material other than periodicals for
which linked item records had not been created in the Geac environment.
The GL records were loaded with a location code of gl,d (location name :
ASK AT CIRC DESK FOR BISONTRACE); the HL records with a location code of
hs,d (location name : HEALTH SCIENCES Missing).
LL
The LL records were loaded with a location code of la,d (location name :
LAW General Collection). The LL records represented one of several
situations. As may have been the case with numerous GL and HL records,
the LL records could have resulted from the item not being on the shelf
when linking was done, or the item could have been missing (and still is).
Some GL and LL records could also represent duplicate records resulting
from the mixed OCLC and RLIN environments which both areas had to contend
with. In order to facilitate the linking of circulating material, the Law
Library opted to skip many large non-circulating sets as part of the Geac
linking initiative.
ML and PL
Inasmuch as there were no item records of any kind for ML and PL prior to
the implementation of NOTIS, there are no similar groups of records for
these two areas.
Current Status of Records
GL
Approximately 150,000 GL records with the location code of gl,d were
loaded in 1990. When CTS was told that the presence of BISONTRACE records
and copy statements indicating a missing status confused patrons, numerous
large scale projects aimed at expediting the reduction of the number of
records with the gl,d location code were undertaken. CTS staff (with
assistance from staff at APL and Math) have searched for, located, and
linked many thousands of items. An unknown number of records have been
deleted or marked for deletion because they were duplicates. Most items
have been searched in the presumed appropriate collection two or more
times. Many items were searched in multiple collections.
For items which could not be located, the records were adjusted in one of
two ways. The records for items which had a status of missing in the
manual shelflist, had not been linked in the Geac environment, and not
been located since 1990 were adjusted by adding a copy level note of "not
located" and by being suppressed from public view. Holdings were
cancelled in OCLC for this category of records.
The remaining records were ones which did not have a pre-BISON missing
status. The items were not linked in the Geac environment and have not
been located since 1990. For these records the location code was changed
to glts (the location code for CTS), a copy level note of "gl,d not
located" added, and the records suppressed from public view. Holdings in
OCLC have not been cancelled.
The distinction between these two categories is that the former was
considered missing prior to the implementation of NOTIS, and in many
instances prior to the implementation of Geac.
There are approximately 60,000 records in these two categories which have
been suppressed.
HL
As of September 1999 there were 4,409 HL records with the location code of
hs,d. HSL staff have devoted limited time to searching for this material.
In the summer of 1999 CTS assisted HSL in conducting a limited review of
the records.
LL
The reclassification project at Law and general database clean-up and
maintenance have eliminated many of the la,d records. The location codes
in records for large non-circulating sets are being changed as part of the
reclassification project. It is not known how many records were loaded in
1990 with a location code of la,d; in September 1999, 1,390 of these
records remained.
Future Steps
GL
At the completion of a one remaining specialized searching project CTS
plans to mark all remaining records for deletion and to cancel holdings in
OCLC.
HL
Although HSL has not made a final decision, it is likely that they will
elect to mark the hs,d records for deletion and cancel holdings in OCLC.
This would not take place until after those items removed earlier from the
HSL book collection and now awaiting transfer to the History of Medicine
Collection have been processed.
LL
Because there is still an unknown number of records for non-circulating
sets included in the 1,390 records, the Law Library cannot mark all of the
remaining records for deletion. The continuation of the reclassification
project as well as plans to search the remaining records during the next
few months should result in the elimination of all remaining la,d records
within a year.
The Deletion Process
There are several reasons why the standard NOTIS bibliographic record
deletion programs should not be used for this project and for all future
physical deletion of records.
All technical services staff authorized to mark records for deletion
follow the procedure of suppressing the record from public display and
changing the record status to "x." It has never been local policy to
follow the additional NOTIS step of changing the second character in the
STAT field to "D," thereby making the record retrievable only by record
number.
In order to be able to review any records marked for deletion, a secondary
routine was introduced a couple of years ago. Using a report created by
Stephanie Morrill, I have access to all records marked for deletion
(suppressed from public view and a record status of "x"). The records are
reviewed for linked item records, active MHLDs, and order linkages. Those
records confirmed for deletion are then edited by removing all fields
except the mandatory 245 title field. Data in the 245 is replaced with
"TO BE DELETED [record number]". If there is an inactive MHLD linked to
any of the copy statements, the 245 is altered to read "TO BE DELETED MHLD
[record number]." If there is a cancelled order or a completed order with
the holdings on a different record. the 245 is altered to read "TO BE
DELETED DEAD ORDER [record number]."
These alterations to the 245 fields serve a number of purposes. First, an
altered 245 indicates that the record has been reviewed. The alterations
also create categories of records awaiting deletion: records with dead
order linkages, records with inactive MHLD linkages, and records with
neither of these. Should different approaches be appropriate for these
three categories of deletes, the records would be ready. Behind this
approach was the desire to see a locally-developed substitute for the
standard NOTIS programs for record deletion.
The standard NOTIS programs have been run at least once since the above
procedure was implemented. Since the standard programs look for and
delete records with a status of "x " and are, of course, totally oblivious
to the modifications described below. For those records with a status of
"x" but for which the local modifications have not been applied, no
benefits from the local modifications can be realized. Technical problems
can result since the records have not been reviewed.
I am asking that the standard NOTIS programs be modified, or that new
programs be developed locally, so that records will be deleted on the
basis of each of the three conventions for text in the 245 described
above. To delete records on the basis of the "x" status alone will become
increasingly problematic as we work with the 65,000+ records addressed in
this document and add other records to the delete queue as part or normal
activities. I do not want to see these 65,000+ records prepared for
deletion if we cannot proceed to physically delete them.
Although the different categories of records marked for deletion are not
that relevant to a project to delete records which have never had linked
item records, the overall deletion process would be greatly facilitated
should local programs be developed and used.
Benefits
There are several benefits to proceeding to delete these approximately
65,000 records. If the material has not been available for some time, no
purpose is served in continuing to include them in the database (they have
never had linked item records, order linkages, or a circulation history,
thus no history in the NOTIS environment). Although they are suppressed
from public view, the records are still in the database. They must be
maintained, continued under authority control, and eventually moved to a
new system. Canceling the remaining holdings from OCLC will stop any
needless ILL requests for these titles. After the records have been
removed it will be appropriate to identify those authority records for
which there are no longer any associated bibliographic records and then
proceed to delete the authority records as well.
Negatives
Undoubtedly, as part of this project we will delete records for some
material which is still somewhere in the University Libraries. Some
material with call numbers not in agreement with the database record or
material badly mishelved may never be located. If any of the material
surfaces, new records can be added for it. Some of the records which will
be deleted may be for titles in the Rare Books Collection. Since much of
the original Rare Books Collection was represented in the Union Shelflist,
records were added as part of retrospective conversion activities. The
status of rare books and efforts to establish bibliographic control over
that material remain uncertain. It is preferable to ignore any concerns
about rare books at this time and in this context and proceed with the
deletes project.
Records Not Included
Not addressed by this project are those items for which a condition status
of "missing" has been added by Circulation staff. Those represent linked
item records and are not part of this project which is related to records
for which there have never been linked item records.