CUNY Aleph Catalog Optimization Projects: OCLC Reclamation

Purpose

The purpose of the project is twofold:

1. To bring CUNY libraries holdings up to date in WorldCat.
2. To obtain the current OCLC control number for use in current Aleph records for system migration

Procedures

To proceed, OLS will retrieve and submit to OCLC two files of active records from Aleph for each institution:

• Records with OCLC numbers
• Records with no OCLC numbers

Records with STA=LOCAL, PCI, OLSDELETE, SUPPRESSED, & CIRC-CREATED will be excluded from reclamation. Records of new titles with an "On Order" item process status will also be excluded. Upon receiving CUNY's records, OCLC will use their established algorithms to locate matching records and attach institution holdings.

Please note that we exclude orders by suppressing those titles where a library's only copy is the one on order. Those records will be suppressed for a few hours (while we extract your holdings), and then unsuppressed after data extraction.

The project is closely tied to the Suppressed Records clean-up project. Records that are suppressed, but active in your collection should be identified and un-suppressed from the Aleph database. Only when the Suppressed Records project is completed and accurate active records are extracted, can the reclamation process achieve best outcomes. OLS will work on collections from institutions who have completed the Suppressed Records project.

We are also asking libraries to work with Roland Samieske at OLS on their active electronic resource collections where MARC records are available in Aleph. Records of these e-resources, if available in PCI and/or Alma e-collection knowledge base, need to be identified and excluded for reclamation. Such records will also not be migrated to Alma to avoid duplicate entries in Primo search results.

OCLC Reports

After the WorldCat data matching process is complete, the following reports will be delivered:

• Xref reports containing Aleph system IDs and OCLC numbers
• Unresolved records report containing unmatched records

OLS will add/replace OCLC number in Aleph based on the Xref reports. Bibliographic records that lack sufficient data for OCLC to identify a matching record will be added to WorldCat Staging. We will work with each institution to resolve the unmatched records.

Scan and Delete

After data sync processing is complete, OCLC runs a Scan/Delete to remove CUNY library holdings from records with a date stamp earlier than the date of the data sync processing transaction (typically the date when you extracted your records for submittal to OCLC). Holdings of active records will be reattached to WorldCat. This is usually done on the weekend to keep the impact to a minimum. OLS will work with each CUNY institution to set up a date for the "scan and delete."

Dos and Don'ts

During the process, please be aware of the following:

1. Be sure to hold off any OCLC deletes. That is, do not cancel holdings from OCLC until the process is complete. If you are working on any withdrawal project or clean-up project that you need to cancel holdings from OCLC, please keep the records and do them later. Marking records with STA OLSDELETE will greatly help your library's efforts.
2. It is permissible to continue to attach new holdings to OCLC as part of your local workflow. This is not applicable if OLS attaches your holdings to WorldCat for you (as part of our monthly automation). It would be safer to hold off attaching holdings during the week your records are being sent to OCLC.
3. System Number 9251114 is an important benchmark. If you are adding items / holdings in Aleph for a suppressed bibliographic record with a lower system number, you should also be keeping track of those system numbers. Holdings will need to be added in OCLC.
4. Libraries should review their workflows to include best practices for maintaining their holdings in OCLC. Otherwise, a library's holdings with OCLC will again become increasingly out of sync with the physical contents of their cataloged materials.

Post Reclamation Cataloging

You can resume your normal cataloging activities after the process. Please note that it is possible a less preferred matching record was selected by OCLC during the process. That is the less preferred record has CUNY symbol attached in WorldCat. OLS asks each institution to wait until after the system migration to replace it with your preferred record. Specifically, before July 2020, do not overlay the Aleph record with your preferred OCLC record and cancel/reattach holdings in WorldCat.

Post Reclamation WorldCat Holdings Maintenance

It is essential to maintain accurate holdings in WorldCat after the reclamation process. It requires an effective system to regularly add and cancel holdings. OLS will work with each institution to review/adjust local practices for maintaining your library's holdings on WoldCat.

OLS will keep you informed of each stage of the process and answer all questions you might have.