Bibliographic Utility

Document status

APPROVED ; REVIEWED  

Area coveredcataloging
Prepared byTechnical Services Working Group Leads
Adapted fromOrbis Cascade Alliance Bibliographic Mandates Review Group
Updated

 

Background

The presence of OCLC WorldCat record numbers in bibliographic records makes it possible to match records in Alma when materials are owned by multiple CSU libraries. The OCLC record number provides a match point that simplifies record loading, record maintenance, and other technical operations. Requiring use of a common bibliographic utility ensures that the records of CSU libraries can be merged and maintained with greater ease in a shared environment. If multiple bibliographic utilities were allowed, individual institutions might lower their cataloging costs. However, such an environment would significantly increase the complexity and cost of operating a shared system.

Policy Statement

  • Libraries must use OCLC as their primary bibliographic utility
  • Libraries must use the OCLC record number as their primary match point when importing records into Alma, except in cases where a policy has been established to use a different match point
  • The following types of bibliographic records are not required to contain OCLC numbers nor to have holdings set in WorldCat:
    • records created for ordering purposes
    • personal-copy course reserves
    • titles borrowed on ILL from outside CSU consortium
    • inventory control of equipment
    • records representing titles in a knowledge base (e.g., Alma CZ records)
    • Marcive shipping list records
    • host bibliographic records for bound-withs
    • suppressed bibliographic records
    • record sets provided by vendors other than OCLC, including leased book sets

Action log


SectionPoint Person

Expected Completion Date

Last action takenNext action required

Articulate the need for the policy (background)

TS Leads

 

Policy needed to regulated the use of OCLC as the standard bibliographic utility.


To be discussed with the TS Working Group.


Finalize Draft Policy Statement

TS Leads

 



UpdatedTS Leads

 

Minor correction.



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