PrairieCat Cataloging Cheat Sheet
All bibliographic records entered in PrairieCat will be OCLC source records. (Approved DA 10/25/06)
New records will be added according to the guidelines as presented in the latest edition of the OCLC
Bibliographic Formats and Standards: When to add a new record:
http://www.oclc.org/bibformats/en/input/
Participants must avoid adding duplicate records. If duplicate records are found, participants must
merge the duplicate into the correct current OCLC source record. This covers OCLC record to OCLC
record, short record to OCLC record, and merged old OCLC (019 record) to new current OCLC record.
(Approved DA 1/24/07)
All temporary bibliographic records added solely for order tracking must be replaced with the
appropriate OCLC bibliographic record as soon as the item is cataloged. See IV. Acquisitions below
(Approved DA 1/24/07)
If a library finds an incomplete record and they do not have the authorization to update records, the
library is encouraged to provide central site with chief source of information, e.g., title page and verso,
the physical description and other appropriate information to upgrade the record. (Approved DA
1/24/07)
It is the responsibility of the library originally inputting a short record (or importing a Level 3 record) for
acquisition purposes, to either upgrade the bibliographic record with a full OCLC record or to merge the
bibliographic record and all attached holdings/items to a full OCLC record. (Approved DA 10/28/2009)
Elvl 3 records need to be looked at closely. Do not use an Elvl 3 record if there is a better record
available. (Approved DA 10/24/07)
Book club editions should be put on the records for the original editions. This includes large print book
club editions. This only applies if the publishers are the same for both editions (Approved DA 10/24/07)
Add the ISBN for paperback books to the hardcover record if all essential areas of description match
(publisher, title, etc) or fall within acceptable variations (minor differences in pagination, a difference of
2 cm or less in height, etc) (Approved DA 10/24/07)
When to use Serial Records: For materials published every 3 years or more frequently, member libraries
will use a serial record, with the following exceptions: (Approved DA 10/28/2009)
i. Encyclopedias
ii. Anthologies
iii. Single issue of a magazine or periodical title.(Approved TSUG 1/13/2011)
For PrairieCat large print books are books that have a font/print size 16 or larger that is meant
to make these books easier to read for persons with impaired vision. This includes some large
print books such as HarperLuxe. (Approved TSUG 11/12/2009)
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PrairieCat Cataloging Cheat Sheet
Searching: A thorough search is more than an ISBN search. It is a title search; an author search; and a
title/author search. Just because the ISBN matches, does not mean the record it brought up is a match
to your item. Just because the ISBN doesn’t bring up a record, doesn’t mean there isn’t a match for your
item. Match points include author, title, publisher, date, and edition. ISBNs can be added to records if
everything else matches. (Approved DA 4-23-08)
Graphic novels that are serially published (i.e. the story continues from one volume to the next) must be
entered on a multivolume serial record. When adding a new volume make sure to add the title, if one is
present, to the 505 and the ISBN with the volume number if present to the record. (Approved DA 4-2308 ; new wording approved DA 10/28/2009)
Advanced Readers’ Copies/Uncorrected Proofs /Galley Proofs: It is not the publishers’ intention to
have these copies circulate by public libraries. (Approved DA 10/28/2009)
Call number entry for multi-volume works (including periodicals) must meet the established standard
of entry, whether the items are entered via the serial control module or are entered manually.
(Approved DA 10/28/2009)
Item Records: Item Type, Item Code 1, Location, and Price are required fields in all item records in the
database. (Approved DA 10/28/2009)
Barcode Placement: As of May 1, 2010, all barcodes on all newly barcoded materials should be
positioned on the front cover, the inside of the front cover where it is easily visible (not under jackets or
under parts) or on AV materials where it is readily visible. (Approved DA 4/28/2010)
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PrairieCat Cataloging Cheat Sheet
To add a item record and item to an exisiting record:
1. Locate matching title record
a. Acceptable searches:
i. Title
ii. Author
iii. Title/Author
iv. Numbers (Back up with a different search. Matching soley on numbers i.e.
ISBNs, ISSNs, EANs, UPCs, etc. is NOT acceptable)
b. The following parts must be the same to be considered a match:
i. Title
ii. Author
iii. Publisher
iv. Pagination
v. Sizing (measured in centimeters, rounded up; 2 cm. or less in difference is
considered a match)
vi. Publication/copyright year - Printing date is ignored unless this is the only
date available.
vii. Edition statement (with the exception of presence/absence of:
1. 1st ed
2. Book club ed
3. Paperback ed.
Policy/procedure manual will be enhanced to reflect vendor changes.
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