The Missing Link(er): Serial
Analytics in Alma
Kristi Bergland
Cecilia Genereux
Stacie Traill
Overview
• What are serial analytics? Why do we catalog
this way?
• University of Minnesota practices in Aleph
• Aleph-to-Alma migration concerns
• Serial analytics in Alma: how-to and workflow
concerns
• Problems identified after go-live
• Future possibilities
Definitions
Series
1) A group of separate resources related to one
another by the fact that each resource bears, in
addition to its own title proper, a collective title
applying to the group as a whole. The individual
resources may or may not be numbered.
2) A separately numbered sequence of volumes or
issues within a series or serial (e.g., Notes and
queries, 1st series, 2nd series, etc.).
-- RDA Glossary
Definitions
Analytical Description
A description that describes a part of a
larger resource (e.g., a single volume of
a three-volume biography, a single map
forming part of a map series)
-- RDA Glossary
Series: Advances in Biochemical Engineering/Biotechnology
Analytic title: Biotechnology of Hairy Root Systems (no. 134)
Series: Special Papers in Paleontology
Analytic title: Devonian spore
assemblages from northwestern
Gondwana: taxonomy and
biostratigraphy (no. 89)
Series: Patrologia Orientalis
Analytic title: Vie et miracles de Samuel de Waldebba
(t. 53, fasc. 1=no. 235)
Why analyze?
• Materials analyzed are classified together as a
set and item records live on the host
bibliographic record.
• We generally followed LC practice in
determining cat sep vs. analyzed set/series.
• Within specific disciplines, volumes may have
distinctive titles, but users know of them via
series. We consider user needs and subject
specialist input when determining treatment.
Aleph Host Record Holdings
Subfield x code indicating
this is an analyzed
set/series.
Analyzed volume holdings
Subfield x code indicating this is an
analyzed vol.
Analyzed volume bibliographic record
$$a = type of LKR
field
$$b = ADM number
$$v = enum. a
$$i = enum. b
Why are analytics important
for music materials?
• Composers
complete
works/collected
editions
• Historical Sets
• Sound recordings
in closed stacks
• Music scores multi
part, volume,
accomp. materials
LKR fields added retrospectively
• We added LKRs to records in prominent
series, specifically identified analyticdense class ranges, and to currently
received series.
• With nearly 4800 host records, the addition
of LKRs to their analyzed components was
a significant investment of time and effort
for the benefit of our users.
Migrating LKRs to Alma
LKRs in Aleph served an important purpose
– providing real-time item availability for
analyzed titles -- that users and public
services staff relied on.
Losing that in migration wasn’t an option.
Migrating LKRs to Alma
Ex Libris developed functionality in Alma
for standard MARC field 773 to provide
linking to item-level information and
real-time availability equivalent to
Aleph’s LKR…
…but we had questions.
Migrating LKRs to Alma:
Questions
Q1. How would nonstandard LKR fields
migrate?
Q2. How would they work in the
Alma/primo environment, without a
traditional web OPAC?
Migrating LKRs to Alma:
Questions
We knew of the planned functionality for
773, but lacked detailed documentation.
How would a standard 773 linking entry
field work for this purpose?
Aleph LKR vs. MARC 773
Aleph LKR
MARC Standard 773
Used ADM record ID to link
directly to items. Not the same as
bib record ID and would not
migrate to Alma.
Uses any standard ID (but
typically LCCN or OCLC number)
in $$w to link to a bibliographic
record for host series. Not
necessarily a unique identifier.
Used enumeration and
(optionally) chronology in
separate subfields without
captions to link to specific item
records
Uses captioned enumeration
information in a single $$g to
identify component parts within
host series. Not easily machineparseable.
Aleph LKR vs. Alma 773
A1. Alma’s implementation of 773 for item-level linking uses
a standard MARC field in a somewhat non-standard way.
Aleph LKR
Alma 773
Used ADM record ID to link
directly to items. Not the same as
bib record ID and would not
migrate to Alma.
ADM ID converted to Aleph Bib ID in
migration process. Aleph Bib IDs
retained in 035 fields to provide titlelevel link.
Used enumeration and
(optionally) chronology without
captions to link to specific item
records
no:, iss: and yr: captions in repeatable
$$g applied to enumeration/chronology
in Aleph LKR fields. These captions
are required for 773 to create a
working availability link.
Test Migration: It works! (mostly)
A2. Real-time availability in Alma/Primo
happens via direct query of Alma (Get It tab
in Primo is a “window into Alma.”)
Holdings for
series record
LKR converted to 773 field
Holdings info for
host series
Item availability for analyzed title
Holdings for
series record
LKR converted to 773 field
Series and volume
numbering prominently
displayed
Item availability filtered
only by 1st level of
enumeration
773: The Nitty Gritty
Documentation is limited and sometimes
contradictory.
However, with testing we are able to use it
for:
• Serial analytics
• Bound Withs
773 Continued
The 773 uses these subfields to create
relationships between bibliographic
entities:
t = Title
z = ISBN
w = system identifier of host record
g = enumeration, chronology, barcode
Subfield g
Subfield g codes that can be used to point
to a specific item:
Year
Vol. or barcode
Issue
Part
Pages
= yr:
= no:
= iss:
= pt:
= p:
Example: Analyzed issue of a journal
Publications of the Babylonian Section
Vol. 8, no. 2 (1922) has issue title: Old
Babylonian contracts
773: :$$t Publications of the Babylonian
Section $$w (OCoLC)1639979 $$g no:8
$$g iss:2
A 2 vol. set that are 2 numbers of the series
Advances in polymer science.
Vols are individually bound, each vol gets a
773 field to represent its number within the
series.
Alternative practice:
Instead of using the series no. in
subfield g, could use the barcode
on the piece.
Example: Bound-Withs
Annual fertilizer review was bound with the
preceding title, Fertilizers, an annual
review of world production, consumption
and trade
773: : $$t Fertilizers, an annual review of
world production, consumption and trade
$$w 9959948910001701 $$g no:1952-1959
Example: Monographs bound together
The first title is considered the
host resource and subsequent
titles get a 773 referring to the
host record containing the item
record.
In this example, The AngloTelugu primer has been bound
with: A short grammar of the
Telugu language.
The 773 has been coded with
only the title and the MMS ID.
However, could add $$g with
barcode.
Workflow Changes
Aleph: Could check results of LKR immediately in
Aleph OPAC
Alma: Must wait for a scheduled job and Primo
publishing to run before seeing whether the 773
is working (overnight, best case scenario).
Could have student staff add/verify LKR as part of
record preparation; not currently a comfortable
option.
We’re Live!
• University of Minnesota went live on
Alma December 23, 2013.
• What we discovered after we went live:
“We have XYZ. Why does Primo say we
don’t own it?”
Problems Identified after Go-Live
• Holdings and item for another location on the
analytic record cause the 773 link to fail
• 773 links are not always generated even when
a correctly formatted 773 is present (fixed with
April release?)
• Migrated 773 fields dependent on retention of
Aleph ID in 035 field of record for host series.
• Migrated 773 fields pointing to items in
suppressed locations showed the suppressed
locations in Primo
Holdings for nonanalytic copy
Holdings for analytic
copy (no item)
Failed, but properly
constructed 773
No item availability displays :-(
Wrap Up
What we’d like to see in the future:
• More complete documentation
• Documentation included in Help and
Resource Management Guide.
• It isn’t always clear how the field is
expected to function in a multi-campus,
multi-holdings environment.
Resources
77X Fields in Alma
Documentation Center > Alma > Product
Documentation > Resource Management >
How To Documents and Presentations
http://www.customercenter.exlibrisgroup.com/DocumentationCenter
/Ex%20Libris%20Documentation/Alma/Product%20Documentation/
Resource%20Management/How%20To%20Documents%20and%2
0Presentations/77X%20Fields%20in%20Alma.pdf
Thank you!
Kristi Bergland
bergl007@umn.edu
Cecilia Genereux
gener002@umn.edu
Stacie Traill
trail001@umn.edu