Data exchange

Find an overview of the data exchange features available in OLIB Service Pack 11.

This section includes a summary of the various enhancements to the import and export processes that are included in OLIB Service Pack 11.

Subset synchronisation with Third Party Discovery Services

It is now possible to automate the synchronisation of a subset of the catalogue data from your OLIB system to a third-party discovery system or WorldCat.

A number of new fields have been added to the Output Format record on the Export Generation sheet.

The most important changes are described below.

Files Sent and Retrieved

This is a list of files that have been retrieved from OCLC as part of the WorldCat synchronisation processing, together with the latest file sent if Retain Sent Files? is set to Yes.

Limit 952 Locations

This option will limit the copy information included in the data supplied to the FTP server to copies for those locations that are included in the title set. This requires usage of a MARC21 Configurable Copies Output Format.

Hierarchical Copies Handling

This option allows control over which copy information is supplied for multi-volume records. The option most suitable for your chosen discovery system should be used. This requires usage of a MARC21 Configurable Copies Output Format.

Track Status?

This option will prevent other libraries who share your OLIB system from being hindered if they attempt to delete titles that have mutual copies. There are other checks to prevent deletion of

titles with copies at certain statuses. Setting Track Status? to No will also mean that every time the data is sent, all the titles will be sent.

Uncompressed Local File Size Limit

This, measured in kilobytes, is the largest size of file that will be stored uncompressed as a Sent File or email attachment. If the option to attach the file to the reporting email has been set, this sizing also determines whether the email attachment is compressed.

The system will not attach a file (compressed or otherwise) to an email if the file is more than 2MB. Leaving this field empty will mean that the file will never be compressed. Setting this to zero will mean that the file will always be compressed. When compressed, the file extension will be “.gz” and is not compatible with Windows Compressed Folders.

Uncompressed Target File Size Limit

This, measured in kilobytes, is the largest size of file that will be sent uncompressed to the target. Leaving this field empty will mean that the file will never be compressed. Setting this to zero will mean that the file will always be compressed. When compressed, the file extension will be “.gz” and is not compatible with Windows Compressed Folders.

Withdrawn Folder

If a Title is modified such that it is no longer included in the associated title set (for example, all the copies at the included locations have been deleted) and Track Status? is not set to No, then the record will be sent as a Deletion to this target system. This will be done without marking the title itself as a Deleted Title as it may be still required by other locations. When this occurs, the title will be placed into the folder that is specified in this field.

This is the only way to identify such titles without advanced searching and review of the title audit data. The link to the output format is deliberately removed so that, should a copy be re- acquired by one of the included locations, the title will be re-sent automatically to the third-party system as a new record.

Enhancements to the OLSTF import and export process

New OLSTF Data Load options

The OLSTF import process has been extended to enable you to specify that, when a record match is found, it simply adds the holdings to the record already present in the system, without modifying the bibliographic data in any way.

Three new options have been added to the drop-down list in the Modify Flag field:

Option

Description

Add Copies for matching records

This will match an existing title record and process only the copy data, adding the copy to the title (provided there is no clash with the barcode). If an incoming record does not match an existing title, nothing of the incoming record will be processed

Add new; Ignore matching records

This option will only add new title and copy records. If the incoming record matches an existing title, nothing of the incoming record will be processed

Add new; Add Copies for matching record

This option will add new title and copy records, but will also add copies for matching records as per the first option above

OLSTF Copies Note tags

The OLSTF import and export processes can now import to and export from the five Copies Note fields that were added in Service Pack 5.

The tags for a title import/export are CN1 through CN5. For a copy export, the tags are

CP_CN1 through CP_CN5.

These tags can also be included in any output format records, notice format text field and any other places where Titles and Copies OLSTF tags can be included.

OLIB MARC Import / Export for Alternative Titles

The OLIB MARC import and export process have been extended to include 246 $b.

This work has extended the MARC import and export handling for all tags appropriate for alternative titles.

Copying MARC variants and mappings

It is now possible to copy a MARC variant and its mappings to a new MARC variant. Launch a MARC21 Mappings search.

Search for the MARC Variant (and tag if required) you wish to copy:

If you wish to copy all the mappings use the Select All option to select the MARC mappings to be copied. Here the MARC21 tag 100 is searched for. All records are selected using the Select All option.

From the Other Actions drop-down, select the Copy All Mappings action.

Select the MARC variant you wish to copy the mapping to. Here the MARC variant Training is selected.

You will receive a message to confirm that the MARC mappings have been copied.

You can also copy selected mappings if required.

Here the MARC21 variant 100 $a only is required for copying.

From the Other Actions drop-down, select the Copy Selected Mappings action.

You will receive a message to confirm that the MARC mappings have been copied.

This MARC Mappings layout has also been redesigned with additional headings and new labels to make the layout clearer.

OLIB Z Server runs a unique title number search

OLIB can be configured to support real time availability information to be sent to display to its users, via a 3rd party Discovery service, such as EDS.

Previously, a problem could occur whereby the 3rd party discovery service would issue a search request to an OLIB Z Server to request this real time availability information using a title number that matched more than one record. This was due to a truncated search being run, and resulted in the OLIB Z Server returning more than one record.

The OLIB Z Server has now been modified to run a unique search when it receives a title number search request (1=12). With the title number search now being a unique search, the OLIB Z Server will only return at most one record.