Itemizing Spreadsheet - Main Instructions

Scope: This document covers the process for using the Itemization spreadsheet to create many items in Excel which have layers of enumeration and/or chronology.  You should refer to theItemizing Spreadsheet - Batch-load Instructions (p-custom-08) page for guidance on how to upload into Aleph.  The Itemizing Spreadsheet is attached as well as available in the Libraries shared drive space.  The Main Template is also available on this wiki page.

Contact: Jacquie Samples

Unit: Metadata & Discovery Strategy

Date last reviewed: 5/25/2021

Date of next review: 5/26/2022

Before you begin, open the main template in L:\Departments\Aleph\ItemLoad or download the attached template. It is called Itemizing Template and is an Excel spreadsheet. Save a copy of this template in your own user space. Please do not edit or change the main template in any way. If you create useful formulas that are not on the template, please contact Jacquie Samples to update the Main Template.

The following instructions assume you already have your own copy of the template.

Open template and save with new name. Observe the following rules for names:

• Do not use capital letters
• Do not use spaces
• Do not use special characters except underscore (_)

Hint: Use a recognizable form of the title you are itemizing. This makes it easy to find your exceptions later. Ex.: materials_sci

Columns

• Observe the column names and fill in the appropriate data. Do not assume that the sub-field "a" will be in column A, because this is not the way the columns are set up.
• NEVER delete a column
  • Unwanted columns can be hidden, but deleting them will break the formatting,
  • If you delete the column, your data will not go into Aleph in the correct fields and sub-fields.
  • If you want to delete all the contents of a column, highlight the faulty data, right click, and choose Clear Contents.

Filling out spreadsheet 

Worksheet 1 (Template) is the only one that will be copied into Aleph. Worksheets 2 and 3 are to help you fill out data.

• The "HOL_rec" must have the entire nine-digit Holding Record number (use leading zeroes)
• When pulling down a cell to copy or fill the rest of the column, be sure to check that you have what you want - sometimes you might have consecutive numbers by using 'Fill Series' instead of "Copy Cells."
• The line numbers, called "subfield 8" in column C, can be generated by filling in the first cell (e.g.: 1.1) for whatever the first needed enumeration value and then using the fill function. If you want to skip a number, then type in the new starting point in the next cell and continue to Fill Series.
  
  • You can start over with the next appropriate numbering (e.g. 2.1)  when necessary.
• Be sure to fill in the Item Status and Material Type in columns T and U, respectively.

Formulas
There are useful formulas for creating descriptions on Worksheet 3. Please observe the following steps in  this order:

1. Copy the formula. (copy the formula only, not the description of the formula)
2. Paste the formula into the correct cell for the description. This is usually cell S2, but may be subsequent cells in Column S if a change is required.
3. Make any necessary changes, such as changing "v." to "Bd.", BEFORE you insert "=".
   
   1. The formulas all assume you will be pasting into Row 2. When pasting into a later row, be sure to change the row number BEFORE inserting "=". 
4. Insert "=" at the beginning of the formula.
   
   1. Insert "=" into Worksheet 1 only. Do not change anything on Worksheet 3.
   2. Hit Tab, to stop editing the formula, Or, click at the end of the formula and then hit Enter.
5. If the formula seems to be working correctly, copy the cell with the formula as far down the column as you wish. When you make changes to your data, the description will automatically update.

Notes and Warnings:

• Use a recognizable form of the title you are itemizing, being sure to observe the following Aleph rules for file names:
• Do not use capital letters
• Do not use spaces
• Do not use special characters except underscore

• Never Delete a Column.  If you delete the column, your data will not go into Aleph in the correct fields and subfields.
• Observe the column names, these match the subfield indicator value.  Fill in the appropriate data. 
• To delete the data in a column, highlight the contents and hit the delete key on your keyboard.

• Fill in the data Before choosing the formula.
• Never delete rows for missing items until formula has been applied to all items.
• Reversing this breaks the formula and you will have to start with a new spreadsheet. 
• If you feel that the formula was messed up someplace because you inserted or deleted a row, then go to the spot where the formula was last working correctly and copy it down again.

• To make a different description (such as for an Index)
• copy the cell that you want to change,
• Choose Paste Special, and Paste Values. 
• The cell will no longer contain a formula, so you can edit it directly. 
• You can also do this by clicking on a particular cell in the Description column and choosing Clear contents and then typing whatever you want.
• Be careful that the values only increment when they need to; several columns need to be copied down, not incremented
• Dragging down the + will create consecutive values (also called copy down)
• Ctrl + dragging down the + will copy down
• Make sure that the cursor in located in a filled cell when saving, otherwise it cannot be loaded in to Aleph successfully.