Workflow: Statistics and Macros

Owned by Heather Baker
Last updated: Jun 12, 2024
21 min read

Scope:  Outlines the use cases and practices for adding statistical metadata and generating reports based on those metadata.

Contact: Natalie Sommerville 

Unit: Resource Description

Date last reviewed:   

Date of next review:  


This document pulls together what were originally separate, but rather short documents. 

            

STATISTICS

Overview

Statistics for new titles are now counted via the Aleph Reporting Center (ARC), using a local field, the CID, which records the cataloger's NETID, cataloging center (PERKN, SLC, LAW or FORD), type of cataloging (COPY, NEW or REPLACE) and date. Though the count is by bibliographic record, an Aleph ADM record is required for the bibliographic record to be recognized by ARC. Previous workflows involving bibliographic records without ADM records (for bound-withs and for electronic resources) have been revised.

Adding the CID field

Beginning July 1, 2010, catalogers add a CID field to each new title cataloged. For more information on using the macro for this field, see Macros.

Beginning Sept. 1, 2010, for recon titles, use a CID field with the $p RECON. Multiple values can be entered into the $p, so it is possible to have $p RECON PCC. As the growth-in-holdings statistics are now based on the volume count maintained by Shelf Preparation, these do not need to be counted as withdrawn. A separate recon report is generated so that we can see how much of this type of work we are doing.

Note that the CID is not used for added locations and copies, only for the first time that a cataloging center uses a bibliographic record. If another cataloging center (a professional library or Rubenstein) as already cataloged a title, but you are cataloging the first Perkins location, this is a new title, not an added location. The CID is repeatable in this case.

The CID is also used to refer new titles to other catalogers, with the destination given in the $e. Copy catalogers refer to CatS, monographic catalogers to ERSM, ERSM to CatS. The second shelf of the RUSH truck is used when ERSM wants faster processing and/or the return of the book. If there is no Aleph record, a written note should accompany the book. 

It is important for the person who catalogs the material to delete the CID used for referral. Duplicate CID fields are permitted only when more than one cataloging center has cataloged a title. Just as the CID should not be used to catalog added locations, volumes and copies, it should not be used to refer them. 

The CID is used for vendor loads as well as for in-house cataloging. For example, Serial Solutions records have the CID $a SERSOL $b PERKN $d YYYYMMDD $e LOAD $p NONE. For outsourced Arabic, the CID is $a WUHEBA $b PERKN $d YYYYMMDD $e LOAD

The CID is designed to count new titles. The Shelf Preparation Section maintains a manual volume count. Staff cataloging materials which do not go through Shelf Preparation Section (e.g. maps cataloged in Perkins, LPs cataloged in the Music library) submit monthly statistics to Asktech.

To search by NETID 

In Aleph Find, go almost to the bottom of the list of searches to "Cataloger ID."  Enter your NETID and the date. You can get a daily total by using the format YYYYMMDD. For a monthly total, use an asterisk for the day, e.g. 201007* for July.

Searching by NETID and date will give the total occurence of CID fields with your NETID. For copy catalogers, this will include CIDs used to refer titles to CatS. To limit to the titles that you cataloged, add COPY, e.g. NETID 201007* COPY.

For original catalogers, searching by NETID and date should give the total cataloged. Adding COPY, NEW or REPLACE will break the total down into those categories.

There will be some miscounting if there are multiple CID fields. For example, if a Perkins cataloger catalogs at title in August, and then Law adds a CID with a September date, this will show up on the Perkins catalogers' statistics for both August and September. We do not expect this to happen often enough to be significant for individuals.

Totals by Cataloging Center

Using PERKN plus date will give totals for Perkins Collections Services. NOT CATS will screen out the backlog count. NOT RECON will limit to new titles.

CCL searching gives more option for limiting, for example by location.

The miscounting due to multiple CID fields will be more significant at this scale, so Aleph searching should be considered just a ballpark figure. More accurate totals can be obtained through ARC.

Reports available through ARC

Reports have been set up to be run monthly and mailed to supervisors and department heads. The basic reports show statistics by individual cataloger, broken down by type of cataloging and format. Summary statistics are posted on posted on the Cataloging and Metadata Services Sharepoint page.


Supervisors should submit an Asktech ticket to alert the Resource Description department of new staff to be included in the reports.

Brief records used for backlog statistics

Beginning in December 2010, Receipts Management creates brief Aleph records when they backlog material without OCLC copy or an existing record in Aleph. The records may be created either by using the command Cataloging--Open template in the Cataloging module, or by Orders--Catalog orders in the Acquisitions module. The records may be as brief as just a title, but other fields may be added at the discretion of Receipts staff, especially if the title is generic. The Lang element in the 008 field must be filled in so that backlogs can be counted by language. This element must also be corrected when backlogging items with brief records created at the time of ordering (these often have "eng" as the default language). The following short list of language codes, corresponding to the way languages are grouped in backlogs is used: 

chi     Chinese
eng   English
fre    French
ger   Germanic (including Dutch and Scandinavian languages)
heb  Hebrew
inc   Indic (all South Asian)
ita   Italian
jpn  Japanese
rus  Russian and other Cyrillic
spa  Spanish and Portuguese
tur   Turkish 

For non-book materials, the brief record must be created in the cataloging module, choosing the template in the appropriate format (for example map.mrc, music.mrc or visual-material.mrc)

KEEPING BACKLOG STATISTICS ACCURATE

Whenever an item is removed from a backlog, the CID with the notation CATS should be deleted. This is most commonly done when adding the cataloger's CID. However, sometimes another record is used and the first record is suppressed. Be sure to delete the CATS CID--the fact that the record is suppressed will not keep it from showing up in the backlog statistics. If you send an item to another department, either delete the CID, or replace CATS with the other department, e.g. ERSM.


MACROS

 Macros may be created for any cataloging task which involves a sequence of keystrokes that can be readily described to a computer.  

Macros can be shared by posting them in f:\trucks\macros.

To post a macro to the shared drive, in Macro Express choose file--export--export macros. You will get a box listing your macros. Click to highlight the one(s) you want to export and click "save file".  Navigate to f:\trucks\macros and name your file (probably the same thing it is already named).  Click save.

To import the posted macro to another computer, choose file--import--import macros, open file and navigate to f:\trucks\macros\[macro name].  Highlight the name(s) and click on import.

 **********

The use of the CID macro is required for all cataloging; all other macros are optional.

To import the CID macro, choose file, import, import macros, open file and navigate to F:\Trucks\macros\Catalog_CID. The macro is actually a suite of three macros, and you need to download them all. Use control-click to highlight the three names, then click on import. 

The macro creates a CID field, a locally defined field. Being alphabetic, the CID field will go to the bottom of the record. It doesn't matter where your cursor is when you enter it.

The subfields are:

 $a NETID.  We are using NETID rather than initials so that there will be fewer cataloger IDs to keep track of.

$b SUBLIBRARY  For the Perkins system (except Rubenstein) use PERKN. This subfield is used to sort out cataloging by different cataloging centers (current values are PERKN, LAW, FORD and SCL)

$d DATE   As with the 590 macro, this will be supplied automatically in the format YYYYMMDD

$e CATEGORY  There are five categories. CATS is used in cases where the 049 initials and date were formerly used. This will enable us to generate automatic backlog counts. ERSM is used to refer materials to ERSM. COPY is used for copy cataloging, as currently defined. Original cataloging has been split into two categories. REPLACE is used when replacing a record on OCLC, and NEW is used when creating a new OCLC record.  

$p SPECIAL FLAGS. In most cases, this will be set to NONE. It is used to count PCC records, recon, and special projects. For some loads $$e LTIEXCLUDE excludes the records from the LTI extract. For materials referred to CatS ($e CATS), it is used for notes to the cataloger.

 After pressing the hotkey (control i) a menu is opened with choices for:

  * Default profile
  * Saved profiles
  * User entered field
  * Configure a profile

Default profile is a previously saved default, it will add the field with today's date and all the saved data. 

Each saved profile works similarly. 

The "configure a profile" dialog lets the user, add, delete, edit and view the profiles. 

"Add a profile" takes you through a series of prompts that will set each element of the CID. For special projects, you may need to use the "custom" option under "special flags." 

The first time the macro is run, or if there is no 'CID.INI' the user will be prompted to enter in the default field values.

If you need to change your CID, an alternative to working through the menu of the macro is to edit the 'CID.INI" file. The address is C:\Program Files (x86)\Macro Express3.  

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BARCODING 

Who affixes barcodes and scans them into the item records?

Copy catalogers affix barcodes and scan them into the item record as part of the arrival process. This includes standing order monographic series (except for scores) checked in by Serials staff. Serials staff also attach and scan barcodes of  non-analyzed serials as part of the check-in process.

If an item is to be reviewed by Rubenstein, barcodes are attached after this review.

When catalogers in CatS create item records, they are responsible for scanning the barcode (and affixing it if this has not yet been done).

MATERIALS NOT TO BE BARCODED:
1.Microfiche (BUT we now barcode microfilm reels)
2.Maps
3.Material for Archives (except dissertations)
4.Law School dissertations & theses
MATERIALS TO BE BARCODED:
All circulating and reference material not listed above


Location of barcodes

For books, place the barcode upside down, bottom left of outside back cover, usually next to the spine (1/4" from edge). This placement can be modified to avoid covering barcodes printed in books, which are useful in searching. Care should also be taken not to put a Duke barcode too close to or partly over a printed barcode, as this can cause misreads by the barcode readers at circulation points. So, if a printed barcode is in the place where the Duke barcode usually goes, place the Duke barcode further from the spine, still close to the bottom of the book. The top of the barcode should be oriented with the bottom of the book (i.e. it should be upside down relative to the book).  This is to make it easier for staff at LSC, where books are placed in boxes upside down, with the barcodes on top.

For books with dust jackets that will have CoLibri covers (New and Noteworthy, Duke Authors, and Lilly Current Lit.), put the barcode on the dust jacket, at the location described above.  In other cases, book jackets are removed, and the book itself is barcoded.  Some PL-480 materials have dust jackets which are glued to the book.   If these dust jackets can be easily removed, do so, putting the barcode directly on the book. However, if the glue resists attempts to pry the dust jacket off, put the barcode on the dust jacket, as for materials that will have CoLibri covers.

For all spiral scores or scores with plastic covers, place the barcode on the last page within the cover. The cover will be removed before binding.

For instructions on placement of barcodes for audio-visual materials, click here.

For loose leaves in a container (such as a box with title information) use double barcodes if available, one on the front of the container and one on the last leaf. For loose leaves without a container or binder (for example unbound photocopies or printouts of electronic files) place the barcode on the last leaf, use a pink or white string to hold the pages together, and place in a plastic bag. Loose leaves in binders are barcoded like books. Books in boxes are barcoded like other books.The book remains in the box which is not barcoded.

Note on eventual destination of unbarcoded dust jackets and boxes: Shelf Preparation sends boxes and jackets to these locations: 

  • Herbarium (BES)
  • Lilly
  • Music
  • IAS
  • EAC if the spine does not have any information and dust jacket does

Shelf preparation discards boxes and jackets for these locations:

  •  Perkins

  • Divinity School

Reference

SETS

When referring sets to original catalogers, copy catalogers barcode only the first volume, and create only one item record. Original catalogers use the "duplicate function" to add the other items.

Exception: For Arabic and other languages where language expertise is needed to tell which volume is which, barcode all the volumes, and create all the item records.

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ITEM RECORD BASICS

While barcoding, copy catalogers are also responsible for the following areas of the item record, regardless of whether they are completing the cataloging or passing it on to CatS.

Defaults are very helpful in being sure all elements are filled in. Sublibrary and collection should be set to the most common location (PERKN and PK for most catalogers) and edited as needed.

1. Sublibrary and collection (see Aleph Collections Chart for Cataloging)

2. Item status                               "   "              "              "       "       "                   default 01.

3. Item process status              AR   (should be supplied as part of "arriving" or as a default)

4. Material type.    Set as a default.  Most commonly BOOK.  The code THESIS is not used; use BOOK instead.  See the A-V documentation for instructions about non-book materials.

5. OPTIONAL:  Copy number    1     (This can be set as a default.   OR this element can be left blank, which will be understood as one)
                           Desc.            c.1   (See note for copy number)

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HOLDINGS RECORD BASICS

The easiest way to create a holdings record is from the item record. At tab 6 (HOL links), click on "create new."  Location information from the item record and call number information from the bibliographic record are combined in the new holdings record.

If there are several call number fields on the bibliographic record, one is selected according to built-in preferences.  09X fields are preferred to 050s. If the incorrect call number is selected, go to the bibliographic record and delete it. Then create a new holdings record, and delete the incorrect one. This is preferable to editing the incorrect holdings record because it is more accurate in details such as indicators that catalogers generally don't need to pay attention too.

Once the holdings record is created, changes made there to location and call number will affect all attached items. This makes correcting locations and call numbers of multiple copies and volumes easier.  Such changes can be prevented by checking "temporary location."  This is most commonly done when books are temporarily shelved in Duke Authors.

OVERLAY

Catalogers export from OCLC to Aleph when the item they are cataloging does not yet have a record in Aleph, and when they need to replace the record in Aleph with a better OCLC record. In the second case, the OCLC record should overlay the Aleph bibliographic record. Associated holdings, item and order records are retained.

Always search Aleph before exporting, as Acquisitions will usually have supplied a record. Even if you don't expect a record, search to avoid overlaying or duplicating a record added by the professional libraries. If the item in hand has been cataloged by one of the professional libraries, we add our holdings rather than exporting from OCLC. See the section on added locations in Multiple Physical Pieces for more information.

Overlay is caused by the match of the OCLC number of the incoming record with the 035 field in Aleph. To overlay an Aleph record without an OCLC number (e.g. a fast cat record), add an 035 with the OCLC number of the incoming record. To overlay a record with a different OCLC number (e.g. when the wrong copy was used) replace the existing 035  with the number of the incoming record.

An overlay macro is available in f:\trucks\macros\cats.  It starts in Connexion, copies the OCLC number, goes to Aleph, creates an 035 and pastes the OCLC number, saves, confirms save, enters (to override green error messages, if any) goes back to Connexion, exports, waits for the cataloger to press "enter" (to close the dialog box), goes back to Aleph. Be sure to delete any existing 035 before using this macro. The macro will stall if there are red error messages. If there are red messages for errors consult with Resource Description and MADS to change the tables to allow the "error."

Changes to the bibliographic record can be made either in the Connexion before overlaying or in Aleph afterwards.

WARNING: Do not overlay unless the records involve represent the same bibliographic entity.  For example, something may have been ordered as a set, and we are cataloging only the analytics. Since we do not want a set record, you may be tempted to overlay the set record with an analytic record. However, the order is correctly attached to the set record, and we need to retain that information. Add the analytic record(s) while keeping the set record. Delete any item records from the set record (if there are holds on the item, have Circulation move these prior to deletion), and suppress the bibliographic record. The same principle applies when something has been ordered as individual volumes and we are cataloging it as an unanalyzed set.

If the overlay is not successful, and you end up with duplicate records,  the one you added will need to be deleted, because the order and item information supplied by Acquisitions will be attached to the record that was already in Aleph. After deleting, correct whatever caused the unsuccessful overlay (e.g. you forgot the add or change the 035) and try again.



BINDING DECISIONS & PHYSICAL PROCESSING

Exterior wrappings, such as dust jackets and slip cases, are generally discarded by the cataloger.

Exceptions: 

        1.    Leave dust jacket on book, apply barcode to dust jacket, and insert appropriate flag for the following:

                 New and Noteworthy, Lilly Current Literature, Duke Authors, CJK with Colibri flag, Conservation O.Ref. (always insert Colibri flag)

         2.    Remove & place dust jacket inside book for:

                   Lilly, Music, IAS Reference and CJK without Colibri flag                 


Most paperbacks are bound when they show damage and wear, but some are singled out for immediate binding. See the binding template for specific instructions on what size books are sent to the commercial bindery before circulation and what size are bound in-house. 

Catalogers flag books that are sent out for binding, and Shelf Preparation Section staff sort out books that are to be bound in house. The "thinner than this, bind in-house" notch can be ignored by catalogers. DO NOT put bind flags in thin books UNLESS they are tall or wide enough to be sent out for commercial binding.  

The notch at the end of the "shorter than this" arrow has no purpose except to provide an end point to the arrow.

For books to be commercially bound:
     * Use buff bind flags for books with regular monographic call numbers
    *  Use pink bind flags for books in classed together series  [to be eliminated]

 Exception: New materials cataloged for LSC are not bound, either in-house or commercially, unless they are very flimsy. If a book will flop over when held at the bottom edge, use a preservation flag to request "pamphlet bind."

Occasionally, catalogers will need to provide additional instructions for physical processing.   

With the merger of Bindery and Materials Preparation into Shelf Preparation, the brown "MPU" flag is obsolete. Books that need new labels are placed on Shelf Preparations "walk-in" shelves." If the label will exactly reflect what is in the catalog, no flag is needed. If the data will need to be manipulated because of equivalencies, use the "equivalency" flag . If "suppl." (or equivalent) is in the item description, write "suppl" on the "equivalency" flag.   (This mainly applies to Holdings Management)

 Use the blue Conservation flag to point out work that needs to be done by the Conservation Dept. The first two categories on the flag are the most commonly used:

  *  Review for repair: Use for broken bindings, loose covers, etc.

  * Insert loose material:  use for errata slips and other material that should be bound with the book. Throw away advertisements and other loose material without lasting value. Use the "material needs pocket" flag for loose material that needs to stay with the book but should not be bound in (further information at Material in Pockets).  

Loose leaves should stay in their container if they came in one. It could be a sturdy or not so sturdy container. If it feasible use double barcodes if available and place one on back of last page of loose leaves and the other on front of its container. However, if container is not in good condition and there is no text on it, it can be discarded, but make sure the barcode is on the last page of the loose materials. Loose leaves then get a pink or white string on it and are placed in a plastic bag.

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WHERE TO PUT WHAT

This document has two sections I. Distribution of cataloged materials  II. Distribution of other materials by catalogers 

I. Distribution of cataloged materials

Most cataloged materials are placed on the shelves that Shelf Preparation has designated. These shelves are further labeled by date, and the date of cataloging should match the date on the shelves, so that materials in process can be located.

Rush materials cataloged by original catalogers go on the Rush truck.  [Exception: Rush to be circulated uncataloged are handled by individual catalogers.]

Materials that need to be remarked as part of LC reclass go on the "Place reclass here" shelves behind the new titles shelves. These are handled separately for statistical purposes.

Materials needing special attention from Shelf Preparation Section go to the "shelves for walk-in items."  Most of these are items needing to be relabeled, and no flag or special instructions are required for this "default" category.  Another category, which does need a flag, is call numbers that will not print normally because of equivalencies between series and set volumes. A stock of "equivalency" flags is found in a pocket next at the end of the shelf range. The flag alerts Shelf Preparation Section staff that data needs to be manipulated in order to print the call number label.

New materials going to LSC (with LSC labels instead of call number labels) go onto separately labeled shelves.  

Materials that have been returned to catalogers because of label problems are corrected, given a new CID and put on the shelves for the current date.

Recon materials going to LSC (which have already been labelled and property stamped) are placed in the LSC bins in Shipping and Receiving. Use a LSC label.

"Already targeted" flags identify books that have been targeted as part of shelf-ready preparation. These go on shelves labeled "already targeted".  This includes purple-flagged items that need new labels. The "already targeted" flags and the yellow or purple flags from Shelf Preparation Section should remain in the books.

II. Distribution of other materials by catalogers

1.  Materials with serial copy only, and materials that you suspect are serials rather than monographs, and anything needing the attention of a serials cataloger or shelflister:

        Shelf in CatS labelled "Mono. Cat. shelf for Serials referrals"  Add a CID with $$e ERSM. If a note is needed, use paper rather than $p in the CID.

2. RARE CASE: Two or more distinct books (each cataloged on its own) bound together:

       

3.  Added copies and added locations that are problematic for any reason.

        Monograph Maintenance Shelves in Bay 10.

4.  All other materials referred by copy catalogers to CatS

       Shelves in the southwest corner of the Cataloging bay, labeled by language.  ("German" includes Germanic (Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish). "Spanish & Portuguese" includes Catalan and Galician).

5. Books that have been requested from LSC for cataloging work and need to return

        Use a "return to LSC" flag and place in the LSC bin.

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RUSH AND NOTIFY


Materials designated as RUSH are given priority over all other work, and should pass quickly through the various stages of the process. Historically, we have striven for a two day turn-around time between initiation of the request and availability to the user at the circulation point. This is not always possible, especially given inevitable delays due to delivery schedules. On the other hand, quicker turnaround time is often achieved. Remember that this is one of the most direct contacts between Collections Services and users, and do your best to expedite processing 


In response to a user request, "Notify" items are now handled like RUSH.  These items are identified by the Notify flag and/or by holds in Aleph.  They have been requested by users who did not specify that they wanted RUSH processing.


I. Origin of Rush requests  


Rush requests usually come from: 


    1. Circulation Points (fax or email)
          *Patrons may initiate these requests via the online catalog. Circulation points relay these requests to Receipts Management via fax or email. (If the patron requests an in-process item but does not specify rush processing, Receipts management is not notified, and the item is processed as part of the normal workflow, with the patron receiving an email when it is ready to pick up)
    2. Emails/calls from subject librarians
    3. AskTech
    4. Items ordered Rush. 
         *The rush status is recorded in notes in the order record and RUSH flags are filled out on receipt.


II. Filling out the RUSH  flag


 Though information about RUSH status may be found in the Aleph record, each RUSH item should always be accompanied by a flag, to make its status visible. 


The essential parts of the flag are the initials of the staff person initiating the rush process, the date, name and contact information of the user making the request and brief item ID (in case the flag gets separated from the book before delivery). If the contact information is in the hold information, there is no need to repeat it on the flag. There are two rare cases that can be checked:


     1. If the book is to go to Commercial Bindery before circulation (usually the requestor wants it ASAP, and binding is done later). On the old flag, this is the bound/unbound choice, but now unbound is the default.
      2. If the book is to circulate on a brief record, without a call number (this is done when we don't have the language expertise to complete the RUSH cataloging). On the old flag, this is the cataloged/uncataloged choice, but now cataloged is the default. 


III.  Copy cataloging or referral to CatS


Rush requests may originate in Order Management, Receipts Management, or Gifts. Regardless of the point of origin, the person handling the request is responsible for searching OCLC, downloading copy to Aleph, creating an item record, and barcoding. If adequate copy is available, copy cataloging is completed and the book is delivered to Shelf Preparation. If not, the book goes on the CatS Rush truck. If there is no OCLC record, and there is no need for an order record (e.g. received currently series, PL480s), an Aleph record in not required prior to original cataloging.

IV.  Rush circulated uncataloged.

If cataloging cannot be completed on a Rush item, it can be circulated uncataloged. This is most often done because of lack of language expertise. In the item record, make a circulation note.  "Rush item circulated uncataloged. When returned, send to Lesley Looper for cataloging."   As noted above, the situation should be noted on the Rush flag.  Consult with Monograph Acquisitions on placement of rush uncataloged material for processing.

IV.  Final processing of RUSH

When RUSH items are cataloged, whether by copy catalogers or in CatS, they should be delivered immediately to Shelf Processing's RUSH truck.  When final processing is done, the next step is Shipping and Receiving. To speed delivery, it may be helpful to know that there are two pick-up times in Shipping and Receiving, 10:00 and 2:00.


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POST CATALOGING


 1.  Shelf Preparation Section bounces

When there are problems with labels (for example, no call number due to the absence of holdings record), Shelf Preparation Staff put the books at the end of the O.Ref. shelf. Original catalogers, in rotation, are responsible for correcting the errors, giving feedback to individual catalogers as appropriate. The date in the CID of the corrected records is changed to the current date, and the books are put on the shelf for the days' cataloging.

 Books from the serials shelves are returned to Holdings Management.

2.  Moving materials between LSC and the stacks.

Moving material from the stacks to the LSC is not a Collections Services process, but involves direct interaction between the LSC and the librarian making the request. After materials are inventoried into LSC's GSA system, a program changes the holdings record to the appropriate LSC location.

To move an item from the LSC to the stacks, send an email to LSC-requests asking that the item be removed from GSA. After this, the location will need to be changed by Collections Services staff. If the item was sent to LSC without a label, a label will need to be printed.

3.  Transfers/other location changes

 Major transfer projects are handled in Holdings Management, and generally require notes showing the location history of items. However, Public Services staff may request location changes on a smaller scale through Asktech. These may be corrections or transfers within a library, for example from reference to the stacks. This type of location change does not require a "transfer from" note. In some cases, it can be done by staff outside of CS. Staff doing the work should be alert to the possibility that item status may need to change.

4. Reclassification and Recon

As of fall 2016, reclassification is complete except for Dewey items still checked out. Circulation points send these to Shelf Preparation when they are returned. If there is no LC number on the record, Shelf Prep. requests one through Asktech. The cataloger replying to the request inserts an 050 with indicators 99. The call number is "flipped" through an automated process which puts the Dewey number in a DEW field in the holdings record.  

If books to be reclassified come to a cataloger in another way, it is not necessary to use the DEW field.

Recon is mostly done, but occasionally books that were missed will wander in.

Recon for the LSC (most recon) may be done in Dewey, or reclassified to LC at the discretion of the cataloger. If there is an LC number on copy, it should be used. Recon in the regular collection is done in LC.

When recon for the LSC is done in LC, a "LSC" label is used. Place the label so that the Dewey number is covered. These materials can go in a bin for LSC rather than the shelves for new books for LSC, as they are already part of the collection. 

Recon is generally done to the core standard. The cataloger also has the option of Elvl K, with no subject headings, if the language and/or subject presents special problems.

 In the CID field, recon can be identified by $p RECON. Now that cataloging statistics are not used ARL statistics, it is no longer necessary to tally and delete reconned titles.

5. Duplicate call numbers:

Duplicate call numbers are resolved by members of the AskTech mailing list.  Any Collections Services staff member can resolve a duplicate that comes to their attention by following the instructions at: /about/depts/cataloging/documentation/call-numbers#duplicate

6. Corrections to call number labels

 When a new label is needed for a book in hand, put an "x" over the existing label and place on Shelf Preparation Section's walk-in shelves. With the "x" there is no need for a flag, unless further instructions are needed.

Corrections to call number labels for books not in the Smith building are generally made by Shelf Preparation Section sending the label to a contact person. This is done frequently in response to AskTech queries.

7.  Other corrections to the catalog:

Many corrections to authorized headings are made by our authority vendor, LTI.  Any variant which matches a reference in the LCAF (or a reference that LTI has added to their expanded version of the LCAF) will be corrected. Corrections are also made to many typos, to obsolete machine coding, to subject subdivision strings, and to volume designators in series tracings.    Corrections to headings that cannot be caught by programming, for example distinguishing between persons with the same name, are done as follow up to the lists (which has been reduced due to time limitations) or as they are noticed. Some are reported to AskTech.

Members of CatS may correct significant errors that come to their attention, but are discouraged from making cosmetic changes or engaging in extensive clean-up projects. Overlay is encouraged as a mechanism for making changes, as often there have been multiple improvements to the OCLC record.

Requests for changes made by patrons and by staff outside of Collections Services (usually through the AskTech mailing list) are generally honored, within the context of national standards and Duke cataloging guidelines. Â