Database Preparation Services

Additional Database Services

Edit Lists

Printouts of bibliographic records, or edit lists, have many uses for both the library and the database vendor. Libraries use record printouts for accessions lists, inventory and weeding check lists, departmental and special collection catalogs, review of duplicate records, and collection analysis. Libraries that prefer not to work with printouts can receive the same information on floppy disk(s) as a microcomputer ASCII text file. With the exception of library review of duplicate records, most database processing jobs do not require production of an edit list.

LTI's edit list software gives the library complete control over records selected for printing, the sort arrangement, fields included or excluded, and the display format. Examples of selection criteria include bibliographic level; cataloging format (book, serial, AV, score, sound recording, map, manuscript, machine-readable data file); type of publication; intellectual level; fiction or biography; language; date; call number or call number range; holding library; transaction status; or data from any fixed or variable field.

Titles can be arranged by record control number; main entry; title; LC call number (099,090,050); Dewey Decimal call number (099,092,082); NLM call number (099,096,060); government documents number (099, 086); or first subject heading.

Printing of variable fields is controlled by tag (e.g., 504) or tag group (5XX), with options for an OCLC work-station display, catalog card format, or accessions list format. Content designators can be included or suppressed. Print options provide for a running title at the top of the page, record sampling, splitting records between pages, indentations, the number of blank lines between records, the number of lines per inch and characters per inch, and printing on one or both sides of the paper. LTI's edit lists are produced on laser printers.

Media Conversion

LTI's media conversion service transfers MARC records from magnetic tape to standard PC-DOS 5.25" (360KB & 1.2MB) or 3.5" (720KB & 1.44MB) diskettes. Records remain in MARC format and are written end-to-end as a single DOS file with no additional control information. Utility software for the IBM PC and compatibles is available for viewing MARC records written to disk.

A counterpart service converts records from diskette to 1/2," 9-track, magnetic tape. This allows transfers from microcomputer-based systems that create MARC records to larger systems requiring tapeloading of records. Records are written in the unblocked/ unspanned format used by OCLC and RLIN. Header and trailer files can be in the OCLC or RLIN format or omitted.

Most libraries submit their pre-processed MARC format bibliographic records and receive their post-processed databases on 1/2," 9-track magnetic tape. Source tapes can be "labeled" or "unlabeled," in OCLC/MARC format or LC's "blocked and spanned" format, written at 1600 or 6250 BPI. Customer records can also be received and returned on 4mm DAT tape, 8mm cartridge tape, diskette, or via FTP.

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