Lloyd Sokvitne Senior Manager (Digital Strategies), State Library of Tasmania

1. Elephants – Description and travel(Producing a new OPAC using existing MARC data)http://catalogue.statelibrary.tas.gov.au/ Lloyd Sokvitne Senior Manager (Digital Strategies), State Library of Tasmania

2. What is a new OPAC? • Easy, powerful, client focused • Expanded content, (capacity for interactivity) • Single search box • Easy browsing and refinement capabilities - FACETS

3. Our Project: TALISPlus • To replace legacy OPAC called TALIS • purchased Verity K2 mid-2006 • designed and implemented 2006/2007 • Alpha launch, client/staff feedback – April 07 • Beta launch, open use, client feedback • June 07 • Full scale promotion – September 07

7. New demands on underlying data • Facets – to be effective they had to be: • consistent and correct • fit for purpose, clear understandable concepts • Single box searching • Ranking and sorting

8. Fiction/Non-fiction Non-fiction (135) Fiction (14) Format Audio (6) DVD and video(14) Images (2) Software (5) Text (135) Genre Crime (1) Audience Adults (116) Children (33) Youth (1) Facets for search term “chess” • Series • McKay chess library (2) • -- for Dummies (2) • Availability • Lending (103) • Reference (47) • Online (2) • Topic • History (14) • Chess (98) • Chess players (13) • Chess problems (7) • Tasmanian • About Tasmania (7) • By a Tasmanian (6) • Published in Tasmania (6)

9. Format • Had to create an effective browsable hierarchy • e.g. subtitled video as a subset of video • MARC record doesn’t provide a hierarchy • conversion scripts create our hierarchy after ILMS export • Used a local tag (590$a) • leader not used (didn’t handle mixed media items, multiple formats, didn’t fit hierarchy) • Issues • clean up (146 down to 40 terms) • changed/corrected terms, added terms • e.g. cd- rom, cd-rom, cd-rom compact disc, cd-rom dvd, cd-rom no isbn, cd-rom serial, compact disc, compact disk cd-rom, compact disc cd-rom dvd, compact disc, computer disc, cd-rom

10. Genre • There were 14 genre terms in use • fairly easy to produce – used LCSH • only available for Fiction/Adult books • but we were lucky, we had started adding in 2000 • demand for more/new genre terms – ‘chick lit’ • Issues • not used for non-print (e.g. audio, DVDs) • not used for Junior and Youth Fiction

11. Fiction/Non-fiction • Added local tag (592$a) based on a statistical categories in holdings record • non-fiction are items without 592 fiction tag • music/realia went to non-fiction • bulk change • Issues • Literature items in Reference Non-fiction – current project to clean up ( to add 592 tag)

12. Audience – Adult/Youth/Children • Used a local tag (591$a) • Records assumed to be Adult unless other rules apply • Youth – new term • created via statistical categories in holdings record • Issues • Some items need multiple audiences (e.g. music CDs) • MARC fixed fields no use • often absent, terms too granular, only one code could be applied (not repeatable)

13. Series • Variable data • corrections required • missing data • being added over time • Issues • when you offer clients a facet, the implication is that you have all the data

14. Availability • Complex concept • on shelf, or lending/reference, or online • On shelf • done via real time query at full record display • Lending/reference • from holdings, summarized on results display, updated daily • Online • complex translation of 856 (which otherwise yielded false positives for TOCs, etc) to 007 ‘cr’ – added in bulk

15. Subjects: topic/region/era • Deconstructed LCSH • topic (6XX $a $x $v) • topic and subfields became independent facets • region worked well (6XX$z, 651$a) • worked well but still needed to clean up data • era data (6XX $y) • chronological data available but not user friendly • 17,000 unique date ranges found, reduced to 1600 instances • no easy way to control into future

16. Subjects: topic/region/era • Issues • subfields as topics allows sensible/non-sensible facet choices • components that start out as a hierarchy now don’t always make sense when offered as recombine-able facets • e. g: India – Description and Traveland Elephants – India for same book allow a browse path Elephants ; Description and Travel • looked at Dewey but 082$a tag too inconsistent • only ca 50% of non-fiction had Dewey number present

17. Tasmania – About, By, Published In • Completely new access point • difficult and complex, still in progress • Published in • searched for strings in 260 field, then added tma to 008/15-17 • About Tasmania • used Tasmaniana holdings to add 043 $a u-at-tm • By Tasmanian • ‘Tasmanian’ authors list generated from Tasmaniana holdings, reviewed

18. Other data issues • Searching (the single box) • e.g. serials became ‘Magazines and journals’ as a facet, retained ‘serials’ in bib record, both places searched • Sorting • e.g. date had to be modified to produce sensible sorts • 10% missing or incorrect in 008/07-10; we used 260$c to fill in and correct 008 • Ranking • e.g. popularity algorithm • based on circulation/holds ratio, had to get from circulation and holdings data

19. Summary - issues • The MARC record is exposed like never before • what is missing or inconsistent really hurts • The ‘new generation catalogue’ access points • aren’t simple outputs from your MARC catalogue • Your catalogue is not the only source of data

20. Conclusions • There are significant costs • to develop and maintain data • There are real benefits • our users like it • an engaged cataloguing staff • what they do really matters • New catalogues, facets, etc are an evolving science (art)

21. Thank you for your attention Please try it, learn from it (don’t make our mistakes), send us your comments, etc http://catalogue.statelibrary.tas.gov.au/ Lloyd Sokvitne Manager (Digital Strategies) State Library of Tasmania lloyd.sokvitne@education.tas.gov.au