RETROSPECTIVE CONVERSION; A LOOK AT SOME OF TOE SERVICES AVAILABLE
| Date | 01 January 1985 |
| Pages | 19-25 |
| Published date | 01 January 1985 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/eb040315 |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management |
19
RETROSPECTIVE CONVERSION; A LOOK AT SOME OF TOE SERVICES AVAILABLE
The section of VINE (pp 19-25 )has as a common theme retrospective
conversion. It is a topic which seems to have been giving rise to
more and more interest of late as the proliferation of online database
systems makes the problem increasingly acute for a growing number of
libraries.
There are a range of options open to libraries - keyboarding,
either directly to an in-house database or via a bureau service, buying-in
records from an external source and in a recognised format, or using
scanning techniques. In practice many libraries will adopt a mix of all
three depending on the quality and content of the catalogue to be
converted. I am not intending in these pages to look at all facets and
problems of retrospective conversion: the Catalogue and Index Group of the
Library Association ran an extremely well attended One-Day Seminar in
January this year which addressed many of the issues and choices
retrospective conversion raises. (The Proceedings will be published later
this year in the CIG's
Newsletter).
There are three articles in this VINE
looking at recon. These first pages assume the buying-in approach and give
a quick guide to some of the data sources for retrospective conversion
currently around and the special retrospective services being offered by
the database holders; where no special provision for retrospective as
opposed to current services exists, as in the case of SWALCAP for example,
then the organisation has not been included. The next article outlines a
new service using an intelligent scanner and format recognition software;
and the final part of the trilogy recounts the particular experiences of
Edinburgh University Library with a range of these services.
For this quick guide section, as far as possible, the same questions were
asked of all suppliers and the answers written to a standard descriptive
format.
Obviously, there are variations as the services and facilities
offered vary. Most of the organisations listed below are involved in
running a shared system for current cataloguing and have evolved from that
their individual options for retrospective cataloguing.
BLCMP (Library Services) Ltd Contact: John Thomas
Main Library Tel: 021-471 1179
University of Birmingham
Birmingham B15 2TT.
Database:
The database has arisen out of 14 years running of a shared
cataloguing service, originally an offline batch system, and now supported
by an extensive online network with over 39 member libraries. The database
of nearly 5 million records holds all UKMARC cataloguing since 1950, LC
post 1974, EMMA records (some
1,700,000)
from the contributing member
libraries,
and the Whitaker's British Books in Print file: all are
available for re-use by libraries. Current intake is provided by the two
national agencies, the British Library and the Library of congress, by
Whitaker's,
(40,000 additions and changes per month) and by contributing
libraries.
Monographs account for 84% and serials for 8% of the database, and there
are also significant collections of music and audio-visual records. While
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