- Email: [email protected]
Union list access using online reference retrieval software
collection
UNION
management
resources
LISTS & A U T O M A T I O N III
II
Union List Access Using
Online Reference Retrieval Software Dianne EIIsworth [Editor's Note: The California Union List of Periodicals (CULP) became available online through Bibliographic Retrieval Services (BRS) in October 1981. The CULP data base provides holdings locations for over 76,000 serials titles contributed by over 740 libraries. Previously access to the information in the data base had only been available to users in microfiche. This article describes CULP and some of the unexpected benefits of using online reference retrieval software to provide access to a union list of serials.] Anyone who works with serials, whether from the point of view of technical processing, reference, or interlibrary loan, is aware of the difficulties in locating or identifying serials. Variant forms of cataloging and cataloging practices, entries used by indexing and abstracting services, and the publishers themselves all contribute to the complexity and confusion of finding or even identifying a specific journal title. The value of applying keyword indexing to a serials file, and the ability to search for a title in multiple fields with one command cannot be overstated. In most printed sources, the searcher needs to know the exact form of entry in order to locate a title. With online access journal titles can be found even if the user does not have the "correct" entry for the serial.
CULP The California Union List of Periodicals (CULP), originally a project of the California State Library, has been maintained by CLASS since 1978. Because of the rapid growth of the file there were difficulties in producing it in paper copy. Although the list was published on microfiche by the second edition, the list was maintained in batch mode. Responsibility for maintenance of the union list was turned over to CLASS with the intention that CLASS would develop an online maintenance system for CULP and eventually online access for outside users. The decision to go online: CLASS had developed a system for online maintenance by spring 1979. Although the maintenance system has improved steadily over the past three years, we soon realized we would be unable to provide access to the system for external users without severely degrading response time for both data entry staff and users. A number of alternatives for online access were explored and eventually we chose to use an online reference vendor, in this case BRS. It provided an interesting approach; the sophisticated retrieval Ellsworth is Program Manager for the California Data Base for Serials at the California Library Authority for Systems and Services (CLASS). She serves as editor of this column for SR.
software for accessmg bibliographic data was already available. The use of keyword search approach for locating serials information was very desirable.
Content o f the Data Base CULP inludes holdings for all types of serials: periodicals, newspapers, transactions, proceedings, annuals, monographic series, and others. Both retrospective and currently published titles are included in the data base. Physical formats may include Braille, cassette, microform, or other media.
Size and Content The CULP data base now includes over 75,000 titles representing holdings from over 740 libraries in California. There are approximately 375,000 holdings records. Contributors include almost all of the public libraries, most of the community college libraries, many smaller private academic libraries, and state and federal agency libraries in California; the greatest proportion of contributors to the data base are special libraries of all types: scientific, technical, business, medical, and legal. The relative percentages of contributing libraries are given in table 1 (below): Table 1 : Contributors by Type of Library (by %) Special Public Libraries Community College Private academic Other (state, federal agency, public universities)
46% 32% 14% 7% 2%
The wide range of types of libraries which contribute to the data base provides access to a broad spectrum of unique titles. Fifty-five percent of the titles in the data base are held by only one library; 72 percent by two or fewer; 99 percent by 65 or fewer. Over 50 percent of the titles in the CULP data base do not appear in the CONSER file, nor in other major sources of serials bibliographic data. Record Content and Format: The data dements used in the CULP file at CLASS reflect the MARC-like format used previously by the California State Library. They include the following: (the equivalent paragraph labels in BRS are given in parentheses). RID (ID) 010 (LC)
Record Identification Number, identifying number Library of Congress Card Number
SERIALS REVIEW
a
WINTER 1982
unique
87
022 (SN) The International Standard Serial Number 244 (ME) Main Entry, includes corporate entry and/or title, publisher and place of publication 247 (CR) Cross Reference, alternate forms of the title 362 (PD) Publication dates. This field contains data on the beginning and/or ending dates of the serial and is taken from published sources. 500 (NO) Notes field. This field contains general information about the serial including variant subtitles, special issues, numbering peculiarities. For older records it may also contain former and later titles. 780 (PE) Preceding entry. This field shows the former title of the serial, if applicable. 785 (SE) Succeeding entry. This field indicates the later title of a serial, if applicable. 850 (HO) Includes the library location symbol, the region in California in which the library is located, and holdings data.
Data Collection and Maintenance The most common method of reporting to CULP is a computer-generated checklist distributed by CLASS to each of the contributing libraries to assist them in updating their holdings. Production: The CULP data base is updated continuously at CLASS using a Data General Eclipse C/330 processor with 1 megabyte of main memory and two 190-megabyte disk drives. The programs are written in PL/I and utilize Data General's INFOS data base management system.
The retrieval techniques that are applied to citation data bases can be applied to the union list file in most cases. One of the interesting searches that resulted was the ability to retrieve titles by beginning and ending dates of publication or by ranges of publication dates. You can also combine a number of searches to narrow the field of inquiry. For example, one can search for newspapers published in San Francisco before 1900. On BRS, CULP can also be searched in a limited way by subject. Although the CULP records do not contain subject headings, a keyword search can produce in a number of titles in a specific subject area. An interesting side result from the "subject" search in the union list file is that libraries with strong holdings in a particular field can be identified in this way. There have been a few problems in the application of online retrieval software to a union list of serials. One is the differences in our respective stop-word lists. For example, "JOURNAL" is not a stop word on BRS, but it certainly is in CULP! Also, although you can search for a title in a specific region, the entire contents of the holdings field will be displayed, including other regions holding the title as well. This can make the search process more costly for the user. However, both CLASS staff and the users of the file have been very enthusiastic about the file. The time for getting from the idea to the reality was relatively short and the process was far smoother than might be anticipated for a file which was not in true MARC format. As users continue to test the file we expect to work with the vendor in resolving some of the "bugs" as they are uncovered. SEARCHABLE FIELDS IN THE CULP DATA BASE ONLINE THROUGH BRS
Pubhcation CULP CULP is published annually in microfictte and has been widely distributed for several years. CLASS also produces selected lists (in any format) from the data base for individual libraries and groups of libraries. Since October 1981, over 6,000 new titles have been added to CULP data base on BRS making the online data base far more current than the microfiche equivalent. Advantages of Online Access: The primary advantages of online reference access to CULP are: 1) Timeliness 2) Ability to locate an item regardless of form of entry used 3) Ability to manipulate the union list in a variety of ways which would be impossible with microfiche
Application
SERIALS REVIEW
ME -- corporate author/title or title main entry, publisher, city PE
-- preceding entry, earlier title
SE
-- succeeding entry, subsequent title
CR -- alternate titles or references NO -- subtitles, imprint variations, history NUMERIC CODES AN -- BRS accession number & update code
The CULP data base is designed to be a finding list. That is, records contain sufficient bibliographic information to verify requests for interlibrary loan and to identify locations and holdings data. Although CULP is not meant to be used as a cataloging tool, it can be used to verify citations. The applications for which CULP has traditionally been used include interlibrary loan, reference (for citation information), and collection development. Having the CULP file on BRS has added several new dimensions to its use. The CULP file can now be searched in conjunction with the reference data bases on BRS to identify locations for material which the searcher does not own. CULP also can be used to help identify journals that have been cited alternately elsewhere. Or it can be used to provide more bibliographic data about a journal. Searches can be limited to single paragraphs (or fields) or the entire record can be searched with a single word or phrase.
88
TITLE INFORMATION
WINTER 1982
SN -° ISSN LC -- Library of Congress card number ID
-- CLASS record identification number PUBLISHER INFORMATION
ME -- includes corporate body or publisher, city of publication
PUBLICATION DATES & FREQUENCY PD
-- searchable as Beginning Date, Ending Date or range. Frequency not included. SUBJECT HEADINGS
CULP -- no headings included ; searching by key word or phrase. AVAILABILITY INFORMATION
II
A USEFUL TOOL"
Indexed Periodicals Edited by Joseph V. Marconi.
CULP HO -- Owning library, holdings available for ILL. Searchable by both library code or region OTHER DATA
A guide to 170 years of periodical and serial titles (11,000 entries) indexed in 33 indexing services.
CULP PT
-- Publication Type, either "Newspaper" or "Periodical"
MD
--
Special formats, Braille, cassette, etc. (not currently used)
NO -- subtitles, variant titles, general information Note The major academic libraries in California are represented by a complementary data base, CALLS (The California Academic Libraries List o f Serials). This list is produced by the University of California Division of Library Automation. Libraries represented by this data base include the nine campuses o f the University of California, the 19 campuses of the California State University and Colleges, Stanford University, and the University of Southern California. This data base is available only in microfiche format and is distributed by CLASS.
"When confronted with a retropsective search for indexing information o f the most widely cited American (and o f the English language) periodicals, the searcher will surely be best advised to consult Marconi's index." -ARBA "..useful information at the reference desk as well as in the difficult policy decisions regarding subscription cutbacks' and stack thinning. "' -TITLE VARIES "...a creditable and useful tool for the services examined... '" -RQ
450 pages $90.00 1976 Postage is extra. Available on 30-day approval. PIERIAN PRESS 5000 Washtenaw Avenue Ann Arbor, MI 48104
SERIALS R E V I E W
W I N T E R 1982
89
UNION
management
resources
LISTS & A U T O M A T I O N III
II
Union List Access Using
Online Reference Retrieval Software Dianne EIIsworth [Editor's Note: The California Union List of Periodicals (CULP) became available online through Bibliographic Retrieval Services (BRS) in October 1981. The CULP data base provides holdings locations for over 76,000 serials titles contributed by over 740 libraries. Previously access to the information in the data base had only been available to users in microfiche. This article describes CULP and some of the unexpected benefits of using online reference retrieval software to provide access to a union list of serials.] Anyone who works with serials, whether from the point of view of technical processing, reference, or interlibrary loan, is aware of the difficulties in locating or identifying serials. Variant forms of cataloging and cataloging practices, entries used by indexing and abstracting services, and the publishers themselves all contribute to the complexity and confusion of finding or even identifying a specific journal title. The value of applying keyword indexing to a serials file, and the ability to search for a title in multiple fields with one command cannot be overstated. In most printed sources, the searcher needs to know the exact form of entry in order to locate a title. With online access journal titles can be found even if the user does not have the "correct" entry for the serial.
CULP The California Union List of Periodicals (CULP), originally a project of the California State Library, has been maintained by CLASS since 1978. Because of the rapid growth of the file there were difficulties in producing it in paper copy. Although the list was published on microfiche by the second edition, the list was maintained in batch mode. Responsibility for maintenance of the union list was turned over to CLASS with the intention that CLASS would develop an online maintenance system for CULP and eventually online access for outside users. The decision to go online: CLASS had developed a system for online maintenance by spring 1979. Although the maintenance system has improved steadily over the past three years, we soon realized we would be unable to provide access to the system for external users without severely degrading response time for both data entry staff and users. A number of alternatives for online access were explored and eventually we chose to use an online reference vendor, in this case BRS. It provided an interesting approach; the sophisticated retrieval Ellsworth is Program Manager for the California Data Base for Serials at the California Library Authority for Systems and Services (CLASS). She serves as editor of this column for SR.
software for accessmg bibliographic data was already available. The use of keyword search approach for locating serials information was very desirable.
Content o f the Data Base CULP inludes holdings for all types of serials: periodicals, newspapers, transactions, proceedings, annuals, monographic series, and others. Both retrospective and currently published titles are included in the data base. Physical formats may include Braille, cassette, microform, or other media.
Size and Content The CULP data base now includes over 75,000 titles representing holdings from over 740 libraries in California. There are approximately 375,000 holdings records. Contributors include almost all of the public libraries, most of the community college libraries, many smaller private academic libraries, and state and federal agency libraries in California; the greatest proportion of contributors to the data base are special libraries of all types: scientific, technical, business, medical, and legal. The relative percentages of contributing libraries are given in table 1 (below): Table 1 : Contributors by Type of Library (by %) Special Public Libraries Community College Private academic Other (state, federal agency, public universities)
46% 32% 14% 7% 2%
The wide range of types of libraries which contribute to the data base provides access to a broad spectrum of unique titles. Fifty-five percent of the titles in the data base are held by only one library; 72 percent by two or fewer; 99 percent by 65 or fewer. Over 50 percent of the titles in the CULP data base do not appear in the CONSER file, nor in other major sources of serials bibliographic data. Record Content and Format: The data dements used in the CULP file at CLASS reflect the MARC-like format used previously by the California State Library. They include the following: (the equivalent paragraph labels in BRS are given in parentheses). RID (ID) 010 (LC)
Record Identification Number, identifying number Library of Congress Card Number
SERIALS REVIEW
a
WINTER 1982
unique
87
022 (SN) The International Standard Serial Number 244 (ME) Main Entry, includes corporate entry and/or title, publisher and place of publication 247 (CR) Cross Reference, alternate forms of the title 362 (PD) Publication dates. This field contains data on the beginning and/or ending dates of the serial and is taken from published sources. 500 (NO) Notes field. This field contains general information about the serial including variant subtitles, special issues, numbering peculiarities. For older records it may also contain former and later titles. 780 (PE) Preceding entry. This field shows the former title of the serial, if applicable. 785 (SE) Succeeding entry. This field indicates the later title of a serial, if applicable. 850 (HO) Includes the library location symbol, the region in California in which the library is located, and holdings data.
Data Collection and Maintenance The most common method of reporting to CULP is a computer-generated checklist distributed by CLASS to each of the contributing libraries to assist them in updating their holdings. Production: The CULP data base is updated continuously at CLASS using a Data General Eclipse C/330 processor with 1 megabyte of main memory and two 190-megabyte disk drives. The programs are written in PL/I and utilize Data General's INFOS data base management system.
The retrieval techniques that are applied to citation data bases can be applied to the union list file in most cases. One of the interesting searches that resulted was the ability to retrieve titles by beginning and ending dates of publication or by ranges of publication dates. You can also combine a number of searches to narrow the field of inquiry. For example, one can search for newspapers published in San Francisco before 1900. On BRS, CULP can also be searched in a limited way by subject. Although the CULP records do not contain subject headings, a keyword search can produce in a number of titles in a specific subject area. An interesting side result from the "subject" search in the union list file is that libraries with strong holdings in a particular field can be identified in this way. There have been a few problems in the application of online retrieval software to a union list of serials. One is the differences in our respective stop-word lists. For example, "JOURNAL" is not a stop word on BRS, but it certainly is in CULP! Also, although you can search for a title in a specific region, the entire contents of the holdings field will be displayed, including other regions holding the title as well. This can make the search process more costly for the user. However, both CLASS staff and the users of the file have been very enthusiastic about the file. The time for getting from the idea to the reality was relatively short and the process was far smoother than might be anticipated for a file which was not in true MARC format. As users continue to test the file we expect to work with the vendor in resolving some of the "bugs" as they are uncovered. SEARCHABLE FIELDS IN THE CULP DATA BASE ONLINE THROUGH BRS
Pubhcation CULP CULP is published annually in microfictte and has been widely distributed for several years. CLASS also produces selected lists (in any format) from the data base for individual libraries and groups of libraries. Since October 1981, over 6,000 new titles have been added to CULP data base on BRS making the online data base far more current than the microfiche equivalent. Advantages of Online Access: The primary advantages of online reference access to CULP are: 1) Timeliness 2) Ability to locate an item regardless of form of entry used 3) Ability to manipulate the union list in a variety of ways which would be impossible with microfiche
Application
SERIALS REVIEW
ME -- corporate author/title or title main entry, publisher, city PE
-- preceding entry, earlier title
SE
-- succeeding entry, subsequent title
CR -- alternate titles or references NO -- subtitles, imprint variations, history NUMERIC CODES AN -- BRS accession number & update code
The CULP data base is designed to be a finding list. That is, records contain sufficient bibliographic information to verify requests for interlibrary loan and to identify locations and holdings data. Although CULP is not meant to be used as a cataloging tool, it can be used to verify citations. The applications for which CULP has traditionally been used include interlibrary loan, reference (for citation information), and collection development. Having the CULP file on BRS has added several new dimensions to its use. The CULP file can now be searched in conjunction with the reference data bases on BRS to identify locations for material which the searcher does not own. CULP also can be used to help identify journals that have been cited alternately elsewhere. Or it can be used to provide more bibliographic data about a journal. Searches can be limited to single paragraphs (or fields) or the entire record can be searched with a single word or phrase.
88
TITLE INFORMATION
WINTER 1982
SN -° ISSN LC -- Library of Congress card number ID
-- CLASS record identification number PUBLISHER INFORMATION
ME -- includes corporate body or publisher, city of publication
PUBLICATION DATES & FREQUENCY PD
-- searchable as Beginning Date, Ending Date or range. Frequency not included. SUBJECT HEADINGS
CULP -- no headings included ; searching by key word or phrase. AVAILABILITY INFORMATION
II
A USEFUL TOOL"
Indexed Periodicals Edited by Joseph V. Marconi.
CULP HO -- Owning library, holdings available for ILL. Searchable by both library code or region OTHER DATA
A guide to 170 years of periodical and serial titles (11,000 entries) indexed in 33 indexing services.
CULP PT
-- Publication Type, either "Newspaper" or "Periodical"
MD
--
Special formats, Braille, cassette, etc. (not currently used)
NO -- subtitles, variant titles, general information Note The major academic libraries in California are represented by a complementary data base, CALLS (The California Academic Libraries List o f Serials). This list is produced by the University of California Division of Library Automation. Libraries represented by this data base include the nine campuses o f the University of California, the 19 campuses of the California State University and Colleges, Stanford University, and the University of Southern California. This data base is available only in microfiche format and is distributed by CLASS.
"When confronted with a retropsective search for indexing information o f the most widely cited American (and o f the English language) periodicals, the searcher will surely be best advised to consult Marconi's index." -ARBA "..useful information at the reference desk as well as in the difficult policy decisions regarding subscription cutbacks' and stack thinning. "' -TITLE VARIES "...a creditable and useful tool for the services examined... '" -RQ
450 pages $90.00 1976 Postage is extra. Available on 30-day approval. PIERIAN PRESS 5000 Washtenaw Avenue Ann Arbor, MI 48104
SERIALS R E V I E W
W I N T E R 1982
89