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SUNCAT: the Central Source of Serials Information in the UK

SUNCAT: the Serials Union Catalogue for the UK

Natasha Aburrow-Jones

Zena Mulligan

http://edina.ac.uk/suncat/

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Background

• UKNUC Feasibility Study - 2001

– Serials Report: Tony Kidd, Rob Bull

• SUNCAT Scoping Study - 2002

– Information Power Ltd.

• JISC & RSLP funded

• Purpose - to develop a UK Serials Union Catalogue

• Phase 1 – February 2003-December 2004

• Phase 2 – January 2005-December 2006

• Phase 3 – 2007 onwards

• Partnership between the University of Edinburgh, through EDINA, & Ex Libris

• Associate Partners - Cambridge, Glasgow, National Library of Scotland, Oxford

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UKNUC Feasibility Study

“When users were asked how often they would wish to use a UKNUC for various different purposes, the idea of locating all journals in a particular subject area achieved the highest score among most groups of researchers, with support ranging from 72% to 95%, the highest score reached in response to this question. This is a definite indication of the need and support for a Serials National Union Catalogue.”

UKNUC Feasibility Study, April 2001

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Background

• UKNUC Feasibility Study - 2001

– Serials Report: Tony Kidd, Rob Bull

• SUNCAT Scoping Study - 2002

– Information Power Ltd.

• JISC & RSLP funded

• Purpose - to develop a UK Serials Union Catalogue

• Phase 1 – February 2003-December 2004

• Phase 2 – January 2005-December 2006

• Phase 3 – 2007 onwards

• Partnership between the University of Edinburgh, through EDINA, & Ex Libris

• Associate Partners - Cambridge, Glasgow, National Library of Scotland, Oxford

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Project Management

• EDINA Co-directors of SUNCAT Project

Peter BurnhillChristine Rees

• Ex LibrisJulie BoothDominic Nast

• Steering Group (Chair Derek Law)

• Advisory Group (Chair Peter Burnett)

• Bibliographic Quality Advisory Group (BQAG)

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Work Packages

– Project Manager:• Fred Guy (EDINA)

– Systems Librarian: • Morag Macgregor (EDINA)

– Bibliographic Work Package: • Natasha Aburrow-Jones (EDINA)• Moira Whitson (EDINA)• Nicola Osborne (EDINA)

– User Requirements Work Package• Zena Mulligan p/t (EDINA)• Liz Stevenson p/t (Edinburgh University Library) • Advisor: Tony Kidd (Glasgow University Library)

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SUNCAT aims

• SUNCAT: primary aims– For researchers, a single tool for the location of

serials, including information about access– For librarians, a central repository of high quality

bibliographic records for downloading to local catalogues and a location tool for ILL

• Additionally - to raise consciousness of the importance of quality serials information among UK researchers and librarians

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Contributing Libraries: Phase 1

British LibraryNational Library of Scotland National Library of WalesImperial College, LondonLondon School of EconomicsManchester Metropolitan UniversityQueens University, BelfastUniversity of BirminghamUniversity of BristolUniversity of Cambridge University College, London

University of DurhamUniversity of EdinburghUniversity of GlasgowUniversity of LeedsUniversity of ManchesterUniversity of NewcastleUniversity of NottinghamUniversity of OxfordUniversity of SouthamptonUniversity of Wales, CardiffUniversity of Warwick

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SUNCAT Phase 2

• Pilot service launched January 2005

• Coverage extended to include a further 60 libraries

• Range of library types extended to include special libraries, research collections

• Development of interface

• Liaison with libraries

• Research and development work: ejournals

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Contributing Libraries: Phase 2• Aberdeen University• Birkbeck College, University of London• Bolton University• British Film Institute• British Geological Survey• British Medical Association• CCLRC• Courtauld Institute of Art• Cranfield University• Edinburgh College of Art• Essex University• Exeter University• Hull University• IEE• International Institute for Strategic Studies• Kent University• King’s College London• Lancaster University• Leeds Metropolitan University• Liverpool University• London Business School• London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine• Manchester Public Libraries• Medical Research Council• Napier University• National Art Library• National Maritime Museum• National Museums & Galleries of Wales• National Museums of Scotland

• Natural History Museum• Reading University• Royal Botanic Gardens. Kew• Royal College of Nursing• Royal Geographical Society• Royal Institute of British Architects• Royal Northern College of Music• Royal Society• Royal Society of Medicine• School of Oriental & African Studies, University

of London• Sheffield University• Sheffield Hallam University• Society of Antiquaries of London• Stirling University• Sussex University• University of Central Lancashire• University of East Anglia• University of London Research Libraries• University of Ulster• University of Wales, Swansea• Wiener Library, Institute of Contemporary

History• Wellcome Library for the History &

Understanding of Medicine• Women’s Library, London Metropolitan

University• York University• Zoological Society of London

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Changes to SUNCAT interface

• Links to library websites

• Links to records in Library OPACs

• Holdings display

• Testing

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New holdings display

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Liaison with Libraries

• User satisfaction survey

• SUNCAT Newsletter

• SUNCAT mailing list

• Articles in press

• www.suncat.ac.uk

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AIMSS: Automating Ingest of Metadata on Serial Subscriptions (1)• Based on work carried out in Phase 1

• ONIX for Serials formats

• Partnership with Serials Solutions

• Funded by JISC PALS Metadata & Interoperability Projects 2

• Autumn 2005 to Summer 2006

• Transmitting information serials information from publishers/aggregators to participants in chain

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AIMSS: Automating Ingest of Metadata on Serial Subscriptions (2)• Use of ONIX to update SUNCAT with holdings information

from participating libraries

• Develop capability for EDINA to accept ONIX for Serials messages (Serials Online Holdings)

• Map ONIX for Serials fields to MARC21 fields

• Investigate how to upload the data received into SUNCAT records

• Develop and disseminate expertise to libraries

• Encourage wider use of ONIX for Serials format

• www.jisc.ac.uk/index.cfm?name=project_aimss

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SUNCAT: How does it work?

• Centralised union catalogue

• Records stored in one large database

• Records deduplicated to view using Aleph functionality

• Records merged “on the fly”

• Complex matching algorithm

• “Preferred” record displayed

• Matching above format

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How does SUNCAT obtain records?

• Dialogue between library and SUNCAT project team

• Contributing library ftps a file to SUNCAT

• Data specification is drawn up by the team, and approved by the contributing library

• Data is converted according to data specification

• Data is loaded into SUNCAT

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SUNCAT: contributing libraries’ LMS

• DS Ltd. CALM for Libraries *• Endeavor Voyager• EOSi GLAS *• Ex Libris Aleph• Fretwell-Downing OLIB• GEAC Advance• Innovative Millennium / Innopac• Liberty 3 *• Sirsi Unicorn• Talis• … and more for addition into SUNCAT in the future!

* = non-MARC

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SUNCAT: Streamlining

• Why streamline?– Much time spent on data conversion is involved

in summary holdings statements. This is not scaleable for the number of libraries in Phase 2

• How to streamline?– Include locations in all libraries– Include summary holdings statements where

straightforward– Develop link to library catalogue record for up-

to-date information

• Outcome of streamlining– More libraries added to SUNCAT, offering a more

comprehensive national union catalogue

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SUNCAT: Updates

• Each library to supply regular update files• To include:

New recordsChanged recordsDeleted records

• Applies to both bibliographic records and holdings records (where appropriate)

• Full file / partial file loads• To maintain the currency of SUNCAT

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SUNCAT: what is the matching process?• Deduplicated union catalogue

• Complex matching algorithm

• 3 stage selection process for matching

• Preferred record display

• List of Common Titles (LOCT)

• Matching above format

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Matching: the SUNCAT ID

• What is it?– The SC-ID is a unique identifier at a “work” level

• What does it do?– It links records for the same title together,

improving the current matching processes• How does it do this?

– By storing a number in the 049 $a field, and extra processes being run before every file is loaded into SUNCAT to assign a SC-ID

• What are the results?– Improved matching– An identifier which can be used outwith SUNCAT,

if so desired

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SUNCAT standards

• Entry standard– Deliberately set low, to allow as many records as

possible to be included in SUNCAT

• Upgrading standard– Only records which are verified unique by the

library, or are the preferred record need to be upgraded by the library

– SUNCAT upgrading standard is very similar to the CONSER minimum level standard

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SUNCAT: the Librarians’ Interface

• What is the Librarian’s Interface?

• A new development, which will allow Contributing Libraries to:– Download records– Access reports regarding non-matched records– Notify the SUNCAT project team of mismatches

or records that should have matched into a set– To customise notifications reports

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SUNCAT: the Librarians’ Interface (II)

• Downloading

• Via: z39.50• Via: download from the web (currently in

development)• Via: save / email function

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SUNCAT: the Librarians’ Interface (III)• Assisted matching (currently in development)

• Will allow the contributing library to:– Verify unique records– Match poor quality records to the appropriate

set by the contributing library, chosen from a pool of records selected by SUNCAT

– Notify the SUNCAT team of mismatches, and / or records or sets that should match together

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SUNCAT: the Librarians’ Interface (IV)

• Notifications:– To be developed?– Changes in the preferred record, tailored to

individual libraries

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Full Service

• Launch August 2006

• Workshops Autumn 2006– Belfast– Cardiff– Edinburgh– London– Manchester

• Promotional and training material– Website– Print

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Phase 3: The Future of SUNCAT

• Stable service

• Regularly updated

• High quality records for downloading

• More libraries

• More unique titles

• Improved geographic coverage

• Different union views

• Linking with related services

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SUNCAT

SUNCAT Pilot Servicewww.edina.ac.uk/suncat

SUNCAT Project Websitewww.suncat.ac.uk

SUNCAT Teamsuncat@staffmail.ed.ac.uk

Natasha Aburrow-Jonesnatasha.aburrow-jones@ed.ac.uk

Zena Mulliganzena.mulligan@ed.ac.uk

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DEMO

SUNCAT