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From the CONSER list.<br><br>
Date: Fri, 31 Aug 2007
11:59:27 -0400<br>
Reply-To: CONSER Cataloging Discussion List <CONSRLST@loc.gov><br>
Sender: CONSER Cataloging Discussion List <CONSRLST@loc.gov><br>
From: "Patton,Glenn" <pattong@OCLC.ORG><br>
Subject: Serial Records and Merging the RLG Union Catalog into
WorldCat<br>
Comments: To: CONSER Cataloging Discussion List
<CONSRLST@loc.gov><br>
To: CONSRLST@sun8.LOC.GOV<br><br>
<font face="Arial Unicode MS, Helvetica">Dear CONSER colleagues,</font>
<br><br>
<font face="Arial Unicode MS, Helvetica">As OCLC staff have worked on the
process of integrating the RLG Union Catalog in WorldCat, we have
identified a approximately 200,000 serials records that have presented
various difficulties for OCLC's record matching processes. Some of
the records are very brief. Others are serials with generic, single
word titles. There are also a substantial number of records which
represent latest entry cataloging.<br><br>
We have been reluctant to add these records but, since access to the RLG
Union Catalog is going away soon and in order that we can represent the
holdings of libraries that had contributed to the RLG Union Catalog as
completely as possible in WorldCat, we will be adding these records over
the next few days. <br><br>
We expect that a significant number of duplicate records will be created
in the process. We know that these duplicates may cause concerns
about the quality of serial records in WorldCat and we will continue to
look at ways in which we can identify and eliminate some of the
duplicates. We will, of course, accept requests to merge records
through the usual channels.<br><br>
Glenn Patton</font> <br>
<font face="Arial Unicode MS, Helvetica">Director, WorldCat Quality
Management</font> <br>
<font face="Arial Unicode MS, Helvetica">OCLC Online Computer Library
Center, Inc.</font> <br>
<font face="Arial Unicode MS, Helvetica">6565 Kilgour Place</font> <br>
<font face="Arial Unicode MS, Helvetica">Dublin OH
43017-3395</font> <br>
<font face="Arial Unicode MS, Helvetica">Phone: +1.800.848.5878, ext.
6371 or +1.614.764.6371</font> <br>
<font face="Arial Unicode MS, Helvetica">Fax: +1.614.718.7187</font>
<br>
<font face="Arial Unicode MS, Helvetica">Email:
</font><a href="mailto:pattong@oclc.org">
<font face="Arial Unicode MS, Helvetica" color="#0000FF"><u>
mailto:pattong@oclc.org</a></u></font> <br><br>
<x-sigsep><p></x-sigsep>
----------------------------------------------------------<br>
Steven Arakawa <br>
Catalog Librarian for Training & Documentation<br>
Catalog & Metadata Services, SML, Yale University<br>
P.O. Box 208240 New Haven, CT 06520-8240 <br>
(203)432-8286 steven.arakawa@yale.edu<br>
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