[yul-naco] Using the web version of RLIN authorities

[Steven Arakawa]

NACO reviewers; I thought I'd try out the new e-mail list with a report on 
the RLIN21 testing; copying to the RLIN21 testing group.

I'm one of those testing the PUT command on RLIN21, the web version of RLIN 
for Windows. As you know, with RLIN21, we will no longer be able to use the 
PASS command. You may be interested in how PUT works, at least at this stage.

1. Log in to RLIN21 via Internet Explorer. You have to type in both your 
user name and password; no more automatic login by pressing ENTER. In order 
to export, you must have an account configured to export the record to a 
specified template; the current username and password you use for authority 
work will not do. Every person who uses the PUT would need a separate 
account configuration, I believe.

2. The default log in is to the bibliographic database (perhaps this can be 
customized?), so you have to select Name Authority under Other RLIN 21 
databases (bottom right of the opening page)

3.  Let's say I'm searching for the NAR for the Rolling Stones. There are 
radio buttons for types of searches at the top of the display. The default 
is Heading Phrase. If one of these is selected, you should NOT type the 
command and index in the searching space, e.g. "bro hp" (the computer will 
think "bro hp" is part of the heading). So, if the default Heading Phrase 
button is selected, you would just enter rolling stones in the searching 
space. EXCEPTION: If you click on the Command Line radio button, you must 
include the index to be searched but NOT the command, i.e. bro rolling 
stones NOT bro hp rolling stones

4. The search results look pretty easy to navigate. It appears to me that 
if you get a single hit, the record does not display automatically, but 
this is worth further checking. If so, very annoying.

5. Having displayed the record, assuming you want to export, the Export 
command is highlighted just above the record ID number at the top of the 
record.

6. Click on the Export command to effect the PUT. Currently this sends the 
record to an RLG server; ultimately, we would be sending to a Yale server, 
assuming we use PUT.

7. Start the WSFTP software. Most of you have it in the Yale Library Staff 
Workstation folder.

8.  You will need to configure a profile that would include the hostname of 
the server and the user ID. The password is not saved, but the other stuff 
is. I think WSFTP automatically opens with the last configured profile (I 
think I have some others). The RLG server requires all CAPS for the 
password but this would not necessarily be the case with a Yale server, one 
hopes.  I do find having to remember to enter all caps to be annoying and 
easy to forget. (Are you counting? this is 2 logins staff would need to TYPE)

9. Once you login to the server, you see 2 windows. The right window is the 
remote system. Right now all exported files are displaying in this window. 
Since you probably don't want to pick your file out of a 100 other ones, 
hopefully a customized template would only display your own. Currently the 
templates tested include one that creates a separate file for each record 
exported or a single collection file to which each exported record would 
apend.

10. The left window tells the computer where to download the file. This 
will need to be configured so that the file is sent to RLINIMP or whatever 
folder you use in Voyager. Like the profile for connecting to the server, 
you only need to do this once; establishing the connection to the server 
automatically brings up the target region in the left window, once it has 
been configured.

11. Select the file to export in the right window. Click on the arrow 
between the windows pointing to the Voyager RLINIMP directory. Computer 
makes a funny sound and the file is downloaded. Or rather, a copy of the 
file is downloaded. The original file exported from RLIN remains on the 
server. You will have to manually delete it. (Select, click delete button 
on the right border).  Remember that there are 2 types of formats you could 
export from RLIN21. The single file format would create many files on the 
server, each identified by a number. Very easy to lose track of which file 
you want to export unless you are very careful about deleting each file as 
soon as you have exported. The appending file format would be just one 
file, but if you forget to delete it after an export to Voyager RLINIMP, 
the next time you export to Voyager you will refill the Voyager imp file 
with records you have already imported into Voyager. (To enable the 
different formats, in the current testing one has to log on using different 
accounts; I'm assuming a decision would have to be made as to which 
template/format is to be preferred and that would be the one your account 
would use)

12. Importing into Voyager is pretty much the same. Unless you use an 
append file template, the MacroExpress macro to open the RLIN file would 
not work.

13. Given the complexity, Systems is looking into use of Z39.50 to search 
and export from RLIN, similar to the way we would import from 
LCDB.  Searching options would be quite limited, however. Probably just a 
couple of number searches and a title search. I could see a scenario where 
the regular searching and SAR creation is done in RLIN21, but Z39.50 is 
used to export the record. (But you would need to copy the ID number to 
retrieve the record in the Z39.50 search.) Systems is also looking into 
ways to simplify the WSTFP workflow if we have to use that.

----------------------------------------------------------
Steven Arakawa
Catalog Librarian for Training & Documentation
Catalog Dept. Sterling Memorial Library. Yale University.
P.O. Box 208240 New Haven, CT 06520-8240
(203)432-8286 steven.arakawa at yale.edu