Effects of Online Cataloging
1) Regional Depositories loading the entire retrospective file of machine readable cataloging records for federal documents can expect to add over 200,000 bibliographic records to their online catalog.
2) Following a load of this magnitude, federal documents will immediately become a significant portion of the library's database.
3) Following a load of the GPO cataloging records, libraries can expect an immediate and potentially overwhelming increase in reference, referrals and circulation.
A) Reference
1. Depending upon the pre-load usage of the collection, increases of 500-1,000 percent are not uncommon.
2. Need to increase staffing at documents reference desk.
3. If stacks are closed, may need to open them or develop an efficient paging system.
4. If holdings are attached to a national bibliographic utility such as OCLC or RLIN, anticipate a substantial increase in the number of ILL requests.
5. Need to educate and train staff with indexes and methodology for accessing pre-1976 material.
B) Referrals
1. With an increased number of cataloging records in the online catalog for government publications, there is a much better chance that reference staff at other service points will need to deal with them.
2. Responsibility of Documents Department to train other reference staff to recognize records for government publications and make appropriate referrals.
a. Superintendent of Documents Call Numbers
c. Coverage
d. How are changes in SuDocs numbers reflected in the online catalog?
e. How are new receipts added to the online catalog?
f. Format (paper vs. microfiche) problems for GPO cataloging records
g. Duplicate records
C) Circulation
1. Libraries can expect a large increase in the number of circulation requests for government documents.
2. System (either online or manual) must be in place for the fast, efficient charging of materials.
3. Barcoding
4. Overdue and fining system
5. Increased wear and tear on materials resulting from circulation emphasizes the need for binding and preservation.
4) All documents staff must be familiar with the intricacies of the loading process and potential points of confusion resulting from the load.
A) Profiling - What was loaded and What was excluded from the load;
B) Why there are records in the database for material not owned by the library;
C) Why there are incorrect formats and locations in the online catalog;
D) Why there are duplicate records in the database;
E) Relationship of records on OCLC and in the online catalog;
1. How does the library deal with the delay between the receipt of a new title and the availability of a machine readable cataloging record?
2. How does the library handle "dual distribution" items?
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