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Updating TRAIL Publication Reports

A search in TRAIL will provide you with a list of your present publication reports. You will need to maintain these publication records. This doesn't mean that every time you update a page or publication that you will always have to update the publication record.

In the rules adopted to enact TRAIL legislation, it was determined that 4 types of changes affecting your publications need to be reported. These are:

1. Change in title of the publication - This may come into play especially if there isn't a title for the publication or the title is not as descriptive as you want it to be. If you change the metatag headings for a title of a publication already reported to TRAIL, make the change on TRAIL as well. To do this, change the Title field (and possibly the Alternate title field as well) on the update form.

2. Change in the URL for the publication - This happens most often when web sites are reorganized. It will also come up when you archive a publication that is no longer current (more on archiving later). To do this, change the URL field on the update form.

3. Change in accessibility - Anytime changes you make affect the browser or software needed to use the publication, update TRAIL to reflect this. To do this, change the 'Format.SysReq' information for the publication on the update form. For example, if a publication that was formerly in html is now published in pdf format, change this field to read 'Requires Adobe Acrobat.'

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4. Change in publication scope - 'Scope' as what the publication is about. If your changes alter what the publication is about, then it would be reported. Changes in details, corrections and minor additions/deletions, or changes in layout/design won't need to be reported. If you do need to make changes based on scope, usually you will change the 'Description' field and possibly also the 'Subject' and 'Keyword' fields on the update form.

To edit for publication updates:

1. Login at http://hermes.tsl.state.tx.us/servlet/TexasDE using your User name and Password.

2. In the Drop down menu for 'Record set', select "Texas Dublin Core"

3. From the list of operations, select 'Edit records' (if not already preselected), then hit the 'Next' button

4. The system will return the 'TRAIL Record Find' screen. You can use up to three terms to search for the record you want to update. Normally you would search by:

· Trail name - your agency name (TRAIL form) - enter one or more words from the name of your agency (don't use the words Texas or state - see appendix for a list of TRAIL agency names used)

· Title - one or more words from the title of the document - I am providing you with a copy of all titles currently entered for your websites

· Anywhere - (optionally) one or more words that appear in the record itself. Sometimes you may know this and sometimes you will not. Your agency name and title words can be used here also though to help refine the search even if you have no other information to enter.

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Here's an example search to try:
TRAIL name - library
Title - TRAIL
Anywhere - manual

This should return listings that include the 'TRAIL Electronic Publication Manual'. Notice there are two listings for this. That is because it is published in two formats at 2 different URLs so that there are two records created to provide access for TRAIL users to either the HTML version or the Word version. You could also choose to use one TRAIL report with two URLs, one for each version.

Let's try another search. This one is for sample records that you can edit. Construct a search for this:

Agency: Library and Archives Commission
Title: A TRAIL new generation training manual
Description: This manual provides electronic liaisons basic information and examples for entering and editing information about their agency in order to create effective public access to their resources and to provide for a means of preserving valuable Texas state government information for the future.

Once you've found the record you are looking for, let's assume changes have been made to this manual. The title was changed to:

TRAIL Electronic Liaison Reporting and Publication Retention Manual.

and a new section was added on how to use TRAIL for records and publication retention processes, as well as added guidelines for electronic depository libraries.

Do you need to update the record for these changes? Why? What kinds of changes would you make to the record? Why? Make your changes and submit the record. A suggestion that might help your customers - when making a title change, consider adding an alternate title for the old title so it can be searched that way also.

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