I just posted this to the Sirsi Serials Web Forum, but thought
I might get some answers from Serialst folks as well. Please
send them off-list, if that seems more appropriate. Thanks.

First, some background. I'm a retired librarian, volunteering
at a Sirsi library. I am planning to implement MARC
holdings for serials at this library, but need some advice
about getting started. The library is not well staffed and I am
performing this task because they simply do not have the
person-power to do it. Also, their technical services librarian
is essentially a cataloger, with very little experience in serials
work. I am a serials librarian, with very little practical
cataloging experience (I haven't actually cataloged since library
school). I organized an implementation of MARC holdings in
the late 80s/early 90s at a large research library, where NOTIS
was used. I can still create a holdings statement in my sleep,
with all of the correct punctuation and spacing. ;-)

I've read most of the documentation available to me at the
library, but I keep getting bogged down in the linkage between
the MARC holdings that I'm familiar with, the new MARC 21,
and serials patterns. The library already has patterns created
and is using the check-in module. I am simply interested in
entering the retrospective information about their holdings. I
want to make this process as simple as possible, but don't
want to do anything that would impede the eventual migration
of the data into a next-generation system.

For starters, I have a few basic questions.

1) Is there a direct link, in Sirsi, between pattern/check-in and
holdings? Do the items checked-in somehow roll-over (either
manually or automatically) into the holdings statement?

2) What documentation (like internal Sirsi manuals and LC web
sites) will I find most helpful for this project? And within that
documentation, what specific sections/pages are the most
relevant?

3) I've been reading documentation about MARC 21 and the
more I read, the more confused I get. Is this more information
than I need?

4) At this year's NASIG, there was a Sirsi users group meeting,
at which there was some discussion about how well Sirsi
accommodates (or doesn't) MHLD 21. Can anyone share the
gist of that, or similar discussions? (I was not able to attend
the UG meeting.)

I appreciate any guidance that anyone can offer.

Steve Murden