Hello, Mary –

When I saw your message I had to respond!  We migrated from DRA Classic to
SIRSI Unicorn last July, and I will be glad to give you as many hints as I
can.  It is a difficult process.

First of all, it is unfortunately true that each serial record must be
“touched” to make it functional.  (I hope you have several on your Serials
staff to handle the 5000!)  Predictions do have to be “generated,” and copy
records become “serial controls,” which you may want to combine or separate
for ease of check-in.  (This depends on how you have them set up now, but
you will want to know which one is to be used for checking in current
issues so that you don’t add those to a microfilm holding, for instance.)
The other part that was hard for me – though this may not be an issue if
SIRSI “maps” you correctly or lets you do it yourselves (some libraries
have) – is that DRA's Public Notes become Check-in Notes only.  There are
two other separate spots to create “public” notes, and knowing how to get
to those spots is tricky.  We had to learn a lot on our own about these and
other particulars!  Whether or not you are MFHL’d or not (we were not) will
have a bearing on things as well.  If you are not in a consortium (we are),
it should be easier.

I hope you will have access to the DRA database for a LONG TIME.  That was
very helpful as a resource (for such things as confirming ISSNs and setting
up new patterns – to create predictions).  Another very helpful resource is
the Sure Start calls, which are periodic phone consultations about problems
we encountered.

You will want to set up a system (cards, pages in a binder, etc.) in order
to know which titles you have completely set up, which ones have problems,
etc.  I began this while we were “down” for about 4 weeks and I had to have
a manual check-in system anyway.  I flagged  the problem cards with
paper-clips and was able to move forward with creating controls and then
come back to the problems.

That’s about all I can think of at present.  Hope this helps!  Feel free to
contact me off-list if you have specific questions.

Kate Hood
Library Associate for Serials and Binding
Guilford College, Serials Library
5800 W. Friendly Ave.
Greensboro, NC  27410
khood@guilford.edu
336-316-2362; 336-316-2449 fax