---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Tue, 16 Jul 1996 10:30:58 -0400 From: Charles Oates <charoat@REGENT.EDU> Subject: Results of Survey I would like to thank everyone who responded to my request for information on your treatment of "virtual" holdings. Since there was a considerable amount of interest expressed in the results, I'm posting the summarized results to the listservs. Because the subject of "virtual" holdings is relatively new to many libraries, there are many more questions than answers. Only a couple of responses addressed all 8 questions. Most of the responses dealt with only 1 or 2 questions. Many respondents said that they were struggling with these issues, and were interested in knowing the results. Here are the results of the survey regarding treatment of "virtual" holdings in the academic library. The responses have been summarized. ***************************************************************** Question 1 Do you provide "seamless" access to electronic serial holdings accessed through the Internet? 1) We provide cataloging records to materials which collection development staff have selected and we have linked to our university's homepage, our library's homepage or a homepage of a department, branch library, etc. In our current system, we do not have a hotlink to click on an item, and immediately pull up the item itself although we hope to have this in the future." 2) Yes, CD-ROMs only so far. 3) We are in the process of migrating to an Innovative Interfaces system which we hope in time will allow for seamless access to publications on the Internet. 4) We provide access to virtual holdings both via the OPAC and our Web page. Question 2 When does something to which you have electronic access become defined as part of your "holdings"? 1) As soon as it is cataloged. 2) Only when it is a purchased item. 3) We haven't yet grappled with the concept of considering these our 'holdings'. 4) When it is listed in our online journal directory and cataloged on the OPAC. Question 3 Do you feel that electronic serial resources are a type of "holdings"? 3 Yes. 1) Only CD-ROMs so far (Also Westlaw and Lexis). 2) Those to which we subscribe clearly are holdings. Several have replaced paper subscriptions. 3) ...but we do not yet count them in with our print subscriptions. Question 4 Do you provide access to electronic serial holdings through the OPAC? 4 No. 8 Yes. (4 a) If not, do you provide any type of "access"/cataloging to electronic serials holdings? 1)We provide patrons with access to a separate searchable list of several full text sources by the Internet and by CD-ROM over the LAN. We do not put these titles into our catalog. 2)We catalog full-text titles in our OPAC, providing the 538 & 856, even though our catalog cannot link to the site. This region has links to the actual homepage of the journal. The URL for our libraries homepage is: http://wings.buffalo.edu/libraries/e-resources/ejournals/. 3)We have 2 kinds of electronic serial publications: on diskette/CD-ROM and online resources which are WWW full-text serial publications. Those on CD-ROM and diskette are catalogued like traditional print serial publications. As to online resources on the Internet, we currently catalog only serials or bulletins which are published free of charge and some serials or journals which are published by a university. In the near future we plan to make commercial Web magazines accessible to our users. In the bibliographic description we might make a link by means of the URL to the homepage of the online resource. This URL could be seen in hypertext in our web-OPAC, so by clicking on it, the user could see the full-text publication. 4) We are a law library and have access to Lexis and Westlaw. There are 2 labs (Westlaw and Lexis) in the library which are staffed by Westlaw and Lexis. (4 b) If so, how/where? 1) If the title is one which we either own (i.e. its URL has our library as its host) or to which we actually subscribe, we maintain holdings on the cataloging record. If we merely have a title linked to one of our homepages, we do not list the holdings in the OPAC record but instead provide a message such as 'See WWW for available issues'. 2) Only CD-ROMs and WWW addresses imbedded in the bib records--these addresses are not 'connected' to anything. 3) a) direct links on library web page, b) cataloging records with notes on how to access/ when we get our catalog served on the web, these will be hot links to the sites, c) gateway links (remote login) from menus within our catalog. 4) Information regarding the existence of an online version is incorporated into the record for the paper-based serial. It is less resource-intensive to add 1 or 2 fields to an existing record than to create separate records. It is also easier for users to access 1 record describing a resource and be offered a choice of format than to have to search a catalog for multiple records. 5) We are only making notes in our online catalog and making them accessable through the library homepage. 6) Electronic holdings we pay for are cataloged in our OPAC. A note appears referring to the URL. For free resources, we post on the College's web page only. Question 5 How and when do you show the beginning and ending of electronic serials holdings? 1) We show the holdings as open-ended (although the rest of our holdings are Level 4) unless we are notified that coverage has stopped, in which case we close the holdings. We work from lists provided annually by UMI. 2) Our holdings for materials we own generally have an open holdings statement beginning with the first issue we have. However, quarterly we have staff check to make sure we are still receiving the material, and update the holdings. 3) CD-ROMS show latest issue received by cover date. 4) Holdings cataloged in system have full holdings records and checkin. 5) At the present time with an open entry in OPAC. Question 6 Do you count electronic serial holdings along with print serials holdings in determining total subscriptions for statistical reporting? 2 Yes. 1) Yes, for paid subscriptions only. 2) Not yet decided how to count them. Question 7 If not presently, do you plan to do any of the above in the immediate future? 1) No increased coverage in immediate future. Question 8 Do you have policies/procedures for any of the above which you would be willing to share? NOTE: Several CD policies (and drafts of policies) are available at: http://www.indiana.edu/~libsalc/policies/e-policies.html. 1) Our procedures for cataloging computer files is chapter 12 in our Cataloging Procedures Manual which is available on the WWW. (http://www.lib.virginia.edu/cataloging/manual/chapxiiin.html for the introduction to cataloging computer files; chapxiia.html for cataloging computer file monographs (primarily direct access--getting out-of-date); chapxiib.html for cataloging electronic texts (monographs); chapxiic.html for cataloging serials (out-of-date; this will become cataloging direct access serials); chapxiid.html for cataloging remote access serials; and chapxiip.html for appendix of examples (primarily serials, both direct and remote access). The sections people cataloging remote access materials would be most interested in would be the introduction, xiib, xiid, and the appendix. 2) We hope to document our practices this year. 3) A collection development policy will not be formulated until our Pilot Project concludes. 4) Policy for selection is under discussion, but we have established procedures for all electronic products and services. ***************************** Charles H. Oates, Director of the Law Library Associate Professor of Law Regent University School of Law 1000 Regent University Drive Virginia Beach, VA 23464-9897 (757)579-4452 or fax (757)579-4451 charoat@regent.edu
