Date: Fri, 12 Dec 1997 13:54:12 -0500
From: Gavin Ferriby <Gavin_Ferriby@BROWN.EDU>
Subject: Seeking MARC records with SERLINE or UCMP numbers

The consortial Union List of Serials I edit soon will be attempting to
incorporate serials bibliographic records from new consortium members.
These members are libraries which participate in ARISHL (Association of
Rhode Island Health Sciences Libraries).  Their present (separate) serials
union list is composed of records garnered from their participation in
UCMP.  These records are fielded, but not in MARC serials bibliographic
format.

These ARIHSL/UCMP records, however, are of good quality and have reliable
ISSNs, UCMP unique serial title numbers (obviously), and SERLINE UI
numbers.  I am familiar with the process of extracting an ASCII flat file
of ISSNs and using that to match serials bibliographic records (even though
using ISSNs as a electronic bibliographic match-point is hardly to be
recommended!).

Ideally, I would like to find a reasonably large data-base (composed of
serial bibliographic records in the health sciences) which has UCMP or
SERLINE UI numbers embedded in the MARC serial bibliographic records
themselves.  I would then like to negotiate with the owners of that
data-base about obtaining a large FTP file (or files) of such records,
which my consortium would then compare against the ARIHSL data-base on the
basis of the UCMP or SERLINE UI numbers (i.e., use them as a match-point),
and then further de-dupe against our current serials bibliographic
data-base.  I am well aware that such a project is fraught with perils.

So, does anyone have a MARC serials bibliographic data-base with UCMP or
SERLINE UI numbers in it?  Does anyone know of a table which compares UCMP
or SERLINE UI numbers with, say, OCLC or CONSER numbers?

I am most appreciate of any assistance with this matter.  Thanks--

Gavin Ferriby
Editor, CRIARL Union List of Serials
Consortium of Rhode Island Academic and Research Libraries
Brown University
Gavin_Ferriby@brown.edu