Cheryl,

I've never replied to my own message before but I guess there is a first
time for everything!

I had an epiphany in the sense that what we our doing is similar to
original cataloging before the days of OCLC.  Why should individual
librarians input the same information in their catalogs?  It seems like
the work should be done once (probably by the aggragator databases) and
then given (or more probably sold as part of the database subscription) to
the libraries.  I think that libraries should lobby for this service from
the database producers or vendors.  Most libraries use MARC records so if
the data could be loaded into the MARC records (create new 'database
holdings' fields??) or through a different standard that the Library
Information Systems use, it would be a great benefit to us and our users.

Buddy Pennington
Acquisitions/Serials Librarian
Rockhurst University
buddy.pennington@rockhurst.edu
#816-501-4143
<buddy.pennington@ROCKHURST.EDU>

-----Original Message-----
From: Buddy Pennington [mailto:buddy.pennington@ROCKHURST.EDU]
Sent: Wednesday, September 15, 1999 2:01 PM
To: SERIALST@LIST.UVM.EDU
Subject: Re: Aggregator databases

Cheryl,

I guess I fit as well.  About 2 weeks ago, I started putting in holdings
information for journals available in Pro-Quest (I just started this
position in August and that was one of the 'new things' the library wanted
me to do).  We also plan on putting in titles of journals available on
Academic Universe and JSTOR.  Our intention is to provide to our users a
single list (the online catalog) of all available journals, regardless of
format.  However, we realize that the labor involved may not be worth it.
We have started a subscription to a print resource called Full-Text Sources
Online and may just use that instead of inputting information in the online
catalog.  But for now we are putting the information into our online catalog
manually.

It would be very cool if we could get the databases to have that information
available to automatically insert into our records.  I am interested in
seeing how that would work.

Buddy Pennington
Acquisitions/Serials Librarian
Rockhurst University
buddy.pennington@rockhurst.edu
#816-501-4143
<buddy.pennington@ROCKHURST.EDU>

On Wed, 15 Sep 1999 10:15:57 -0500 "Cheryl L. Conway"
<cconway@COMP.UARK.EDU> wrote:

> I am forwarding this topic for my department head.  You can respond
> directly to Jennifer at jkolmes@comp.uark.edu.  Thanks in advance for
> your assistance.
>
>
> "My subject is what they're calling "aggregator databases."  You know,
> like EBSCO's Academic Search Elite,  Bell and Howell's ProQuest Direct,
> and Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe.  Essentially, they are services
> offering access to full-text versions of varying runs of serial titles.
> The PCC Standing Committee on Automation's Task Force on Journals in
> Aggregator Databases was working on an EBSCO demonstration project a
> few months ago--has anyone heard anything about that lately?  As I
> recall, they were leaning toward recommending that holdings for
> individual titles in these aggregators be made commercially available
> for loading into ILSs, as opposed to libraries trying to keep this kind
> of information current and local on their own.
>
> Anyway, my question is:  Are there any brave (or foolhardy, as the
> point of view dictates) souls out there attempting to integrate
> holdings data from these behemoths MANUALLY into their catalog records?
> By "manually," I do not mean to exclude anyone who may be utitlizing
> macros or other automated shortcuts; I mean by simply entering the data
> record-by-record and attempting to keep the data up to date in a
> similar fashion."