B.Eversberg wrote:
Add ToC data, at least, and figure out how to do some useful ranking
based on that. AND make browsable indexes a feature of NGC. Our
structured data makes them possible, search engines can't do it. </>
This sounds great to me, I've been thinking lately about how we could do
more for our patrons without making drastic changes to our system.
(Note that I'm not saying "no drastic changes" because I think we don't
*need* big changes--we do. But currently I don't have the right
knowledge.) Anyway, I think adding more ToC data (and maybe even more
subject headings?) would go a piece towards making it easier for our
students to find our stuff. My question is, how do we go about doing
it? This is not really a theoretical/philosophical issue, but I think a
pretty straightforward one. Is there a way to get ToC or other data to
add to a "Last Gen Catalog"? (Please note that I know shamefully little
about cataloging, so if there's an obvious answer, I apologize.)
***After writing the first part of this message, I did a quick look at
our own catalog. I ran a list of all the bib records which had 505
fields in them. The earliest one was last updated in 1995. Then I ran
a list of all the non-fiction that we have cataloged since the same
date. Looks to me like roughly 3% have 505 fields in them. So we
certainly don't have ToC for most of the more "recent" books, which
would be the ones I'd think would be more likely to have this data in
there.
Has anybody added lots of ToC information for older books in their
catalog? I mean, books that were already in the catalog without 505
fields? And just for my own education, when did the 505 ToC field
become available in MARC? (I'm sure there's an easy way to find this
out, I just can't think of it.)
Ignominiously yours,
Joe Montibello
Class of 1945 Library
Phillips Exeter Academy
Received on Thu May 24 2007 - 07:00:01 EDT