[OPEN-ILS-GENERAL] Serials in 2.0: anyone working on import script for existing MFHD records

[Dan Wells]

Hello Tim,

Thank you for asking, as it is just as easy to make assumptions from this side as well.  To add on to what Galen said, I think a "typical" migration (if there is such a thing) will probably vary from the steps you have listed in a few ways.

> 1. Export Bib records with MFHD from old system
As Galen mentioned these should be (at least) two separate records (one bib, one or more MFHD).  The bib records will be loaded first, and will need to be loaded in a way which allows the corresponding MFHD records to find them again and be properly linked.  This is normally accomplished by either relying on unique identifiers in the bib records themselves (e.g. TCN) or by predetermining the record ids.

> 2. Import bib records through Vandelay
Vandelay is used for day-to-day record loading, and depending on the number of serials involved, may suffice.  Otherwise, and especially if you are loading your serial bib records as part of a general migration, you will likely want to use the server-side import scripts as outlined here: http://www.open-ils.org/dokuwiki/doku.php?id=evergreen-admin:importing:bibrecords&s[]=importing

After the bibs are loaded, you will then need to go through a similar process to load the MFHD records, but substituting marc2sre.pl (MARC to Serial Record Entry) for marc2bre.pl.  (This is really an oversimplification, as this step will likely involve at least some customization of the import process depending on the data available).  Here is a bit of information about it: http://georgialibraries.markmail.org/search/?q=vandelay#query:vandelay+page:1+mid:6vt6yqpqtvdq7xc3+state:results

> 3. Evergreen will display existing holdings based on the MFHD holdings info
MFHD records are highly variable.  Like much of the catalog, the out-of-the-box MFHD display does a good general job of displaying the data, but will likely need some local customization to match local practices.

> 4. Prediction schedule for tracking and receiving of serials will be created
As Galen mentioned, at least *some* missing pieces will need to be provided before predictions can happen.  The fact that MFHD patterns themselves are optional in the record unfortunately makes it pretty likely that your previous ILS will not include them in the export.  If they are, though, you will be able to extract this data as a starting point in creating your prediction setup.  Before doing that, you will still need to setup the basic receiving structure.  This generally involves creating a subscription entry, then a distribution entry for each MFHD, then a link between each distribution and the corresponding MFHD.  I think it is reasonable to expect at some point a simple script which might generate generic subscriptions/distributions for each loaded MFHD simply as a starting point, but nothing like that exists at this time.

Thanks,
Dan



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Daniel Wells, Library Programmer Analyst dbw2 at calvin.edu
Hekman Library at Calvin College
616.526.7133