[OPEN-ILS-GENERAL] Periodical subscriptions workaround

[Donald Butterworth]

Colleagues,

We've been live with Evergreen Acquisitions for more than a month now and
firm orders are becoming routine. But at some point we are going to need to
find a way to account for periodical subscriptions; particularly our big
EBSCO invoice. I understand that the Acq module is not currently designed
to do this, but we may have come up with a workaround (a kluge really)

*Step one*: get pertinent subscription information. This is easily
downloadable from the EBSCO website in a spreadsheet format. Of particular
importance are the following categories:

Title
Cost
Subscription start date
Subscription expiration date
Format (e.g. print and/or online)
EBSCO title number
Fund Code
OCLC number

EBSCO does not supply the OCLC number, so creating that column is a one
time manual process.

*Step two:* define a profile in JTacq that will allow this data to be
imported; a quick one time process.

*Step three:* create a Holdings subfield map in Evergreen for provider
EBSCO; also a quick one time process.

*Step four*: create another map in JTacq that assigns the data elements to
appropriate subfields in the 962 field that will be used to populate
Evergreen order data and copy records. Here is what our map looks like
plus sample
values:

i = barcode             = 036004000-13F (the EBSCO title ID + 2013 Florida
campus)
a = call number      = Subscription Record
t = circ modifier      = JOURNAL
d = collection code = PER (code used to define its Order Type)
l = copy location     = IN PROCESS
p = price                 = 24.60
b = fund code         = FT (Florida campus, Theology acct.)
n = note                  = (Format: Print) (Subscription period: 1/1/2013
to 12/31/2013)
o = owning library   = ATS-DCL
c = quantity             = 1

*Step five*: pull the bib records using an OCLC number Z39.50 search from
Evergreen.

*Step six*: batch apply the 962 tag to the corresponding bib record. This
is a one button process that takes very little time.

*Step seven*: export the modified records from JTacq and import them into
Evergreen using the Acq import method. Data will populate the PO, overlay
existing bib records, and create copy records. The new copy record can be
used as a makeshift historical record of orders and "rate adjustments".
Ideally it would  be shadowed from public view on import.

*Voila *

It is not an elegant solution, and at some point the types of categories
and data that are unique to subscriptions really need to be intentionally
accommodated in the Acq Module. However, using this approach has the
potential to make it possible for us to deal with the annual EBSCO invoice
in a day instead of a month. That is *unless I am missing something!* I
know this is pretty abstract stuff, but can anybody see an Evergreen
barrier that shoots this method down?

We are at the point where we can try it with a batch of about 100 records.
But we don't want to do something that will cause a nightmare.

Insights?  Please.

Don






-- 
Don Butterworth
Faculty Associate / Librarian III
B.L. Fisher Library
Asbury Theological Seminary
don.butterworth at asburyseminary.edu
(859) 858-2227
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