Re: LM_NET Digest - 10 Nov 1994 to 11 Nov 1994

[Erin Dinneen <ErinD5@AOL.COM>]

On Nov. 11, Priscilla Dolan asked:

 Priscilla Dolan <cjdola@HAWKS.BPS.MONTANA.EDU>
Subject: MARC records for paperback fiction

       >> We are doing in-house retrospective conversion, now working on
paperback fiction.  How do any of you handle the problem of having multiple
copies with various ISBN numbers?  Do you - a. download the corresponding
record for each ISBN number? or b. download one corresponding record for one
ISBN number and add copies to that even though they are not identical
books?<<

This is a sticky question, and I am sure precise people will tell you that
you should register each copy according to its ISBN.  One reason I can think
of is that a teacher may be trying to borrow a specific copy with the same
pagination to temporarily replace a lost book.  Given this rather small
scenario, though, do you really want to stuff your data base with innumberale
records for rather disposable material?

On the practical side, it doesn't matter to you if you have one record with
multiple holdings--in fact, it is to your advantage as far as storage space
and ease of searching for your students.

On the other hand, I know very few regional databases who are really thrilled
about entering PB's--they are so easily lost, and then there is the double
work and cost of stripping the records off the regional database after loss.

You might think about adding some kind of searchable info on a local marc tag
so that if you ever do decide to enter them into the regional database, you
can easily identify them and work with the records then.  I know that sounds
like I live on Tara, and "tomorrow is another day", but that's about what it
boils down to;  how much extra do you want to put on an already overloaded
plate?

Good luck.

Erin Dinneen
Morrisville-Eaton Middle/HS, Morrisville, NY