Athena: MARC/ACCESS PA/Brodart and Athena

[the browns <vbpaula@EROLS.COM>]

Subject: Athena:  MARC/ACCESS PA/Brodart and Athena

If you are an Athena user in PA with a multiple library collection
that is also on ACCESS PA please advise if you are willing to compare
notes. I am also seeking Mary Jo Stahl's email address at Brodart since
that phone line is so busy and I got an error message when I tried to
send a note from the Brodart Home Page. I am trying to determine:
1. whether what Athena calls the Institution field (850a) is the
-----SYS   identifier for ACCESS and
2. if the Location field (850b) can be School ES, School MS,etc.so that
  students can search by SUBJECT and ES  and find the books in the
  collection in the section of the library meant for them. I believe
  that Athena's search using the Location is connected to 850b. My
elementary kids need to be able to use Boolean strategies to just find
the elementary books in the collection and typing ES for elementary
school seems to be the best way to do this rather than trying to have
them read a Marc record! Older kids have been able to identify the Upper
or Middle School collection by the of the bar code digits in the Marc
but this is asking alot, even of the older students. We currently have
the three collections shelved on two floors with the 4-5 Elementary and
Middle collection interfiled (K-3 is elsewhere). We know its not ideal
but its real and has been for over ten years so we make it work and
enjoy advantages, too.
3.  I am also trying to determine why the Brodart vender number shows up
   in 850b when we need this field and
4. what the automatic assignment by ACCESS of 850k is all about when
   that field is needed for prefix such as REF, CD, VCS, etc, and also
5. if Athena allows that  length of this field can be changed for VIDEO
   without impacting on the length of the call no. or the letters.
6. Are recognizable idiocyncrocies in Precision one complicating the
   mix?

        Global changes are on the horizon and I feel warm if not close.
I am trying to clean up our catalog and make it work for the kids, for
ACCESS and Athena, all of which I love and want to continue doing so!

TIA to all and for the help you've shared this far this group is great.
Paula Brown
vbpaula@erols.com
pbrown@ea.pvt.k12.pa.us

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