HIT: Cleaning Winnebago entries

[MiaBoBia <MiaBoBia@AOL.COM>]

Hi all! I got a ton of suggestions on how to clean up the author entries in
Winnebago's automated catalog. Many asked for a hit, so here are some of the
answers I got! Thanks to all that helped. I really appreciate having this
group around to answer my questions!

Mia Beesley, LMS
Jefferson Elem.
Bettendorf, IA

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Winnebago has a program called LocalAce, but don't use it without help.
Unless you have the correct version of DOS it can really mess up your
records.  We use a program called Mitinet, which Winnebago does sell
also, export from Winnebago, import into Mitinet, fix, re-import to
Winnebago.  This way sounds complicated but does a few things: one, you
can use Mitinet on a stand alone computer (does not need to be a 486, an
old 386 will work) and volunteers can work on this at the same time you
are using Winnebago for circulation; two, you are not working directly
on the database, so you need not worry about oops so much; three,
Mitinet does keep up with the latest AACR2 stuff and has the latest
cataloging info.
I am a Winnebago fan, but LocalAce is not my first choice. Mitinet is so
much more user-friendly; we had each library purchase it because it is
so easy to use.  You don't even have to worry about the correct MARC
punctuation.  Please feel free to contact me if you need assistance.
Nancy Forsberg

-------------
Yes.  They have a program that will clean it up.  It is fairly costly on my
budget, but may be worth it if it is as bad as you say.  You can also just
do some batch edits that will tell the program to convert all the wrong
entries to the right one, but it must be done author by author.
I find the problems by scanning the alphabetical listing of authors that you
get when you "browse authors" in the catalog. I set the monitor and the
keyboard from a catalog terminal next to my main computer so that I can see
both screens at once.
BTW this problem drives me nuts and is one reason I dislike having others
enter records.
Cheryl
----------

Check the Winnebago manual. There is a way to edit subjects globally to
clean that up (I've been doing Winnebago clean-up now for almost 3 years
and I still find errors made by well-meaning folks who didn't know what
they were doing.)  I have done some author clean up by going into the
Material Records Management module, using F6 to search, going to the
author line and typing in the wrong entry and Winnebago then takes me to
the first wrong record. At that point they are in order so you can fix
the author, hit F8 to go forward and keep fixing until you get to the
right one.  You can print out a report of authors so you can _tag_ the
ones that need fixing and then have a clerk or volunteer help you with
it.  Hope this helps!

Susan Grigsby, LMS
------------------

I, too, inheirited a collection like that.  I talked with Winnebago and the
only way to clean it up is to go in and change MARC records.  I ran an
author list first so that I had a print copy to go by.  Before entering any
more records, we look at the way the author is entered now so that we do
not create the problem.  I don't want to be an alarmist, but have you
browsed your keywords yet?  You will be in for a shock there also.  We have
tons and tons of work to do in that area since it is filled with typos.  I
also ran a list of my subject heading one night and that, too, needs work.
Remember, Rome wasn't built in a day.  My other adage that sees me through
is, "How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time."  Good luck - Bev

Bev Nelson
-----------------

Hi,

We use a program periodically called ACE from Winnebago that would clean
some of those things up.

Helen Stone
-------------------

Hi,
  The problem will be that once you get it cleaned up you may still have a
problem with imported records.  For instance, Baker & Taylor claims to
follow AACR2 but they don't.  AACR2 says that there is supposed to be a
period at the end of the main entry (author,usually) and B&T doesn't put it
in so you have to go back and clean up.  Who has time for that!  I just
tell the kids that if there's more than one entry you have to check them
all.  I do think Winnebago has an add-on that makes it easier but I can't
afford it.
-----------------------

I found a similar thing with our subject headings - some had a period at
the end, and others did not. There is a program you can buy from Winnebago
to fix it, at about $495. Can't remember the name, I'm sorry, because I'm
at home, but I have budgeted for next year.

I'm sure most people who import records from suppliers will have this same
problem, yet few people seem to comment on it. Wouldn't you think
Winnebago would build something into the standard package to fix it?

Let me know if you need the name of the software.

Regards
Yvonne Davidson
---------------------

 Maybe Mitinet MARC is the answer.  I think it costs about $400.00, and I
believe it helps with authority control.  I've been talking to sales reps
about how we'd do retrospective conversion IF we could move up from Circ+ to
full automation.  In asking about updating changed subject headings
(Fantastic Fiction is now Fantasy Fiction, Authors, American has become
American Authors), they've indicated that Mitinet MARC could help.  If I
understood them correctly, you can export a block of records to that
program, clean them up, and then reimport them into your catalog database.
You can get a free demo disk from Highsmith (and if I weren't in the throes
of inventories, etc., I'd have time to try mine.)
--------------------

There is a global edit function under #4 Materials...  I used this to
correct the type of problem you describe.  I worked with 2 computers next
to each other.  One was on the catalog author screen and the other the
global edit screen.  I had quite a few things to clean up also.  One of the
strangest was books by C.B. Colby.  Because only the initials were used,
some entries left space to fill in the full name (like on an old catalog
card)  Because there were so many different amounts of spaces used, there
must have been about 8 different ways the name was entered.  In global edit
you create an "if - then" statement.  I just created one that covered the
largest range of possibilities and corrected them all with one edit that
only took about a minute.

Karen Stevens
-------------------

The solution to your problem is called Local Ace.  It'll fix those kinds of

problems.  Unfortunately it costs about $500, Winnebago's standard price for

any add-on, but it does work.  We each have a copy in our school district,

in preparation for going to a union catalog.



Kathy Lafferty
-------------------

Contact MitiNet at http://www.mitinet.com/  Their MitiNet/MARC software
is absolutely wonderful. Their next release (coming this month I think)
will include a global edit feature that should take care of your
problem.  Plus it will tell you if/which records need work!

What you would do is export your records (I'd recommend a section or
material type at a time) to Mitinet; clean them up there; export them
out of Mitinet and import them back to Winnebago. Sounds complicated but
it really isn't.

If you decide to purchase their software please tell them I recommended
it to you. That would get my school a free 6-month extension on our
maintenance agreement!

This is the software that is recommended by the Texas Library
Connection, our state school union catalog effort.
Melissa Davis   Librarian      Splendora Middle School
---------------------

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