I feel that I need to reply to this with a caveat...if you are using a
Windows program then you will probably in in the 'fabulous' camp.
However, if you are a Mac user like I am and running your circ program
on a Mac, then you will find MARC Magician somewhat more cumbersome.
I have to export my data on one of my Macs, put it on the server and
then go to the server (which is Windows), retrieve the data, fix the
data, save it again, then go back to the Mac, find the data and then
upload it again. While the fixing is pretty easy, the process I find
cumbersome.
I am told that if I were to run Virtual PC or Soft Windows that I could
then do it all from my Mac, but I don't want to subject my Mac to the
possible viruses that can then come from having Windows on my Mac.
All in all, I find it easier in the long run to make my cataloging
changes 'by hand'.
If I am all wet with the process, I would welcome correction!
Barb Engvall
Teacher-Librarian
John Campbell Elem
Selah, WA
macbarb@charter.net
http://www.selah.k12.wa.us/JC/jc.cfm
On Mar 5, 2004, at 1:37 PM, Thompson, Vanessa wrote:
> I had some one ask for a hit on the replies that I got about MARC
> Magician.
> It looks like everyone is very pleased with MARC Magician. The sales
> rep.
> called me today and gave me a reasonable quote so I think I will go
> ahead
> and purchase it based on the glowing reviews that you gave it.
>
> A big thank you to everyone who took the time to respond.
>
> Vaneesa
> ____________________________________________
>
> We've used it...it worked real slick and was easy to use. The only
> drawback
> is that the sales rep calls monthly, which isn't really too
> bad...wondering
> if we want to upgrade. We never do but we were very pleased with the
> original product.
> ____________________________________________
>
> MARC Magician is extremely easy to use -- when you transfer records
> into the
> program, you can set what standards you want to use, and the program
> will
> then highlight in red what needs to be corrected. Also, you can do
> global
> editing if you have several records that need the same common
> corrections,
> such as capitalization, etc. When you finish updating your records,
> it's
> easy to import them back into your catalog, all ready to go. I would
> highly
> recommend MARC Magician.
> ____________________________________________
>
> It is exactly what is says it is- Magic!
> I had to clean up records for a library that had not been weeded in
> about
> 14-15 years and when they went to an automated system in 1984- the
> people
> hired to do the input of information were not librarians. There were
> all
> sorts of typos- inconsistencies. We worked long and hard for about 3
> 1/2
> months weeding and cleaned up 23,000+ records. We would still be
> working on
> those now if it weren't for Marc Magician! The tutorial provided is
> worth
> the time spent. I usually sit through it once-twice a year to refresh
> my
> memory since I do not do cataloging that often.
> ____________________________________________
>
> Love it. It is easy to use and not every expensive if they have a deal
> going on, which I think they currently do.
> ____________________________________________
>
> This program is fabulous! I absolutely would not be without it. This
> is
> our first year to use it, and now I wonder how I got along without it
> for so
> long.
> ____________________________________________
>
> My library aides and I have used Marc Magician for several years. We
> originally purchased it to help clean up our records for a union
> catalog. We now use it to make sure all our records are in compliance,
> even those that we purchase from vendors. It is very easy to
> use--especially if you use Follett. Last year we added MarcAccess which
> gives us access to records so that we don't have to write our own for
> those incidental books that always show up without records. This spring
> we have also added MarcRecon which is supposed to add subject heading,
> etc to our existin records. We haven't received it yet, but I'm sure
> that it will be just as simple to use as their other products.
>
> They are real good about offering huge discounts for new features to
> existing customers, for example, our discount on MarcRecon was 96%.
> Last
> year we got a year's support for participating in beta testing of Marc
> Access. I have never been contacted by a rep except through email, but
> when I needed customer support, they are always very helpful.
>
> I wholeheartedly support their programs.
> ____________________________________________
>
> We were one of the first guinea pigs. There were some definite
> problems but
> they did try to work with us. Make certain you S-P-E-L-L out
> specifics as
> to what you expect in return. If you are having a school done things
> will
> go better. We were attempting to do the entire district all at once.
> Good
> luck.
> ____________________________________________
>
> I inherited two such libraries and I have MARCMagician. I
> like it, but it is still a lot of work when you have messed
> up records to fix. It guides you through proper field tag
> and indicator choices and formatting. You can do some big
> batch jobs, like adding your school name to all the
> holdings or changing all the $9.99 book costs into
> 10.00usd, change all your F or Fic to FIC. However, I have
> not found a way to view, say, all the ISBN fields to see
> which books don't have them, and that is crucial to fixing
> your collection. You have to access each title one at a
> time, which is time consuming and tedious. It would be
> helpful to be able to sort by ISBN so you can find which
> ones need them, but I don't see that option anywhere. I can
> see all the barcodes at a glance, but I still have to open
> each individual record and then open the holdings of that
> record to take the leading zeroes off the barcode numbers,
> which are a problem in Athena, rather than being able to
> correct them in the list format like normal databases, or
> have a command that will do that for you. MARCMagician is
> very good for standardizing and customizing new records
> coming in.
>
> You can import your whole collection into MM, but you will
> not be able to refresh your collection back into your OPAC
> if the original does not have the same ISBN as your
> repaired record, at least with Athena, our OPAC. I didn't
> know that when I started working on my horrid Spanish
> language book records (almost 1000 books, most with nothing
> but title, insufficient call number [460 or 468, no
> descriptive Dewey #, E, B, or FIC, and the alpha part] and
> barcode). I worked for months fleshing out the records in
> MM the days I was at that school, but they wouldn't refresh
> back into the OPAC. That's when I figured out the ISBN
> thing. Now, I'm going through each record in both my OPAC
> and MM making sure both records have the same ISBN. It is
> slow going, and this is just the Spanish section in one of
> my schools. I'm printing new barcode labels and spine
> labels, too. You can't do that in MM unless you buy that
> part.
>
> MARCMechanic is something else again. Some people have
> bought that in my district, but it really wasn't an option
> for my libraries until I get the ISBNs in correctly. That's
> my goal right now, get the records in sufficient condition
> to send off to MARCMechanic, but I just don't have the time
> to work on it that it would take. Still, it seems that it
> only corrects existing data, it doesn't add what isn't
> there at all. The way the sales people present it, you
> could get the impression that it will somehow go out and
> find all the data you don't have and enter it for you. That
> would be nice, but I don't see that on the website
> description for it.
> www.marcmechanic.com
> ____________________________________________
>
> MARC Magician is FABULOUS. I did go ahead and upgrade this year.
> They've
> got AccessMARC (which hunts down records in their databases for your to
> use), and MARCReCon--which is my favorite. It quickly helps you fix
> incomplete records by either matching to existing or helping you pick
> the
> right records from a set of "close" matches. I just fixed 500
> records
> this morning, in 1/2 an hour.
>
> I've never had trouble with the reps calling. Until this year, I was
> the
> only campus in the district that even had it. I pretty much just pay
> the
> renewal fees for the support, and go about my business.
> ____________________________________________
>
> I use MARC Magician all the time. It is well worth the money.
> ____________________________________________
>
> I love Marc Magician. I can do hundreds of records at a time. Be sure
> to get
> Access Marc with it.
>
>
>
>
> Vaneesa Thompson
> Library Media Specialist
> West Morgan Elementary/ High
> Trinity, AL
> vwthompson@morgank12.org
>
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