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Batch Heading Correction in Alma

This document makes use of temporary Alma local authority records for the purposes of updating authorized access points in bibliographic records. This procedure is also referred to as the "workaround."

Batch heading correction operates by leveraging Alma's overnight linking and preferred term correction jobs to make changes to bib records. The procedure is straightforward, but care must be taken to ensure that it is executed correctly. 

A very big note: Alma login permissions are not granular. The new authorizations added to your login allow for other functionality, but we trust you will only perform actions for which you have received training.

Parameters of the Workaround

The workaround does not work on the following:

  • Tag changes or on indicators. Norm rules are necessary for these functions; submit an Alma Support ticket for these jobs.
  • Non-Latin scripts in AAP paired fields are not controlled at all because there is no official AAP for vernacular headings. A transliterated 4XX in NACO is used to enhance search and discovery, and if a transliterated field matches a 4XX it will flip through the normal means.

Finding Headings

First, determine which headings you want to update, then use Browse Bibliographic Headings to find them:

  1. Go to Resources >> Cataloging >> Browse Bibliographic Headings
  2. Enter the parameters of your search:
    1. Heading Type: Choose from the drop-down menu
    2. Source Code: Choose from the drop-down menu; the fields will change per your selection under Heading Type
    3. Search Value: Type in the text
  3. Choose Browse to start the search

Viewing Headings

Once you have your search results, find the heading you'll be updating to determine how many bib records you'll be changing.

  1. Number to the left of the heading: number of records in Alma linked to that form of heading
  2. View button: click to view bibliographic record(s) and authority record (if there is one)

Batch Changes

The next step is to update the headings. You will create a temporary authority record to do so.

  1. Open the Metadata Editor and click on File
  2. Choose New and then Library of Congress name authority records
  3. A new authority record will open; note the 667 field: $$a THIS IS A TEMPORARY AUTHORITY RECORD FOR HEADING CORRECTION. THIS WILL BE DELETED.
  4. 4XX: enter the incorrect form of the heading, the one currently on the bibs in Alma. Use copy and paste, as described in 5a below.
  5. 1XX: enter the new form of the name that you are updating bib headings to. 

    1. Copy and paste the heading to ensure accuracy, particularly when changing headings that contain diacritics. Some tips:

      • Do copy and paste from OCLC, Alma’s Community Zone, or LC
        • Do not retain the double dagger subfield delimiter (ǂ). This must be changed to $$.
        • Do not copy and paste headings from:
          • the Alma Browse Bibliographic Headings list, because they won’t contain subfields
          • the Internet, as we don't know their reliability for correct use of diacritics

  6. Do not add end punctuation. The bib headings will lack final punctuation but that is fine, as Alma is removing much of it anyway during control. 

  7. You may use zero spaces or one space between $$subfield and text content
  8. Click on Save and Release Record (or, click Save on the temporary authority and it will stay in the left pane as a reminder. It can be deleted when the records have been updated).

Check Your Work

You will want to check the headings in Alma to ensure that the headings updated correctly. In most cases the bib headings will be updated by the following morning. In some cases, it will be 2-3 days depending on the length of other nightly batch jobs.

To check your work, search the heading as described in Finding headings above. Remember that the search is not persistent, so you will need to enter the parameters again, the same way you did the first time. You should see all related headings indexed under the authorized form of the name.

A job will run periodically to delete the “workaround” authority records. The job and timing of it are under development at this time.

Troubleshooting

Hopefully, when you check your work you will see that all of the headings in your job changed. If they didn't, possible causes are:

Nothing Updated

  • If none of the records updated, remember, this indexing job can take several days.
  • Otherwise, you will want to investigate why the record(s) didn't update with your batch job.
  • First ensure that the job has actually run and isn't simply delayed; read more about Monitoring, Troubleshooting, and Checking Results of Jobs
  • If the cause is input error, you can find the workaround authority record you created using the search type Authority in the persistent search bar to search, and run the job again.

eResource Portfolio

You may find that there are still records associated with the heading you changed. Investigation informs us that the record(s) is in the Community Zone, and it shows up in our list of records because we have a portfolio on this record. To determine whether a heading is from a CZ record, navigate to the bib record associated with the heading by following the three steps below to see the full record:

  1. View
  2. Bibliographic Record
  3. View or Edit

In the MARC view of the record, you will see an 035 field with the “CKB” prefix, which is present if we have an activated e-resource (portfolio) for that resource. .

Visible Linkages

In Alma, you can see which authority record your headings are associated with by clicking View and then Authority ([16 digit MMSID]) rather than on Bibliographic Records as we did above.

See also

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