Best Practice for Use of Field 914 (NO-WORLDCAT)

Overview

The Harvard Library uses a 914 NO-WORLDCAT field in bibliographic records to designate the record as unsuitable for sharing in OCLC. The two most common reasons to use the 914 field are 1) sparse bibliographic information and 2) coding problems which could cause duplicates in Data Sync.  If the 914 field is present, the record will not be reported to OCLC via the Bibliographic Data Sync process.  Please note that the previous use of holdings field 908 to exclude records from OCLC Data Sync is now obsolete.

This best practice outlines when and how to use the 914 NO-WORLDCAT field.

Best practice 

How to code field 914

• Subfield codes
  
  • $$a Code (NR)
    • Select from the Alma controlled vocabulary dropdown list. One valid option: NO-WORLDCAT
• Indicators - both undefined, each contains a blank

When to use field 914

• Use for records that are so brief when created that they will cause duplicates in OCLC
  • Examples:
    • Bibliographic record created for acquisitions purpose that lacks a publication date
    • Acquisitions records created for video where format is uncertain (Blu-Ray vs. DVD, for example)

      • Some libraries may have incorrect or missing coding for certain media, which could cause duplicate records to be created during Data Sync.  

      • Example: MMS ID 99156101146203941
• Use for records representing equipment or other items that should not be reported to OCLC (e.g. loaner laptops, headphones, etc.).
  • Examples:
    • MMS ID 990087259580203941
• Use for special collections materials not yet processed that should not yet be reported to OCLC or ArchiveGrid.

• Some Import Loads

  • Vendor import loads may be given this field due to insufficient bibliographic information or incorrect coding.  These decisions are made by the team working on the import.

• Use for records where experience suggests that preliminary data (e.g. from a particular vendor) is often unreliable, potentially leading to duplicates in OCLC. Example: frequently inaccurate publication dates. 

When not to use 914

• This field should not be used solely because material is on order, recently received or uncataloged.

Other processes that exclude records from OCLC Bibliographic Data Sync

Records are also excluded from OCLC Bibliographic Data Sync in the following scenarios:   

• When the bibliographic record contains a 913 Data Sync rejection note 
• When the Alma Brief Record Level is 02, “Insufficient elements for reporting to OCLC”
• When all holdings for a given bibliographic holdings are suppressed 

Related resources 

LTS Field Documentation: 914   OCLC holdings flag "NO-WORLDCAT" (NR)

LTS Best Practices: OCLC Data Sync, Maintaining Holdings in WorldCat