Metadata Optimization Project
Project purpose and goals
Library services rely on accurate metadata to ensure that faculty, students, and researchers can discover, access, and use library materials needed for research and education. Library metadata standards, strategies, and schemas are undergoing dramatic change due to the changing nature of library collections, data creation workflows, and evolving expectations for interoperability and reuse of metadata. As Harvard Library embarks on a migration to a new library processing platform, the Access and Discovery Standing Committee spearheaded a project to enhance and upgrade metadata in Aleph, SFX, Verde to achieve two key objectives:
1) optimize the ease and accuracy of metadata migration from Aleph to Alma
2) increase the quality and efficacy of resource sharing for patrons at Harvard and beyond
| Alma Migration | OCLC Synchronization | Other Corrections (most will use automated scripts) |
|---|---|---|---|
Target date for subproject completion | Dec. 2017 | Aug. 2017 | Dec. 2017 |
No. error conditions identified | 68 | 130 | 292 |
No. error conditions defined as priorities |
| 100 |
|
No. error conditions resolved | 4 | 4 | 0 |
Estimated no. records impacted | unknown | 300,000 | Some error conditions will impact all bibliographic and holdings records (approx. 30 million) |
Target for no. of record corrections | 400,000 | 90,000 | |
No. record corrections completed | 11,000 | 53,400 | 0 |
Revised forecast for no. corrections by end of project | 400,000 | 90,000 | 30 million records (all) |
Weekly Update & Dashboard
June 28, 2017
Estimated number of Aleph bibliographic records to be corrected: 300,000
Modifications to Date
Type | Est. Count | % by Batch |
Bibliographic | 1,840,942 | 99 |
Holding | 9,946 | 98 |
Item | 1,546 | 62 |
Orders | 1034 | 96 |
In the works:
See prior updates and project status for more details.
Phase / Issue | Status / % Complete | Est. No. of Records | Aleph Records Corrected |
|---|---|---|---|
1: Paired field errors (subfield $$6) | DATA CORRECTION 84% | Bibs: 29,396 | 25,749 |
1: 'Sparse' records | DATA CORRECTION 51% | Bibs: 21,538 | 11,144 |
1: Missing/Problematic titles (245) | COMPLETE 98.5% | Bibs: 855 | 842 |
1: Invalid identifiers | PLANNING & ANALYSIS | Bibs: > complete db check | Bibs: 0 |
1: Form of item conflict: Invalid combination LDR/06 & LDR/07 | PLANNING & ANALYSIS
| Bibs: 8,071 (revised est.)
| 8,291 |
1: Form of item conflict: Non-standard or obsolete codes in LDR/06 (Record Type) | PLANNING & ANALYSIS 29.28% | Bibs: 15,413 | 4,578 |
1:Form of item conflict: Non-standard or obsolete codes in 008/23 (BK) | PLANNING & ANALYSIS | Bibs: 87 | 0 |
1:Form of item conflict: Non-standard or obsolete codes in 008/23 (CF) | PLANNING & ANALYSIS | Bibs: 61 | 0 |
1:Form of item conflict: Non-standard or obsolete codes in 008/23 (MX) | PLANNING & ANALYSIS | Bibs: 3 | 0 |
1:Form of item conflict: Non-standard or obsolete codes in 008/23 (MX) | PLANNING & ANALYSIS | Bibs: 12 | 0 |
1:Form of item conflict: Non-standard or codes in 008/29 (VM) | DATA CORRECTION | Bibs: 42,229 | 0 |
1:Form of item conflict: Non-standard or obsolete codes in 008/29 (MP) | DATA CORRECTION | Bibs: 20 | 0 |
Alma: Active holdings on deleted/suppressed bibs | DATA CORRECTION Bibs: 24.86% Hol: 17.66% | Holdings: 15,575 Bibs: 16,031
| 2751 / 3625 |
1: Set lending byte | PLANNING & ANALYSIS | Holdings 13,588,541 - Unknown policy 514,505 - Invalid values | 0 |
1: Set reproduction byte | PLANNING & ANALYSIS | Holdings 13,669,916 – Unknown policy 515,184 – Invalid values | 0 |
1: Set retention byte | PLANNING & ANALYSIS | Holdings 140,442 – Unknown policy 9,045,492 - Invalid values | 0 |
0: LDR - Invalid length | DATA CORRECTION 95% | Bibs: 376 | 348 |
0: LDR/05 (Record status) - Invalid codes | COMPLETE 90.49% | Bibs: 10,551 | 9,548 |
0: Orphan bibs | PLANNING & ANALYSIS 4.75% | Bibs: 41,000 | 1,949 |
0:008 (Fixed field) missing | COMPLETE 100% | Bibs: 36 | 36 |
0: 008 (Fixed field) - Invalid length | DATA CORRECTION 11% | Bibs: 918 | 102 |
0: 008/06 (Date Type) - Invalid codes | DATA CORRECTION 97% | Bibs: 20,398 | 19,786 |
0: 008/15-17 (Language - Invalid & obsolete codes) - All formats except music/sound | DATA CORRECTION 27% | Active Bibs: 8,554 | 2,270 |
0: 008/15-17 (Language - Invalid codes or blank) - Sound recordings | DATA CORRECTION 72% | Bibs: 30,256 | 21,683 |
0: 008/21 (Music Parts) - Invalid codes | PENDING HL | Bibs: 1,146 (1,143 have obsolete code 'a') | 0 |
0: 008/33 LitF (BK) - Invalid codes | PLANNING & ANALYSIS | Active Bibs: 21,858 contain invalid codes 1217 contain an obsolete code | 0 |
0: 008/33 Alph (SE) - Invalid codes | PLANNING & ANALYSIS | Active Bibs: 406 | 0 |
0: 008/33 TMat (VM) - Invalid codes | PLANNING & ANALYSIS | Active and suppressed bibs: 42,257 contain invalid or obsolete codes | 0 |
0: 008/35-37 Place of publication - Invalid & obsolete codes | PLANNING & ANALYSIS | Active Bibs: 152,697 | 0 |
0: 260 Imprint missing | PLANNING & ANALYSIS | Judaica | Manual by unit |
0: Obsolete 440 convert series statement to 490/830 | COMPLETE 100% | Bibs: 1,161,189, Approx. 1.2m tags | 1,724,769 |
Alma: Item Processing Status - invalid codes | COMPLETE 100% | Items: 1 | 1 |
Alma: Item Status - invalid codes | PENDING HL 19% | Items: 226 | 43 |
Alma: Items: Material Type - invalid codes | COMPLETE 100% | Items: 930 | 929
|
Alma: Order Status - invalid codes | COMPLETE 100% | Orders: 1010 | 1,010 |
Alma: Acquisition Method - invalid codes | COMPLETE 100% | Orders: 23 | 23 |
Alma: Open Orders | Orders to be closed to be identified by ASWG as part of test load process. |
| |
Alma: RLN conversion | Holdings: 10,260. Debbie corrected 9,263 holdings. She will forward list of holdings that could not be resolved to contact at sublibraries for resolution. | 9,263 | |
Alma: LDR07 with Harvard-defined '9' | COMPLETE 100% | Bibs: 17 | 17 |
Project Approach
This project is funded by the Harvard Library and will be managed by a project team from Library Technology Services. The project team will gather information from Harvard Library staff, the OCLC Data Sync Working Group, and Metadata Standards Working Group about current and historic coding practices and workflows in Aleph, SFX and Verde to identify and recommend metadata candidates for normalization and improvement, define and recommend remediation objectives and strategies, and complete remediation of prioritized data issues.
An oversight committee representing Library Technology Services, Access & Discovery Standing Committee, and Harvard Library ITS and Access Services will prioritize work and approve data mediation strategies.
Objectives, strategies and recommendations will be informed by information gathering from experts across Harvard Library.
Gather information on current and historic data and workflows
Conduct metadata analysis to identify candidates for correction
Prioritize candidate data elements to be corrected
Design and execute data correction processes - use automated processing as much as possible
Deliverables
A list of key areas to correct or improve, prioritized by impact on users
A communication strategy and dashboard to monitor progress
Final summary report
The project will be complete when accepted recommendations have been implemented and correction projects defined as highest priority have been completed.
Project Team
Lynn Stram, Metadata Migration Analyst, Library Technology Services (lead)
Corinna Baksik, Library Technology Services
Michael Edwards, Library Technology Services
Laura Morse, Library Technology Services
Allison Powers, Library Technology Services
Additional Term Project Resources (tbd, Library Technology Services, Information and Technical Services)
Oversight Committee
Michelle Durocher, Information and Technical Services
Laura Morse, Library Technology Services
Ken Peterson, Access Services
Tracey Robinson, Library Technology Services
Scott Wicks, Information and Technical Services
Suzanne Wones, Harvard Library
Timeline
A preliminary schedule has been created, but may need adjustment based on outcome of the analysis, hiring patterns for project staff, and dependencies from the OCLC Data Synchronization Project:
Information gathering, data review, development of database remediation project list. May 2016 – September 2016
Finalize priorities for remediation, communication plan, and dashboard. October 2016
Determine options for data remediation initiatives. November – December 2016
Execute data remediation. December 2016 – April 2017
Prepare final report. April 2017 – May 2017
Charter
Resource Links
PowerPoint Slides from Public Presentations (October 2016)
Contact Team Members:
Milestone Timeline
May-September 2016 | Information Gathering |
|---|---|
October 2016 | Finalize Phase 1 Priorities |
November - December - 2016 | Define and Execute Phase 1 Remediation Options |
January 2017 | Finalize Phase 2 Priorities |
February 2017 | Define and Execute Phase 2 Remediation Options |
February 2017 | Finalize Phase 3 Priorities |
May 2017 | Define and Execute Phase 3 Remediation Options |
May 2017 | Finalize Phase 4 Priorities |
April-May 2017 | Final Report |
June 2017 | Define and Execute Phase 4 Remediation Options |