Authority records migration to Alma

Owned by Corinna Baksik
Last updated: Oct 12, 2018
2 min read

NOTE: Loads are currently in process. Only some authorities to be migrated have been loaded at this time.

REMINDER: No new authority records should be added to Alma. Contact NACO coordinators for more information.

What was migrated to Alma

Local authorities that:

  • Had at least one linked bib record in Aleph
  • Were not a record for a series (008/16=a)
  • Had at least a 4xx, 5xx, or 67x field in addition to 1xx
  • Did not appear on any of the BSLW reports, with the exception of Judaica, whose non-exact match records were loaded to facilitate entry into NACO
  • For quantities and categories, see chart at https://harvardwiki.atlassian.net/wiki/x/QYSUAg

Note: in addition, ITS identified some records that did not merit migration. 

Characteristics of migrated records

  • New 667 field with "LOCAL AUTHORITY MIGRATED FROM ALEPH. NEEDS TO BE ENTERED INTO NACO OR DELETED."
  • New 900 field with Aleph HVD system number
  • New 999 field with Aleph CAT fields
  • New 999 field with "BUCKET: (one of categories below)"
    • 1xxl
    • 1xxt
    • 1xxnotlt
    • Mideast
    • Judaica
    • judaicaBslw1xx4xx 
    • judaicaBslw4xx1xx
    • judaicaBslw4xx4xx
    • judaicaBslwnear

Local search indexes

  • Through Alma's Advanced Search, you can search standard authority fields, as well as local fields 900 and 999. 

Excerpt from notice sent to Collection Development staff from ITS (via hl-its-bibliographers list):

Changes to the ITS workflow associated with processing monographs that are published as part of numbered series:

  • The practice of creating local series authority records (SARs) will be discontinued.
    • Instead, we will rely on national-level SARs, and we will contribute national-level SARs for series standing orders and series standing orders on approvals.
    • All monographs that are published as part of numbered series will include the transcribed form of the series title as designated by the publisher, appearing in the 490 field.
    • Catalog records for monographs that are acquired through a series standing order will additionally include a controlled series tracing through the 830 field.
    • The absence of a series authority record or absence of an active series standing order signifies ‘Series Record Not Kept’ (SRNK) status.
  • The practice of staff routinely pulling monographs out of the Acquisitions workflows to elicit a bibliographer’s series standing order decision will be discontinued.
    • Bibliographers should continue to communicate interest in establishing a series standing order or series standing order on approval when identified through scoping materials or other means employed to learn of new and important numbered series.