Cataloging 1 - Class Materials and Script

Script

Directions

1. You can open the Metadata Editor directly from the persistent menu under Resources > Open Metadata Editor. From there, a new bibliographic record can be created in the open Metadata Editor by going to File > New > MARC21 Bibliographic

This creates an empty draft for a new record.

Click on Resources, hover for a moment over Open Metadata Editor before clicking

Click and hover briefly over File > New > MARC21 Bibliographic so that class has the chance to see the pathway you took

Click on MARC21 Bibliographic to open an empty draft of a new record

2. The second way to launch the Metadata Editor is through a search using the Alma persistent search bar.

At this point, if you are following along, please make sure you either use a different search query or select a different record than what I demo. 

Click on shield icon in the upper left corner to navigate back to the homepage

I’m going to do a Physical Titles search for (YOUR EXAMPLE)

First I’m going to make sure Physical Titles has been selected

Then I’m going to select Title

And then I’m going to type in (YOUR EXAMPLE)

And check that our search scope is set to the Institution Zone.

Please note that Community Zone records cannot be altered or updated by staff. We will use Community Zone records for some of our electronic resources, such as CONSER records for our electronic serials. Please note that e-resources metadata depends on behind the scenes processes that are not directly controlled by the Metadata Editor. Later trainings will cover e-resources in more detail.

And finally click on the magnifying glass to search

Select Physical Titles

Select Title

Enter the query you prepared before class

Click on Search Zone icon to show the two options; make sure Institution Zone is selected

Click on magnifying glass

From here, we have a list of results. To the right of each results, you’ll notice there are three buttons. If your location is set to Tech Services, Edit Record usually should be one of your first options.

Note: However, even if your location is set to Tech Services, Edit Record may not appear as one of your first two default options. It may appear under the ellipsis (…) button dropdown options

To change your settings to display Edit Record as one of the two main buttons, click on the gear icon in the search results header.

Under Action Order, you can drag and drop to change your first and second buttons.

Hover cursor over Edit Record button

Click on ellipsis (…) button to show dropdown.

Click on gear icon

Click on Show All  to show all the potential button options. NOTE: you may have to use Ctrl – to zoom out in the browser to display the full list.

Click Cancel  to exit out

Now that we are back at our search results, recall that if you click on the linked title/creator, it launches a view only version of the record.

To get back to the results, I would click on Back

However, notice that there’s an option to Edit or use Alt+E. This is one way to open the record in the Metadata Editor

However, let’s return to our results:

I’m going to launch (YOUR EXAMPLE) in the Metadata Editor by clicking on the Edit Record button

Click on the title link for your example.

Hover for a moment over Back, but don’t click

Hover over Edit

Click on Back

Hover over Edit Record before clicking

Script

Directions

First, we will start with the Left Pane

The Left Pane contains three tabs:

Motion cursor around Left Pane

1. The Templates tab contains templates that enable you to create new records or to use one of the templates to override existing data.

The use of Templates will be covered more thoroughly in future phases of training

Click to open Templates tab

2. The Records tab contains the brief title information and MMS ID linked to the bibliographic record. The MMS (Metadata Management System) ID is a record ID number.

Records are grouped according to type. There are folders for Dublin Core, MARC 21 Bibliographic, LC name authority records, and MARC 21 holdings.

As you can see here, I have two records currently open in the Metadata Editor: the empty draft we created and the record I launched from the search results page.

Click to open Records tab

Motion cursor toward open records

In the Records tab, you’ll notice there are two house icons.

Next to our draft is a grey house, which indicates that the record is indeed a draft and has not been saved in the local repository.

Next to the record I opened for editing, you’ll see a blue house icon, which indicates that this record has been saved to the local repository.

A third icon you will see indicates that a record has been suppressed from external discovery systems, including Primo. This icon looks like an eye with a red line through it.

I will briefly suppress and then unsuppress the saved bibliographic record to show you what the icon looks like. Note: this is a preview of material covered in the Cataloging 2 class—what I’m about to show you is merely to display the icons you will encounter in the Records tab.

With my saved record open, I will go to Tools > Set Management Tags > Suppress from Discovery.

So now you see that this record has an icon of a crossed out eye, indicating it is suppressed.

To unsuppress, you simply follow the same pathway and uncheck the Suppress from Discovery box. …and you’ll see that the icon becomes a blue house again.

Motion cursor toward grey house

Motion cursor toward blue house

Click through Tools > Set Management Tags > Suppress from Discovery

Click back through Tools > Set Management Tags > Suppress from Discovery

3. Finally, there is the Rules tab

This tab contains the private and shared normalization, merge, indication, brief level, and authority headings rules that you created, as well as any shared rules at Harvard.

Stay posted in future phases of training for more about this tab.

Click on Rules tab

Script

Directions

The Lower Pane provides additional assistance for editing a record and includes the following tabs:

Move cursor to point out Lower Pane

1. Info: Provides definitions for each MARC tag, including subfields and indicators.

To learn more about a field, click on the field in the Main Pane and it will refresh the Info tab to display more information

Note: “Display in a new window” makes the page easier to read

Click on Info tab

Click on a field in the Main Pane to show how the Info tab refreshes

Click on “Display in a new window”

2. Alerts: Displays record errors and warnings if an element in the record is invalid

Text in a yellow box is a warning. The record cannot be saved in this state.

Text in a red box is an error. The record cannot be saved in this state.

Clicking on the text of the alert box will take your cursor to the field in the Main Pane with the problem

Click on Alerts tab

Click on the text of an alert (or if there isn’t an error, alter the record so that an alert will appear)

3. Linked Data: Provides data using the resource described in the MARC record as its subject

Click on Linked Data

Script

Directions

The Main Pane is the main working area

Move cursor to indicate where the Main Pane is

Hovering over the MARC code or indicator gives a brief description of what the field is (for example, “LC Call Number” “language code”)

Hover over a MARC code for a moment to show this feature

At the top of the record is header information about the record, displaying what type of record it is (e.g. Bibliographic, Holdings, etc), creation and modification dates and times, etc. This is also where you will see a notification if the record is locked by another user. When a record is locked, you can click on the associated username to display their name and contact information.

Move cursor to indicate where heading is

We have already briefly discussed what it means to lock a record. When a user opens a record in the Metadata Editor, such as a bib or holdings, that record becomes locked to them. Other users can view the record, but cannot edit it.

A locked record may be updated through overnight batch jobs, such as preferred term correction. If this happens, when you open the record the next day you will get an alert that the record may have changed and you should reload it. Go to File > Reload Original Record. This will load the record with any recent system changes.

Hover, don’t click on: File > Reload Original Record

Your locked records will appear in the Records tab of the Left Pane

Point to your locked records in the Left Pane

To unlock a record, you have to release it. Releasing is a specific function in Alma. If you navigate away from the Metadata Editor or sign out of Alma, records are not automatically released

There is a Harvard-defined setting to automatically release a record after 24 hours.

Does anyone remember from the video how to release a record?

[A: File > Release Record/Save and Release;  Alt+Shift+R or Ctrl+Alt+R; Release All Records in the Left Pane; show or mention the options that the class does not identify]

Script

Directions

The Main Pane has three dropdown menus. I will briefly highlight them, but please consult the wiki documentation about the Metadata Editor for more information. Additionally, you can click on the Help icon in the upper right corner if you are curious about a specific menu option and would like to consult the ExLibris documentation

Use cursor to point out where the Help icon is.

File contains options mainly related to creating, saving, releasing, and deleting records.

Please note that when you hover over “New,” it opens a submenu, which will continue to stay open as you navigate to other options in the File menu. This is a bug. Ignore the submenu once you move your cursor to other options in the File menu.

Click on File to display menu options

Edit contains helpful functions, such as adding and removing fields and the form editor, which guides you through editing fields such as the Leader

Click on Edit to display menu options

Tools has many important options for working with records in Alma, some of which will be covered in Cataloging 1 and 2. Please consult the wiki or ExLibris documentation for more information about specific options

Click on Tools to display menu options

Script

Directions

The Main Pane also has toolbar icons.

Icons with related actions are grouped by vertical bars.

• Save
• View: Inventory (which includes, among other things, holdings), Bibliographic record—you can use these to open up a holdings or bib depending on what is currently displayed in the Metadata Editor.
• Add: Holdings, Item, Portfolio (for E-Resources), Representation (N/A for Harvard).
• Add POLine and Exit
• Delete Record
• Split Editor (I will talk about this in a moment)
• Full Screen
• Exit

Move cursor to point out the icons

Move cursor to point out specific icons as you talk about them, which also shows that a display will pop up to tell you what the icon does (e.g. Add Item, etc)

Script

Directions

The Split Editor separates the Main Pane into two windows, allowing the side-by-side editing of two records or the display of other screens from some of the Tools menu operations, such as Browse Shelf Listing, Find Matches, etc.

There are three ways to open or close the Split Editor:

1. F6 (to open or close)

2. Edit > Split Editor

3. (Open) or (Close) from the MDE Toolbar icon

Hover over the dropdown and icon options as you bring them up

So to launch Split Editor mode, I will [pick either dropdown or icon option]

Now you see the bibliographic record is off to the left. If I click on the draft in the Left Pane, it will appear to the right

Use one method to launch Split Editor

Click on the draft in the Left Pane to show how two records can be open at once

When two records are open in Split Editor, only one pane will be in focus. The record in focus will have a light grey box around the editing information in the header of the record, may have a blue highlight around the pane or a field in the record, and the corresponding entry in the Left Pane will be highlighted in blue.

If you close Split Editor, the Main Pane will revert to displaying the record that was in focus.

Q: Which record is in focus currently on my screen and how can you tell?

You can click on another record in the Left Pane to display something else.

Point to these features as you are talking, esp. the highlighted Left Pane

Highlight one of the records, close Split Editor using either the icon or dropdown option.

Script

Directions

Record History: Alma automatically backs up versions of records saved to the repository and makes them available for future reference. Previous versions continue to be available even after a record has been saved and released in the repository. They are accessed via Tools > View versions.

Make sure you bring up the non-draft bib. Hover over Tools > View Versions (it is likely that you will get a notice saying no revisions were found unless the record has been edited since data migration to Alma)

Restoring a previous version overwrites the current version in the repository.

If another user has the record locked, you will not be able to see the Version History.

Versions are kept indefinitely. There are currently no plans to purge record versions over time, though we may need to if it causes system performance issues.

Autosave: The Autosave feature does not replace Saving the record permanently. The MDE has an auto-save function that helps prevent changes from being lost if you navigate away from the MDE before saving the record. The autosave occurs every 30 seconds after a change is made. A message with the time of latest autosave appears below the MDE Toolbar.

NOTE: If you need to, delete something from the bib record so that it displays the draft auto save notice in the Main Pane header. Do this before you start talking about Autosave, as it can take up to 30 seconds to display

Drafts: It is not recommended to save records as drafts

Instead: select Save Record (if you’re still working and want the record locked to you)

Or Save and Release Record if you’re done

Both options allow staff to search and view the record

Click on File menu and show where to find Save and Save and Release Record

If you use the draft feature:

1. You are the only one who can see the record

2. The record will be deleted after 30 days if you do not save it

Drafts of new records that have not been released into the repository can be identified by a grayed-out house icon to the left of the title

Script

Directions

Now I will return back to an important subject: Releasing records.

The recommended best practice: Any time you have finished editing a record in the Metadata Editor, choose File > Save and Release Record (Ctrl+Alt+R). If you have not made any changes or don’t want to save, you can use File > Release Record (Alt+Shift+R).

Click on File to show where these two options are

Additionally: From the Left Pane under Records, you can Release All Records by clicking on the folding heading for a record type (MARC21 Bibliographic, MARC21 Holdings, etc). Changes will not be saved. You will not receive a warning asking you to save unsaved changes.

Click on MARC21 Bibliographic heading to show the option to Release All Records. Since you don’t want to save any changes you’ve made, please select this option to conclude this section

Click on Shield icon to return to Alma homepage

Script

Directions

There are two ways to launch the Browse Bibliographic Headings window:

1. From the Alma persistent menu:

Select Resources, then under Cataloging, select Browse Bibliographic Headings.

This pulls up the Browse Bibliographic Headings window in the Metadata Editor.

Hover over Resources menu and locate the Browse Bibliographic Headings link. Pause for a moment

2. You can also launch the Browse Bibliographic Headings window directly from the Metadata Editor.

First, let’s go back to the Alma home page

Next, we will launch the Metadata Editor from the persistent menu. We will select Resources, then Open Metadata Editor

As you can see, we’ve launched the Metadata Editor without any bibliographic records present.

From here, we can Browse Bibliographic Headings using the dropdown menus in the Metadata Editor toolbar

This is found under Tools > Browse Bib Headings

Again, we see that the Browse Bibliographic Headings window has been launched in the Metadata Editor

Click on Harvard shield in upper left corner to go to home page

Hover over Resources menu and locate the Open MDE link. Pause for a moment

Click on Tools, then hover over Browse Bib Headings. Pause for a moment before clicking

Now we will review the various dropdown menu options:

1. Heading Type:

You must first select a Heading Type, which will populate different options in the Source Code dropdown menu.

The Heading Types are:

• Names
• Subjects
• Series
• Title
• Call Number/Classifications

Click on Heading Type dropdown

A few notes about some of these heading types:

1. Names will come up as the default option. This includes names used as subjects, as well as uniform titles
2. Call Number/classifications pulls call numbers from bibliographic records, not holdings records. There is a separate feature in Alma for Browsing Shelf Listings

As previously mentioned, the Heading Type determines your options for the Source Code

• Under Names, you will see Personal Name, Corporate Name, Meeting Name, and Uniform Title
• Subjects: Chronological Term, Topical Term, Geographic Name, Genre/Form, and Medium of Performance. You also get an additional dropdown menu for Vocabulary
• Series has the same Source Code options as Names
• Title just has a Search Value
• Call Number/Classifications brings up various call number and classification number sources. Recall that this option is browsing for call numbers from bibliographic records, not holding records. There may be differences between the call numbers in the bib vs the holdings (e.g. for shelf listing purposes at an individual library, etc).

Select Names as the Heading type, click on Source Code to display menu options

Select Subjects as the Heading type, click on Source Code to display menu options

Click on Vocabulary dropdown, pause

Select Series as the Heading type, click on Source Code to display menu options

Select Title

Select Call Number/classifications, click on Source Code to display menu options

Now that we have reviewed the Heading Types and Source Codes, please continue to watch while I walk through an example

For this example, I am going to browse bibliographic headings for a personal name.

[***for class prep, select an example of a personal name (should be last name, first name format): ______________________________]

First, I need to make sure the Heading Type is set to Names

Next, I will select Personal Name from the Source Code options

For the Search Value, I will enter: (YOUR EXAMPLE)

Recall that this is browsing bibliographic headings and is not a keyword search. Therefore, you must enter the last name first, followed by a comma and the first name.

Then we will click Browse

Heading Type: Names

Source Code: Personal Name

Type in the example you prepped for class for the Search Value

Click Browse button

Your browsing results will appear underneath in four columns:

Column 1 – A magnifying glass means there’s an authority record corresponding to this bibliographic heading

Column 2 – This column tells you the number of bibliographic records found for a particular heading. If there are more than 20 records found, this column displays 20+

Column 3 – The bibliographic record headings

Column 4 – A View button for viewing the complete bibliographic record and/or authority record, if it is present (again, a heading with an authority record will have a magnifying glass icon in the first column)

Move cursor to draw attention to column 1

Move cursor to draw attention to column 2

Move cursor to draw attention to column 3

Move cursor to draw attention to column 4

When you have located a heading you want to view in more detail, click View for that row

I am going to select a heading with an associated authority record to show you the full options

Click View for a heading with an authority record

When we click on View, notice that we now have a second window in Split Editor mode with the results from our Browse on the left and the authority record and bibliographic records for a specific heading on the right

Focusing on the window on the right side, notice that because I selected a heading with an authority record, there are two tabs: Authority and Bibliographic Records

The authority tab presents the associated authority record in view only mode.

Make sure you’ve selected the authority tab (it’s the default)

The Bibliographic Records tab has a number in parenthesis, which is the number of records with this heading.

This tab lists each individual record with this heading. To the right, you’ll see each result has the option to View or Edit. Selecting Edit will launch the record for editing on the right side of the Main Pane

The sort by dropdown and search box can help you manage a large number of Bibliographic Record results.

Select the bibliographic records tab

Click on Sort by dropdown to show options for a moment, then the dropdown by the search box

Now it is your turn to browse for bib headings. To keep things simple for now, we will work with the personal name you were asked to provide in your pre-class homework.

Let’s all return to the Alma home page by clicking on the shield icon (or staying there). Does anyone need to log in to or back in to Alma?

Pause while class loads up Alma. Facilitator should walk around to check that everyone is on the Alma home page. Provide the URL and instructions as needed

We are going to get to the Browse Bibliographic Headings window from the Alma persistent menu.

Does anyone remember where we can find this?

[A: Resources > Cataloging > Browse Bibliographic Headings // also accepted: MDE > Tools > Browse Bib Headings]

We are going to directly open the Browse Bib Headings window from the Alma persistent menu. 

Please hover your cursor over Resources, then select Browse Bibliographic Headings

Leave mouse over Browse Bib Headings link so students can see where it is

Have facilitator check that students are getting to the window without problems

Please look up at my screen to verify that you are in the right place.

Next, we will browse for the personal name heading that you selected before class.

The Heading Type should be set to Names as the default, but if it is not, please select Names from the dropdown.

Next, for Source Code, select Personal Name

Finally, for the Search Value, enter the name you selected. Remember that you have to enter the last name, followed by a comma and the first name.

I am going to browse for the same heading I used for the demo, then click on the browse button

Select Names

Select Personal Name

Enter the same personal name heading you used in the demo, click Browse

You should now have a table of results under your browse search. Please raise your hand if you are having trouble.

Remember:

• The magnifying glass means there is an authority record for a heading
• The numbers indicate how many records use a particular heading

Select the heading you would like to view by clicking on the View button—preferably, select one with an authority record (magnifying glass icon).

Click on View

This launches a window in the right side of the Main Pane. If you opened a record with an authority record, it will have two tabs. If the heading doesn’t have an authority record, you’ll only see the Bibliographic Records tab. 

Please click to the Bibliographic records tab, if you are not there already

Click Bib Records (#) tab

Recall that if you have a lot of results, you can use the search box and Sort by dropdown menu at the top to help manage your results

Click on Search box and Sort by dropdowns

Now, select a record from your results and click on the View button to the right

This opens a view only version of the record. To get back, click on Back to Results to the lower left of the record

Hover over View button for a moment before clicking

Hover over Back to Results button for a moment before clicking

Next, we will click on Edit for a record

Hover over Edit button for a moment before clicking

Notice that this launches your record for editing, but that you are in split editor mode and your record is off to the right.

Say you selected the wrong record for editing. How would you get back to your list of bib record results from here?

[A: there’s no button, so you have to click on View in the Bib Record Headings window to the left and find the record again]

If you wanted to close split editor mode and have this record take up the full screen, how would you do that?

[A: Highlight the bib record pane, click split editor icon/hit F6/Edit > Split Editor]

Finally, notice that we have a record open in the Metadata Editor. What should you always do when you’re done working with a record in the Metadata Editor?

[A: Save and release or Release the record]

Click on View for the same heading, open your record again for editing

Highlight the pane and close split editor

Release the record (File > Release OR click heading for MARC21 Bibliographic in the Left pane and select Release all Records)

Script

Directions

There are three ways to get to Search External Resources in Alma:

1. From the persistent Alma menu

First, go to Resources, then Cataloging, then Search External Resources

Navigate back to the main Alma homepage if you are not already there

Resources > Cataloging > Search External Resources

I will explain this page in a moment, but first let me show you the other two ways to get here, both of which involve the Metadata Editor:

2. Launch the Metadata Editor from the persistent Alma menu: Resources > Cataloging > Open Metadata Editor

From here, we can go to Tools > Search External Resources

Resources > Cataloging > Open Metadata Editor

Tools > Search External Resources, hover for a moment to show where this is before clicking

3. Finally, it is also possible to launch this page from an open bibliographic record in the Metadata Editor. This will autofill some of the search boxes.

To demonstrate this, I will do a search from the persistent search bar.

I will select Physical Titles > _________ (Creator, Title, etc), and then type in my query

From my search results, I will edit the record

Now the record has been launched in the Metadata Editor

From here, we again go to Tools > Search external resources

Notice that we are now in split editor mode again and several of the search boxes have been auto-filled. This can be useful if, for example, you are looking for a different edition of something we already have in the catalog. You may need to remove the system number, year of publication, etc

Select Physical Titles > [pick from the second drop down] > enter your query

Hover mouse over Edit record button for a moment before clicking

Hover over Tools > Search external resources for a moment before clicking

Before I search, I will explain the cataloging profile dropdown at the top of the screen.

Harvard has configured a profile that is a combination of two targets. Alma will first search WorldCat. If no hits are found, it will then search the Library of Congress catalog.

There is a second option: HVD + OCLC + LOC

This option will search Harvard’s catalog first. If no results are found, it will then search WorldCat, then LC. This configuration is so you can check that Harvard does not already have a record for something (for pre-order searching).

Open dropdown, select WorldCat + Library of Congress

Open dropdown, select HVD + OCLC + LOC

 Now I will do a search using the WorldCat + LOC profile

I will use the auto-filled search boxes to guide my search. However, I will delete the [ISBN, System Number, and Publication Year] in order to see what other editions may exist in World Cat or LC.

Remember, it’s also possible to do this search without using the autofilled boxes. You will have to enter this information manually.

Now I will click on Search

Open dropdown, select WorldCat + Library of Congress

Delete ISBN, System Number, Pub Year, and anything other than the Title and Creator

Click on search button (far right button—don’t click on Clear (in the middle) unless you want to be mildly embarrassed!)

 In the upper left, there is a link to Refine your Search. This will return you to the last page.

When you’re done making changes, just search again

Click on Refine your search.

Click Search

The list of results should have a list of information, including the record source (DLC, etc).

In our list of results, each record should have at least two button options off to the right:

1. View: View only version of the record; To return, we click on Back to Results (I’ll explain the dropdown options in a minute)

2. Import: Brings the record into Alma as a DRAFT—Notice off in the left pane that this record has a grey house icon. If you accidentally imported the wrong record, you can simply Release the Record (not Save and Release). You will be prompted about whether you want to release--click yes

Select View, then select Back to Results

Select Import

File > Release record (hover for a moment)

Now I’ll return to my search so I can show you the remaining options:

Again, we’ll use the autopopulate option, then go to Tools > Search External Resources

And I’ll remove the ISBN and Year of Publication, etc

Sometimes if you do a search, especially without autofilled search boxes, you will only have the options to View and Import

But, next to some records, you’ll notice an additional button labelled with an ellipsis (…)

This gives you three options:

1. Copy & Overlay

2. Copy & Merge

3. Merge Preview

Never use Copy & Overlay! This option will wipe out local fields for a matching record.

Merge Preview will show you the merged record in advance. Please examine this carefully to make sure there is no loss of local fields

Copy & Merge: you can either select this from the Merge Preview page, or you can go back to results and select it from the … button dropdown options.

For now, we will opt not to do a Copy & Merge for the demo, as configuration settings may not preserve all of our local fields.

However, if you select Copy & Merge, note that this record will be automatically saved in Alma. This is different from Import, which brings the record in as a draft.

Tools > Search External Resources

Remove ISBN and Year of Publication—keep the system number, click search

Click on ellipsis (…) button

Select Merge Preview

Hover over Copy & Merge in the results

Now we will try to import a new record into Alma using Search External Resources

For your class prep, you were asked to come up with a physical title search query.

Physical Title > [select option: creator, title, etc] > type in query

I will use the same search from the demo

Once we are at the search results page, click on Edit Record to open the record in the Metadata Editor.

Click shield to return to homepage

Phys. Title > [select option to refine] > [use query from demo]

Have facilitator check that everyone is at the search results page and/or has already opened their record in the MDE

Now we will use this record to autofill some of the search boxes.

Go to Tools > Search External Resources

On the right side of the split editor, you should have search boxes with data pulled from your bibliographic record. Please let me know if you aren’t seeing this and the facilitator can help you.

[pause]

Next, we will delete some of the autofilled data to see if we can find different editions, etc. Please leave Title or Creator fields, but delete things like the system number, isbn, or year of publication so we get results that are more general than the specific edition or printing currently held.

Click Search—note that search is off to the far right!

Hover over Tools > Search External Resources so students can see where to go. Facilitator: Check that everyone is finding the dropdown

Delete the system number, isbn, or year of publication, etc.

Click Search and have facilitator check that no one accidentally clicked clear and is now behind

You may or may not get results that match what Harvard currently holds. In the description, you can check “Held By Me"

Now let’s click on the View button for a record you might want to import to the Alma Institution Zone

When you are done, click on Back to Results in the bottom left corner

Now we will import a record using the button on the far right.

At this point, there should be two bibliographic records on your screen in split editor mode. On the left is the saved record you used to auto-fill your search. On the right is the unsaved draft you have imported.

Recall from the Metadata Editor overview that if you choose to save the record on the right as a draft (Save Draft), it will only be available for 30 days.

Normally, the best practice would be to either select Save Record (which still locks the record to you, but makes it searchable to other staff through Alma) or to Save and Release.

However, with this record, we are going to release the record without saving. Either select File > Release record or click on the MARC21 bibliographic heading in the left pane and select Release All Records

Hover over View button for a moment before clicking

Hover over Back to Results button for a moment before clicking

Hover over Import button for a moment before clicking; have facilitator walk around to check that everyone is following along

Highlight the right pane. Click on File menu and leave it open, hover cursor over fields as you talk about them

Put cursor over File > Release Record and wait until facilitator has checked all computers to release your own record

Script

Directions

To create a bibliographic record in Alma, I first need to launch the Metadata Editor.

Hover for a moment over Resources > Cataloging > Open MDE

Next, I will open a template for the type of bibliographic record I intend to create. Templates are one of the tabs in the Left Pane, above Records.

Click on Templates tab in Left Pane

From here, I will open the MARC21 Bibliographic folder

Click on MARC21 Bibliographic folder

Then Shared

Click on Shared folder

And finally, we get a list of templates based on format.

I am going to select the default, which is HVDBooks

And then I will select New

Click on HVDBooks

Select New

Now I have a blank bibliographic record for editing.

Another way to create a bibliographic record in Alma from the Metadata Editor is to go to File > New > MARC21 Bibliographic

Hover over File > New > MARC21 Bibliographic for a moment before clicking

To add or remove fields, go to Edit > Add Field or Remove Field. Note you can also use F8 (to add) and ctrl+F6 (to remove)

Hover over Edit menu

As you can see in the left pane, both of these records have grey house icons next to them, which means they are drafts. We would have to save or save and release for these records to be added to the repository.

Instead, I am going to simply release, without saving my changes

Hover over either File > Release Record or go to Release All Records in the Left Pane (Click the MARC21 Bib folder heading)

Now let’s create a record from scratch together. Can someone remind the class of how to open the Metadata Editor from the persistent menu?

[A: Resources > Cataloging > Open MDE]

After correct answer: go to Resources > Cataloging > Open MDE

I showed two ways to create a record from scratch in Alma. What is the path I would take if I wanted to create a default record for a book using the Left Pane? [may need to prompt to start with the Templates tab and guide students through opening the Shared folder, not Community]

[A: Templates > MARC21 Bibliographic > Shared > HVDBooks > New]

Open for each step as students talk through this section: Templates > MARC21 Bibliographic > Shared > HVDBooks > New

And how would we create a new record using the Metadata Editor toolbar?

[A: File > New > MARC21 Bibliographic]

After correct answer slowly click though: File > New > MARC21 Bibliographic

What might be an advantage to using Templates vs the File dropdown menu?

[Possible A: Templates includes formats other than books]

Has everyone created at least one blank record using one of these methods? Does anyone need me to pause while they do that?

Have facilitator walk around to check

Before we release our records without saving, we are going to cover one last topic: Linking a bibliographic heading to an authority record

Script

Directions

Using the 100 field of the draft, I am going to type in the author name I used for Browsing Bibliographic Headings near the beginning of this class.

In this case, the name is _________________

I will first delete subfields b, c, and d.

Next, I will enter the author’s name with the last name, followed by a comma, then the first name and a period.

Delete subfields b, c, and d

Type in name in LastName, First Name. format

With the 100 field still highlighted (notice that blue is around the field where the cursor is placed), I am going to hit the F3 button.

Make sure cursor is in 100 field.

Hit F3

This brings up a list of sorted, browseable authority headings

Preferred terms are marked with a star next to the heading.

Possible matches are highlighted in yellow.

You have the option to view the authority record before you link it.

If this is the record you want to link, click Select for that heading

If the heading had birth/death dates, the 100 field will now be refreshed to show that.

Additionally, there are now blue binoculars next to the 100 field, indicating that it is linked to an authority record. If you click on the binoculars icon, you can view the authority record in split editor mode.

Click on View

Hover for a moment over the Select button

Click on the blue binoculars

Now it’s your turn to try:

In your draft, enter the personal name you used to browse bibliographic headings in the 100 field after subfield a. Remember that you need to type the last name, followed by a comma and the first name, then a period.

I am going to repeat my example from earlier

Delete all 100 field content up to $$a, enter the same personal name again

When you are done, leave your cursor in the 100 field and hit the F3 key

Hit F3

You should now have a list of authority headings.

[pause]

Have facilitator walk around to check that everyone is on this page

Now you have the option to View or Select a particular heading. Remember that a blue star means that heading is the preferred form of the name.

Please view and then select the heading that matches—please let us know if you are having trouble with this and the facilitator can help you

Leave cursor over Select button until all students have selected something

Now you should see that your 100 field is linked. How do you know an authority record is linked?

[A: Blue binoculars icon]