Linking Serials

Overview

These procedures are designed to help with the event that link from a serial in the catalog does not properly link to the A-Z list. We can be alerted to this through a number of occurences:

• 1. Access checks

  2. eResources identifying a missing link

  3. ILL identifying the problem in Mango

  4. A library patron identifying the problem in Mango

  5. An audit

In each case, or any other, the steps for assessing the way to resolve the broken link follow. The first step is always to double-check the report of the broken link. If you're responsible for addressing the broken link, you must have an expert perspective on the way the linking works in the library's catalog. This will not be the case for the person reporting the error and so it might be a simple misunderstanding.

There are 3 Likely Outcomes to this analysis:

• 1. You'll be able to update the URL so that it correctly links to the A-Z List

  2. You'll need to withdraw the title either because it is an OA title previously cataloged or because no access can be found

  3. You'll need to contact eResources to "track" the title in our knowledge base

It's also possible that you'll need to work with the person who submitted the issue to figure out why they're having trouble. In that case, feel free to escalate the issue.

Steps for Checking Access

Confirm that the link doesn't work.

If you confirm it doesn't work, proceed to the next step

Check an alternative ISSN

Check for an alternative ISSN (in subfield $L, then MARC 776 subfield $x, then MARC 022 subfield $y) works. If that doesn't work, try checking by name. If a match is found, confirm the titles match and that the date ranges seem to echo the dates on the bib in MARC 008, 260, 362.

The goal is to ensure that you haven't found a near match or the same title over a different date range. If the date range is different, proceed to step 3.

If the match is confirmed to be good. Update the link with the new ISSN or the with name string that brings back only the name of the specific journal. For name matches, "Title equals" searches are preferred to "Title Begins with" searches.

For example, Title equals "Journal of the American Musicological Society" (http://hx8vv5bf7j.search.serialssolutions.com/?V=1.0&N=100&L=HX8VV5BF7J&S=AC_T_M&C=Journal+of+the+American+Musicological+Society) is preferred over Title begins with "Journal of the American" (http://hx8vv5bf7j.search.serialssolutions.com/?V=1.0&N=100&L=HX8VV5BF7J&S=AC_T_B&C=Journal+of+the+American)

is preferred over

Search SerialsSolutions for the Title

If an alternative ISSN or a name search doesn't bring back the title, you can search SerialsSolutions to see if the title is marked as tracked in the knowledge base. To log into SerialsSolutions, you'll need a password. If you've been authorized, you can find a usable password here. Search for the journal by name or ISSN. If multiple ISSN are associated with the title, check for both. If the title is indicated as tracked, you should be able to find a link to the A-Z list (if not, you'll need to contact eResources - sometimes this happens because SerialsSolutions has an error).

If the title is found but not tracked, it is an indication that we either don't have access to the title, the title is Open Access, or eResources has missed tracking the title. If the title is still not found then it is likely that the title was a complete error or is very new.

if the title is found, but untracked, proceed to step 4.

Review Title Details in SerialsSolutions

Determine a likely location for access by clicking into the title information in SerialsSolutions.

In the above example, it is likely that if we have access to the title it will be through Wiley-Blackwell. Knowing the various databases comes with experience. If you aren't sure which one is likely to have access, you can test them all or escalate. Many times, you'll see most of the results are open access options. If that is the cases, it's very possible the title was cataloged as an open access resource and we're likely to remove it now that the link has ceased working.

To test access for one of the databases, click on the dates, not the database title.

Use the Output URL or default URL to see if we have access to the title for the specified date range on the serial's platform. If the links work, proceed to the step for updating EResources and updating the A-Z List.

Contact eResources and Updating the A-Z List

If access is found to the title then we'll want to keep it in the catalog. However, we'll want eResources to update the knowledge base so that we can continue linking to the A-Z list. In the meantime, we'll want to update the link in the catalog entry to link directly to the platform. See this page for information on linking to the A-Z list and to the platform.

Test it!

Once the link is updated, test it. Make sure it works. A lot can go wrong with the proxies or even a typo. We wouldn't want to say something is done and fixed when it isn't.

Add the Tickler

Next, we want to update the tickler on associated holding record. Find the right tickler to add by searching in the directory "z:\genload" for the appropriate subfolder. Within each folder, you'll find a "ReadMe" file (either .txt or .md). Within the ReadMe, you'll find information on the collections and appropriate ticklers (TKR). If a perfect match is not found, use the best left-anchored match you can (for eg. instead of (FBoU)Wiley FLVC Custom Collection or (FBoU)Wiley Database, use (FBoU)Wiley). You may see "%d." This is a wildcard meaning "add the date." So you'll replace %d with today's date as YYYYMMDD.

Check for an Item

If no item is linked to the holding record, you should add one.

Optional - Update the A-Z List Search File

(details coming)

Notify eResources

Send eResources a message with the information about the title they need to update. The email could read something like this:

"Hi eResources,

We found title(s) that are available on their platforms but not through the A-Z list. Please find in the attached Excel spreadsheet their necessary information for adding the titles. I've updated the catalog entries to link directly to the platform until you've indicated your decision on how to proceed.

Thank you,

(signature)."

In the attached spreadsheet, you should have a table such as:

Suggesting a Title For Withdrawal

When you believe that a title should be withdrawn, you'll need to confirm with Serials Acquisitions. You might think a title should be withdrawn because its link is broken and the title is open access or because you cannot find any source of access for the title. Before coming to this conclusion, be sure to check for title changes (Ulrich's Web is a good resource for this). Before suggesting to withdraw the solution, be sure to check to see if it has an associated order record. If it does, just be sure to mention it. Later, if you do withdraw the title, you'll suppress the holdings instead of deleting them.

If you have confirmed that it is okay to withdraw the title, you may delete the item record, the admin record, and the holdings record. Before deleting the Bib record, be sure to remove our holdings from OCLC. If the title is shared by another university, you won't be able to delete the bib record. Instead, you'll delete the MARC 856 field with our link to the resource. You'll also want to delete the subfield $5 FBoU from any field where you find it. If $5 FBoU is the only subfield $5 on the field, delete the whole field.

If you are withdrawing the title but not deleting it due to an associated order record. Simply suppress the holdings by adding a field "STA SUPPRESSED." Next, remove our MARC 856 and any associated $5s as in the previous paragraph.