Re: Re: [Koha] Where's the Dewey - CLARIFICATION NEEDED!!
Tuesday, October 12, 2004 20:10 CDT Hi, Andres, I was actually waiting for someone to raise the point you did (again), as rather than responding to my pointing it out last time, I was treated to the condescension of being told that I don't understand basic library terms. So here it is again programming folks. The problem Andres is running into is the IMPORTANT DISTINCTION (and until Dave Bigwood or one of my cataloguing mentors tells me I have this wrong I am sticking with what I know I was taught and have seen applied) BETWEEN AN ASSIGNED CALL NUMBER (in this case Dewey) AND A CALL NUMBER USED LOCALLY. Andres, the 082 is the correct tag for an (any) assigned Dewey number. The indicators are used to code its cataloguing source. Similarly for the 050 (LC number) or, for Canadians, 055 (LC-type number assigned by NLC). The custom of using 090 for the LOCAL call number stays with us (remains in several ILS) because the 090 WAS the place LC used to store its local call number used. To be absolutely clear, the CLASSIFICATION part is often present in both, as is the ITEM identifying part (usually represented by the author cutter). The two TOGETHER make up the CALL NUMBER. Almost all library cataloguing I have seen evinces complete numbers in 050 and 082 when it contains those fields. It is true, however, that sometimes you will see incomplete numbers in the 050 or 082, numbers that give the CLASSIFICATION (COLLOCATION) part but lack the ITEM part. This is not terribly distressing to most cataloguers as it is common practice to adjust 050 and 082 cutters to one's own collection (in fact, if you aspire to have unique call numbers for each book in your collection, it is necessary). I feel like the voice crying in the wilderness, but here I go again: What Koha needs to do is ADOPT/ASSIGN A STANDARDISED/DEFAULT (modifiable if you wish) MARC TAG FOR THE CALL NUMBER TO BE USED/DISPLAYED BY THE SYSTEM. This number could be contained in the 090, it could be in 852, etc. There are several options. (LC's actual number is in the 050, with qualifications on actual locations in 925 and 955.) Different ILS usually make one location the default and unlike Koha don't give anyone the right to change that. If, in Open Source spirit, you wish to make this modifiable, that is super: just, please, please, please MAKE A DECISION. Dare to be autocratic. Also, for whatever it's worth, with the number that is used locally, I would suggest that you not worry so much about parsing it into its classification and item parts. Entering it in one tag's subfield (e.g. 90d) as an alphanumeric string should suffice. In larger libraries and wherever users find searching by call numbers useful, this can be handled through instruction on where to truncate numbers (basically, teaching your patrons enough to recognise where the item part begins; if they make a mistake, they learn soon enough when they get to the shelves). The practice established by the chief cataloguer at the military library I worked at seemed to function quite well; we entered numbers in our local call number displayed field (90a) as with this example which should be familiar to the cataloguers among us: Z 694.15 .A56 A53 1998. For us, the breaks/spaces also translated into line breaks for the spine labels (to be honest, we also dropped the initial periods for space reasons, so for AACR2R1998 we would have had Z 694.15 A56 A53 1998 -- no one ever noticed that some periods were missing). My observation of discussions suggests to me that the 852 is shaping up as the Koha MARC21 flavour default. I still think it would be better if you programmers chose one of the 9xx fields, just because Koha could then keep the UNIMARC and MARC21 flavours the same for default location of call number (which would probably be less confusing in the long run for most users, especially those who are only starting to learn about MARC). Andres, as for a more immediate solution to your problem: I think Stephen Hedges fielded this question (when I last remember it arising) several months ago. Maybe you can find it in the archives? Mapping the 082 to the 090? Stepping down off the soap box now, in the hopes that this may get us somewhere new, Steven F. Baljkas library tech at large Koha neophyte Winnipeg, MB, Canada
From: Andres Tarallo <tarallo@ort.edu.uy> Date: 2004/10/12 Tue PM 12:56:03 CDT To: koha@lists.katipo.co.nz Subject: Re: [Koha] Where's the Dewey
MJ Ray wrote:
On 2004-10-11 19:45:04 +0100 Andres Tarallo <tarallo@ort.edu.uy> wrote:
We've noticed that we can't see the Dewey of a biblio when we enter to the catalog.
What does "enter to the catalogue" mean?
If you're in the Intranet click in "catalog" search for a book, then click on it. If I wan't to edit the biblio it expect to find the Dewey in the 090d, but Koha finds the Dewey in 082. Since we're not LOC we should use the 090d as our dewey.
Andres
PD:we're working with version 2.1.2 of Koha. _______________________________________________ Koha mailing list Koha@lists.katipo.co.nz http://lists.katipo.co.nz/mailman/listinfo/koha
Baljkas Family wrote: [..]
I was treated to the condescension of being told that I don't understand basic library terms.
As I've told all of you when I'm intrduced myself in a programmer not a library technician
The problem Andres is running into is the IMPORTANT DISTINCTION (and until Dave Bigwood or one of my cataloguing mentors tells me I have this wrong I am sticking with what I know I was taught and have seen applied) BETWEEN AN ASSIGNED CALL NUMBER (in this case Dewey) AND A CALL NUMBER USED LOCALLY.
Andres, the 082 is the correct tag for an (any) assigned Dewey number. Hmm... that was not what I understood from reading the documents of LOC. Take into account that we don't follow the LOC directives. The indicators are used to code its cataloguing >source. Similarly for the 050 (LC number) or, for Canadians, 055 (LC-type > number assigned by NLC).
The custom of using 090 for the LOCAL call number stays with us (remains in several ILS) because the 090 WAS the place LC used to store its local call number used.
OK, so I shoud map my Dewey to 082? I might misunderstood the LOC.
I feel like the voice crying in the wilderness, but here I go again: What Koha needs to do is ADOPT/ASSIGN A STANDARDISED/DEFAULT (modifiable if you wish) MARC TAG FOR THE CALL NUMBER TO BE USED/DISPLAYED BY THE SYSTEM.
You seem to be confirming my suspects.
Andres, as for a more immediate solution to your problem: I think Stephen Hedges fielded this question (when I last remember it arising) several months ago. Maybe you can find it in the archives? Mapping the 082 to the 090?
I might map my current field (remember that I use CDS/ISIS) to 082.
Stepping down off the soap box now, in the hopes that this may get us somewhere new,
So do I.
Baljkas Family said:
I feel like the voice crying in the wilderness, but here I go again: What Koha needs to do is ADOPT/ASSIGN A STANDARDISED/DEFAULT (modifiable if you wish) MARC TAG FOR THE CALL NUMBER TO BE USED/DISPLAYED BY THE SYSTEM.
This number could be contained in the 090, it could be in 852, etc. There are several options. (LC's actual number is in the 050, with qualifications on actual locations in 925 and 955.) Different ILS usually make one location the default and unlike Koha don't give anyone the right to change that. If, in Open Source spirit, you wish to make this modifiable, that is super: just, please, please, please MAKE A DECISION. Dare to be autocratic.
Why be autocratic? Why mandate the tags that can be used for local information? I think we should continue to let libraries either use their current MARC layout or devise their own local information tag and then just tell Koha where to find the information, instead of hard-coding a certain tag and subfield where everyone has to put their local call number. Stephen -- Stephen Hedges Skemotah Solutions, USA www.skemotah.com -- shedges@skemotah.com
Tuesday, October 19, 2004 15:49 CDT Hi, Stephen, Just a quick rejoinder on this subject ...
Baljkas Family said:
I feel like the voice crying in the wilderness, but here I go again: What Koha needs to do is ADOPT/ASSIGN A STANDARDISED/DEFAULT (modifiable if you wish) MARC TAG FOR THE CALL NUMBER TO BE USED/DISPLAYED BY THE SYSTEM.
This number could be contained in the 090, it could be in 852, etc. There are several options. (LC's actual number is in the 050, with qualifications on actual locations in 925 and 955.) Different ILS usually make one location the default and unlike Koha don't give anyone the right to change that. If, in Open Source spirit, you wish to make this modifiable, that is super: just, please, please, please MAKE A DECISION. Dare to be autocratic.
Why be autocratic? Why mandate the tags that can be used for local information? I think we should continue to let libraries either use their current MARC layout or devise their own local information tag and then just tell Koha where to find the information, instead of hard-coding a certain tag and subfield where everyone has to put their local call number.
The reason is very simple, Stephen: many people don't want to be programmers and are nervous/afraid to try to make alterations to code. It may be hard to believe for someone with your computer skills, but many of us feel quite comfortable adapting ourselves to certain system constraints. In fact, we are used to having to do so. None of the ILS that I have dealt with have ever given users the choice of where the local call number used goes. At the most, a few systems have allowed the librarians decisions of which tags get displayed for the OPAC (something else Koha also does, whichyou clarified for me several weeks back). I am wondering, though, whether we are thinking about this in the same way. When you say "hard-coding", do you mean making a change that would be unalterable or at least extremely difficult to alter? What I meant wasn't that. I am suggesting that there be a default tag for the local call number used (in the definition of MARC tags) already in Koha when one downloads it. For groups that are new to MARC and thus have no records to convert over, it would be very simple to accept a preset location for the local call number. I did not mean to suggest that it be made unalterable or fiendishly tricky to change, but I do see value in setting something as a default tag for that information. (It might even be useful to have a tag set aside where one could enter the call number as it needs to be printed for spine labels, in case that is different than the linear display for any reason.) Remember: one of the things touted by many of the ILS Koha will be competing with is the idea of a turn-key system. If one can eliminate any steps in getting it up and running, that only helps Koha seem even more appealing. Thanks for your answer. Looking forward to your next reply. Cheers, Steven F. Baljkas library tech at large Koha neophyte Winnipeg, MB, Canada --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.777 / Virus Database: 524 - Release Date: 14/10/2004
Steven F. Baljkas a écrit :
What I meant wasn't that. I am suggesting that there be a default tag for the local call number used (in the definition of MARC tags) already in Koha when one downloads it.
For groups that are new to MARC and thus have no records to convert over, it would be very simple to accept a preset location for the local call number.
I 10000% agree with this. Better : the installer in 2.2 provide ways to do this. You can select and "import" various files. In UNIMARC, there are already 3 (outdated, I must update them), and i'll add many as soon as I find interesting things. For example, for christian UNIMARC library, i will add soon the file to have beginning-of-isbn / christian editors / collections already when you install Koha. Thus, a christian library will immediatly have a working nice plugin to "magically" find the editor and the collection list when the isbn is typed. ANY file can be provided through this structure. SO : Any library with a MARC21 well working install should export it's marc_*_structure tables and send them to me (with some explanations). same thing for authorities, z3950 server list, or ANYTHING else (note : the export must just be done through a "mysqldump -c -ulogin -p KOHA_DB Table1ToDump Table2ToDump" the -c (complete) is important in case of a DB change HTH -- Paul POULAIN Consultant indépendant en logiciels libres responsable francophone de koha (SIGB libre http://www.koha-fr.org)
participants (5)
-
Andres Tarallo -
Baljkas Family -
Paul POULAIN -
Stephen Hedges -
Steven F. Baljkas