[Koha] Importing data into MARC

[Baljkas Family]

Tuesday, August 31, 2004    17:48 CDT

Hi, Andres,

First off, kudos on what you were saying yesterday regarding salaries. I couldn't have agreed with you more.

As for your databases, I suppose the solution you would want would bring the copy specific information in the second database into the title specific records of the first.

Perhaps someone else on the listserv can suggest/help write a script that could merge the databases. 

How many records are we talking about? And how many fields of information do you want/need preserved from the second database with the purchase info?

In terms of MARC coding solutions, would the 852 field suffice alone? The $z subfield is repeating.

There is also the 541 note which is repeating and could be incorporated to contain more copy-specific information with defined subfields. Check that out at URL <http://www.loc.gov/marc/bibliographic/ecbdnot2.html#mrcb541>.

Take a look at the Holdings information at URL <http://www.loc.gov/marc/holdings/echditem.html> ; this gives guidance on embedding holdings information, i.e. including an 876 note within each MARC record for an item.

You would be repeating the 852 field (and/or 541) for each different copy of the item within the item record and (keeping in mind that I've never had to do this but from my reading) you would be linking these to their corresponding 876 notes (which have enough fields available for fairly detailed acquisitions data) using the $8 to clarify which item was meant (I suppose the bar code would be the natural choice).

I hope this helps a bit. Let us know how things progress.

Cheers,

Steven F. Baljkas
library tech at large
Koha neophyte
Winnipeg, MB, Canada

 
> From: Andres Tarallo <tarallo at ort.edu.uy>
> Date: 2004/08/31 Tue PM 04:59:22 CDT
> To: koha at lists.katipo.co.nz
> Subject: [Koha] Importing data into MARC
> 
> We're currently finishing our mapping to import our database (CEPAL 
> catalog in DOS/ISIS) to Koha. We have a question, and we want to know 
> the best solution to feed data for bulkmarcimport.pl.
> 
> Our library has two databases. The first one has a detailed description 
> of  each title avaliable in the library; this database has one record 
> for each title we have, no matter how many copies of it we have.  The 
> second one has all the purchase information, in this database you have 
> one record for every copy of a book you have. Both databases are releted 
> via a pointer in the first one that references the records of the second 
> one.
> 
> Now, we don't want to lose information and we're facing that many of our 
> books have many copies, so we want to know whats the best way to build 
> our MARC records, A record with full information from both databases for 
> each book we have?
> 
> Thanks for your feedback
> 
> 
>                                                                          
>          Andres
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