[Koha] Re: Koha

Fri Dec 9 16:10:19 NZDT 2005

>From answers I had given Carol on and off list:

The current Koha record editor is easy to use but can improperly rearrange
the data on valid imported records and will not allow the needed features
for many records such as repeated subfields.  There is a bug/design error in
Koha that fails to provide for subfield level repeatability within the Koha
MARC record editor.  Koha 3.0 will also have additional choices for MARC
record editing.  I hope that the innovative semantically labelled forms
based editor that is in Koha now will also allow standards compliant record
editing in Koha 3.0.  There is presently no way to create additional
repeated subfields using the Koha record editor unless you rewrite the
source code for the editor.

Libraries that need this functionality have used an external MARC editor to
create their records.  A set of lists that include MARC record editors in
every section can be found linked from "MARC records, systems, and tools",
http://www.loc.gov/marc/marcservice.html .  There are record editors not
listed there but all the important ones for MARC 21 are there on some page.
 The greatest problem may be finding editors that support UTF-8.  The people
available at the software companies often do not know themselves but you can
always obtain a demonstration and test it.  None of these record editors is
as easy to use as the one in Koha but at least you can have standards
compliant records.

OCLC provides the best cataloguing service and you might be able to obtain a
favourable price for their cataloguing service through a state or local
library consortium.  OCLC has a great many options and I do know of small
libraries having obtained use of their services at shockingly low prices as
part of cooperative agreements with groups of libraries.  The greatest
difficulty may be matching the correct service out of the many that they
have to your needs.  If you identify the proper matching service, it can be
very inexpensive but maybe only by sharing a group or consortium service.  I
have never used their cataloguing systems so I cannot describe them to you.
 OCLC must support UTF-8.

MarcEdit, http://oregonstate.edu/~reeset/marcedit/html/ , may be the best
free option for MS Windows, although it is not open source.  It does have a
Z39.50 client.  MarcEdit is liable to require more configuration and be less
intuitive to use from the documentation that I have read than commercial
options, but I have not used it.  This should support UTF-8.

BookWhere, http://www.webclarity.info/ , is the least expensive commercial
tool.  It is primarily a Z39.50 client but also added a record editor in
recent years.  The record editor may now be sold separately, I do not know.
 I last used the Z39.50 client over six years ago when I contributed some
major bug reports.  It was quite well polished, although, there were some
user interface elements that I would have been fixed if it were open source.
 It was developed from an open source demonstration Z39.50 client but had a
license that allowed the source to be closed, unlike Koha where the source
of all future versions will be forever free and open.  I do not know whether
UTF-8 is supported.  The largest existing Koha installation, the Nelsonville
Public Library in Ohio, uses BookWhere.  That does not mean it would be the
right tool for you.  They had formally used ITS MARC for Windows with Koha,
which is significantly more expensive and ITS MARC for Windows does not yet
support UTF-8.

Whatever tool you find, keep a copy of all your records even after using
bulkmarcimport.pl to import the records in batches.  The Unix default path
is /usr/local/koha/intranet/scripts/misc/migration_tools/bulkmarcimport.pl
in Koha 2.2.4.  Be certain to set the proper values for the environment
variables PERL5LIB and KOHA_CONF before running the script.  Having a copy
of your records outside Koha protects them against any problems in Koha and
can be used to reimport them in future.

Thomas D

Quoting Stephen Hedges <shedges at athenscounty.lib.oh.us> :
> ---------------- Beginning of the original message ------------------
> 
> Carol, I think this would be a problem -- it would certainly
> result in 
> a strange MARC record.  I'm going to post this thread to the
> Koha list 
> to see if anyone else has an opinion or comment.
> 
> Stephen
> 
> On Dec 7, 2005, at 5:50 PM, Carol Ku wrote:
> 
> > If we choose to stick with Koha cataloging feature, would it
> corrupt 
> > the record if we repeat the whole tag say 650, several times
> to get 
> > the number of subfields we need? 
> >  
> > We do not have much technical support, so as much as we can,
> we would 
> > like to keep things simple by using Koha catalogue.  But of
> course if 
> > this posts an issue about the integrity of the MARC record
> entered, we 
> > will sure consider getting outside technical support.
> > Stephen Hedges <shedges at athenscounty.lib.oh.us> wrote:
> >> Nope, it's a commercial program.
> http://www.tlcdelivers.com/tlc/ You
> >> won't find it on their website, it's an old product that
> they no 
> >> longer
> >> promote.
> >>
> >> We are working with a class at Ohio University to develop a
> really 
> >> nice
> >> stand-alone (and open source) cataloging utility, but that
> won't be
> >> ready fo  r another six months or so.
> >>
> >> Stephen
> >>
> >> On Dec 6, 2005, at 4:16 PM, Carol Ku wrote:
> >>
> >> > Do you mean bibliophile that is available for free
> download at
> >> > sourceforge.net??Do you think that program is better than
> koha's
> >> > cataloguing module?
> >> >
> >> > Stephen Hedges wrote:No, we don't use
> >> > Koha at all for cataloging -- we use a program called
> >> >> Bibliofile. That creates a file of MARC records which we
> import
> >> >> daily.
> >> >>
> >> >> Stephen
> >> >>
> >> >> On Dec 6, 2005, at 3:33 PM, Carol Ku wrote:
> >> >>
> >> >> > But when I look at the MARC record display of books,
> it displays 
> >> say
> >> >> > tag 050 twice, but the second display only shows one
> subfield 
> >> e.g.
> >> >> > subfield a.
> >> >> > ?lt;br>> Did you have some programmers change the
> display page of
> >> >> the MARC
> >> >> > record??I think if we know how to do that, we will use
> the Koha
> >> >> > interface.
> >> >> >
> >> >> > Stephen Hedges wrote:
> >> >> >> We don't use the cataloging interface -- we prepare
> our records
> >> >> with a
> >> >> >> different utility, then import them into Koha daily.
> >> >> >>
> >> >> >> I think the subfield repeat may be a known bug,
> though I haven't
> >> >> >> checked kohabugs.
> >> >> >>
> >> >> >> Stephen Hedges
> >> >> >>
> >> >> >> On Dec 6, 2005, at 2:15 PM, Carol Ku wrote:
> >> >> >>
> >> >> >> > Dear Sir/Madam:
> >> >> >> > We recently installed Koha for our library
> automation
> >> >> project.?One
> >> >> >> > issue we encounter is how to repeat a subfield item
> on the add
> >> >> >> biblio
> >> >> >> > page when cataloging a book.?I noticed that your
> library is 
> >> able
> >> >> to
> >> >> >> &g t; repeat a subfield e.g. subfield a in the add
> biblio 
> >> module.
> >> >> >> > ?lt;br>> Can you share with us how to do
> that??Thank you.
> >> >> >> > ?lt;br>> Carol
> >> >> >> >
> 
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> 
> ------------------- End of the original message ---------------------

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