[Koha] marc import

[Steven F.Baljkas]

Wednesday, February 22, 2006     18:15 CST

Hi, Christine,

In quick reply to your message ...

> From: "Christine Forte" <cforte at antiochsb.edu>
> Date: 2006/02/22 Wed PM 05:38:52 CST
> To: " <koha at lists.katipo.co.nz>" <koha at lists.katipo.co.nz>
> Subject: [Koha] marc import
> 
> hi everyone,
> 
> i've got several files of marc records i downloaded from oclc.  i would
> like to do a bulk import, but have been reading about the need to add a
> 952 subfield.  will i need to change something in these oclc records?  or
> can i just do a bulk import?  

... yes, you can bulk import them. I would recommend decompiling them into editable text outside of Koha first though, using a free tool like MARCEdit (about which see URL <http://www.loc.gov/marc/marctools.html>)
then adding the necessary 942 and 952 information, editing or deleting any other fields you like, and then using MARCEdit to reconvert the whole back into valid MARC21 which you will then be able to bulkimport easily.

Plus, doing things this way you will save any trouble trying to edit with Koha's editor.

As has been cautioned before (many times), Christine, please remember to keep your original (in this case OCLC) MARC records, as there are elements in MARC records which Koha does not currently handle correctly and some which it just plain ignores.

(Given your library type and depending on your long-term interest in keeping with Koha, Christine, you may well want to spend the time configuring Koha to include display of the MARC control fields it would otherwise ignore: see Thomas Dukleth's blessedly helpful explanation on this in the comments to the defining Systems Parameters section in Stephen Hedge's Koha User's Guide at
   URL <http://www.kohadocs.org/usersguide/ch01s03.html#lowtags> .)

> i'm pretty sure they're all sitting in the breeding area right now waiting
> to be uploaded,  (must i do this one at a time?)

I think it might be better to do it through running a bulkmarcimport script as I outlined above. (I think you might have to do them one at a time out of the breeding area: it has been a long time since I've looked at that, sorry.)

Hope this helps a bit.

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

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