Resources - Metadata Workflows and How-To's

• Metadata in the WRLC Training Sessions 2022
• How to relink holdings records
• How to link and unlink bibliographic records from the NZ
• How to create new bibliographic records in the Metadata Editor
• How to merge bibliographic records
• Best practices for local extensions (local fields) in NZ-linked records

Metadata in the WRLC Training Sessions 2022

Session 1 | What you need to know (WRLC Overview)

Presented by Jackie Saavedra, WRLC, on October 18, 2022

Session 2 | Meet Alma (Introduction to the Alma ILS)

Presented by Jen Froetschel, GW, on October 25, 2022

Session 3 | Using the Metadata Editor

Presented by Robert Bratton, GW Law, on November 1, 2022

Session 4 | Advanced Alma Tools

Presented by Matthew Bright, GW, on November 8, 2022

How to relink holdings records

There are two different ways to relink a holdings record; either through an Alma search or in the Metadata Editor.

Alma Search

1. Search for the record either using a Physical Titles or Physical Holdings search in Alma
2. Choose View to view the holdings record you wish to relink
3. Choose Relink at the top right-hand corner
4. From here, you will be taken to the Metadata Editor. Follow steps #3-8 under the Metadata Editor section of this page.

Metadata Editor

1. Open the holdings record you wish to relink in the Metadata Editor.
2. Choose Record Actions > Relink to a different record
3. A Relink Holdings page will appear on the right-hand side of the Metadata Editor. From here, you can search for the bibliographic record you would like the holdings record to be linked to. You can search in the Institution or Network Zone. Please note that you can search by OCLC number via the System Number field. You CANNOT search by MMS ID.
4. A list of matches will appear on the right-hand side of the Metadata Editor. Choose Relink to relink your holdings record to the new bibliographic record.

How to link and unlink bibliographic records from the NZ

Linking bibliographic records to the NZ

1. Open the bibliographic record in the Metadata Editor. If the record only exists in your Institution Zone, a house icon will appear under the title of the item.
2. Choose Record Actions > Share with Network
3. If there are no matches found in the Network Zone, the record will be linked to the NZ and be released from the Metadata Editor.
4. If matches are found, a pop-up will appear giving you the option to view all matches in the NZ, or push the record to the NZ. It is best practice to choose Yes and view all matches in order to avoid duplication in the NZ. Matches are found using the Match Profile Configuration (for more information on WRLC's policy, see Match Profile in the Metadata Editor.)
5. A list of matches will appear in the Metadata Editor on the right-hand side. If you find an exact match (same OCLC number for example) for the item you are cataloging, choose the Link option. For more information on single match points in the WRLC Network Zone, see the WRLC policy on Bibliographic Utilities and Duplicate NZ Records.
6. If you do NOT find an exact match from the list, choose Record Actions > Share with Network again, and this time select No when prompted to view relevant matches.
7. Your record is now linked to the Network Zone, and an NZ icon will appear under the title of the item in the Metadata Editor.

Please note that when an IZ record is linked with a pre-existing NZ record, the NZ record metadata overlays the IZ record metadata; no merging occurs. The only metadata in the IZ record that merge into the NZ record are local extensions.

Unlinking bibliographic records from the NZ

1. Open the NZ record in the Metadata Editor. If the record is linked to the Network Zone, an NZ icon will appear under the title of the item.
2. Choose Record Actions > Copy to Catalog. This will create two separate bibliographic records; one that is in your Institution Zone only, and one that is in the Network Zone. The NZ copy no longer has any affiliation with your IZ. Please follow WRLC policy to delete the remaining NZ record.
3. Your record is now unlinked from the NZ. A house icon will appear under the title of the item, signifying it is in the IZ only.

Linking & unlinking in batch

You can both link and unlink records from the Network Zone in batch by running an Alma job on a set of bibliographic records; you must have the Catalog Manager or Catalog Administrator role. Below are the two jobs that you can run on a set:

• Link a set of records to the Network Zone

Link local records to records in the Network Zone. See Copying and/or Linking Local and Network Zone Bibliographic Records.

Parameters:

Serial/Non Serial match method – To perform matching on the records, select one of the matching methods. See the matching parameters and options below. Leave these parameters blank to contribute all records to the Network Zone.

Serial / Non Serial Matching Parameters

Parameter	Options
Serial match method	024 / 035 Match Method 001 To MMS_ID Match Method ISSN Match Method (exact subfield match) ISSN / 024 / 035 Match Method ISSN (exact subfield match) / 024 /035 Match Method Unique OCLC Identifier Match Method ISSN Match Method LCCN Serial Match Method 035 (Other System Identifier) Match Method When you select this option, you may also specify a prefix (in the System Identifier Parameter) upon which to match records. Fuzzy Serial Match Method
Non Serial match method	024 / 035 Match Method 001 To MMS_ID Match Method ISBN Match Method (exact subfield match) ISBN / 024 / 035 Match Method ISBN (exact subfield match) / 024 /035 Match Method Unique OCLC Identifier Match Method ISBN Match Method LCCN Match Method 035 (Other System Identifier) Match Method When you select this option, you may also specify a prefix (in the System Identifier Parameter) upon which to match records. Fuzzy Serial Match Method

These matching parameters and options are similar to the ones used for import. See Match Methods – Explanations and Examples for more information.

Ignore resource type during matching – Use this option to enable matching for a set of records without consideration for the resource type (that is, ignore the Serial match method and Non Serial match method parameters). 

Contribute IZ records – Select this parameter to contribute non-matching records only. If you are not performing matching, you must select this parameter; and all records are contributed to the Network Zone.

Please note that when an IZ record is linked with a pre-existing NZ record, the NZ record metadata overlays the IZ record metadata; no merging occurs. The only metadata in the IZ record that merge into the NZ record are local extensions.

• Unlink a set of records from the Network

Unlinks bibliographic records identified by a specified a set (All titles, Physical titles, Electronic titles, or Digital titles) from the Network Zone.

This job takes no parameters.

Unlinking records from the Network Zone creates two separate bibliographic records; one that is in your Institution Zone only, and one that is in the Network Zone. The NZ copy no longer has any affiliation with your IZ.  Please follow WRLC policy to delete the remaining NZ record.

How to create new bibliographic records in the Metadata Editor

1. Open the Metadata Editor.

2. Choose Records on the top left-hand corner, then choose New > Placement Options.

3. Choose the location of new records (whether IZ-only or liked to the NZ). Then click Save; this setting will be saved until you change the setting again.

4. Choose New > MARC21 Bibliographic > Books (Default)

Please note that the IZ and NZ icons next to the Books (Default) templates does NOT signify the location of the new record; the icon only signifies which template you are using - either the book template saved in the IZ, or the book template saved in the NZ.

The MARC21 Bib Book template in the NZ (the one with the NZ icon) is the out-of-the-box template from Alma. If you would like to see more about creating record templates in Alma, see the Working with Record Templates page.

5. Edit the new record, then click Save.

How to merge bibliographic records

Alma provides the ability to merge two bibliographic records in the Metadata Editor. This is helpful when catalogers identify duplicate records.

For more information on duplicate records in the WRLC Network Zone, see the WRLC policy on Bibliographic Utilities and Duplicate NZ Records.

Please follow WRLC policy on editing NZ records when merging records linked to the Network Zone.

You can merge two bibliographic records only when BOTH records are Institution Zone records, or BOTH are Network Zone records. You CANNOT merge an Institution Zone bib record with a Network Zone bib record. In this scenario, it would be better to link the IZ record to the NZ record.

1. Search for the duplicate titles in Alma. Push the bibliographic records to the Metadata Editor.

2. Open the Metadata Editor. Now both records are listed on the left-hand side.

3. First click on the primary record from the left-hand side. The record should now be open in the Metadata Editor.

In this scenario, the primary record is the record with the LEAST COMPLETE metadata. For more information about primary and secondary records as they pertain to merging, please see the Knowledge Center page on Primary Records.

4. Then select the split-screen editor button, and open the secondary record.

The secondary record should now be on the right-hand side of the screen, and the primary record should be on the left-hand side of the screen.

5. Choose Record Actions > Merge & Combine

6. In the pop-up window, choose the WRLC CONSORTIUM NZ / IZ Overlay all fields but local for Integration Profile, Import Profile, Combine and Merge Inventory merge routine. You can either Show Merge Preview, or go ahead with the merge by clicking OK.

This specific merge routine replaces the primary record (the one with the least complete metadata) with the secondary record, save for a few fields. For more information on this merge routine, please see the WRLC Merge Rules page.

7. Both records have now been merged. All inventory (holdings and item records) has been combined and attached to the newly merged record.

Best practices for local extensions (local fields) in NZ-linked records

Local extensions are local fields that can be added to NZ-linked bibliographic records. These fields are marked by a house icon in Alma. 

Specifically, you can enter local information in the MARC 21 77X/78X, 09X, 59X, 69X, and 9XX fields.

The fields only appear to your specific Institution Zone; they do not appear when other institutions are viewing the NZ record. 

Local extensions can be added to NZ-linked records either in the Metadata Editor, or in batch via a normalization rule, import profile, or MARCedit.

Adding local extensions in the Metadata Editor

After opening an NZ-linked record in the Metadata Editor, choose Editing actions > Add local extension to enter a local extension in the bibliographic record.

Although not visible in the Metadata Editor, please note that the $$9 local subfield is automatically created and stored in the cached record. This subfield will appear in the local extension when exporting the MARC record from Alma.

A local extension should NOT be added to a record using the Editing Actions > Add field function, and then adding a $$9 local to the field. This will result in a false "local" field that is actually viewable by all institutions.

Adding local extensions via normalization rule / import profile / MARCedit

Local extensions can be added in batch to NZ-linked records using a normalization rule, an import profile, or MARCedit as long as it follows these guidelines

• Can only be a 77X/78X, 09X, 59X, 69X, or 9XX field
• Must add a $$9 local (although not visible in Alma, the $$9 local subfield is stored in the cached record)

Non-local fields (those without a $$9 local) CANNOT be added to NZ bibliographic records in batch in an Institution Zone by any method

Resources

Alma Knowledge Center > Adding Local Extensions to Bibliographic Records in the Network Zone

Alma Knowledge Center > Working with Normalization Rules