Wk.+7a+System+Decisions


 * SELECTING YOUR CATALOGING SYSTEM**

Your activities this week will be divided into two parts -- a) -- selecting a system for entering MARC records that you will use for practice as well as assignments and b) using your new found (or old -- depending on your choice) system for cataloging practice. That is the 10.14b link.

You will begin turning in your cataloging exercises as files for me to grade. You have several choices for software that you can use to create your MARC records. This week you will want to get familiar with software that you will use to create MARC records for the rest of the course. You can use any system you would like -- **as long as you can export the records with the .001 extension. That is what I will need in order to upload your records into my system in order to grade your assignments.** > > >> @http://screencast.com/t/kuqnhWuq5v0 >> MARCle: @http://sourceforge.net/projects/marcle/
 * THREE OPTIONS**
 * 1) **YOUR OWN:** If you are already working in a library, you can use your system to catalog our assignments and export your files.
 * 1) **WINDOWS:** You can use Mitinet's MARC Magician Professional. This is a fantastic system to use for original cataloging because of the helps. However, it has become a problem for students who don't have easy access to Windows computers **because the software is Windows only.** The instructions for how to download the software is below.
 * 1) **WINDOWS OR MAC:** You can use Mitinet's BestMARC which is a Web version of cataloging software: http://www.best-marc.com/. It is free and you have full access to original cataloging at no charge.
 * 2) Once you are on the Web site you will need to create a free account.
 * 3) When you get through with your assignment, you will click "Finish." **You will NOT be able to reimport the records into BestMARC in order to correct a mistake should you see an error after you have gone through the finish process. You will need to redo the record and "Finish" it again.**
 * 4) BestMARC will request a Description and will process when the user clicks on the "Export Records" link. Once processed, BestMARC will provide a button that leads to the download center. Clicking on the download button will download the records to the browser's default location. The records can be uploaded to Blackboard.
 * 5) Anyone using MARC Magician can export and reimport your work with no problem. If you are on a Mac and using BestMARC you can export your records, but you can't reimport them. In order to see your work in another software I have been using MARCle to import your assignments and to grade them. If you want to see your records in MARCle, here is a brief screencast:
 * 1) NOTE: It seems that records can be imported into MARCle only once -- at least if there is a way to import the records more than one time I haven't found it yet.


 * THE REST OF THIS PAGE IS EXPLANATION FOR THOSE STUDENTS WHO CHOOSE TO USE MARC MAGICIAN PROFESSIONAL. If you are using your own library system or if your are using BestMARC, then you will not need to read any further. **

For anyone using this software, there are detailed instructions below on how to familiarize yourself with the software.
 * Mitinet's MARC Magician Professional**

1. Familiarize yourself with MARC Magician after downloading it and going through the tutorials. 2. Use the practice examples that you did at the end of chapter 3 (pp. 32 and 33) and enter them into MARC Magician -- or any MARC records and enter the information just to get a feeling for what the process is like. The authors mean by "traditional bibliographic style" that your record would look like a card from a card catalog. Not to worry about that. You will be entering the information in Mitinet in the manner in which the MARC fields are presented (as a list) and then you can double check your work in the format the "traditional style" (directions below) which is how the answers to the exercises are presented at the back of the text.
 * In order to get started you need to know where the information is entered into which MARC field. Page 112 has the list of common MARC fields we will be using.
 * On your practice sheets from the DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGING week, add the MARC field tag to the label. Enter the information from your practice sheet into Mitinet and see if your exercise looks the same as the answers starting on page 135.
 * When you call up a new MARC Magician record, all of the MARC fields will be there for your practice except the ISBN field. In order to add this field to your MARC record you will need to go to FIELD > ADD FIELD > 020INTERNATIONAL STANDARD BOOK NUMBER. With the addition of this field you will be ready to practice with the examples starting on page 32.
 * In order to view the MARC record in the "traditional style" that the answers to the exercises present, in MARC Magician go to RECORD > SHOW RECORD VIEWER > CARDS. This will give you a catalog card view of the exercise.

The instructions for downloading the software are below. Since the access key is so long, you may want to copy it and paste it in after you have downloaded the file.
 * GETTING ACQUAINTED WITH MITINET** **-** Practicing with tutorials.

The answers I would give to the questions you are asked after downloading the software:
 * THE KEY FOR OPENING MARC MAGICIAN PROFESSIONAL IS POSTED ON THE COURSE DOCUMENTS SECTION OF BLACKBOARD. **
 * 1) Easy Entry
 * 2) Select a catalog at your school or just one from the list -- you won't be transferring these records, thus it won't make any difference.
 * 3) Basic - Active error checking

After downloading **MARC Magician Professional 2011, there is one change I would like you to make in the program.** To set the number and type of subject heading fields 1. On the File menu, click Options. The Options window appears. 2. Click the Template tab. 3. Set the number of subject heading fields: 3; your assignments will always have a minimum of three subject headings -- they won't always be topical headings: what the item is about (650); they may be names of people who are subjects in the item being cataloged -- biographies are one example (e.g. J. K. Rowling) (600) or geographic places (e.g. England) (651) but by making three subject headings the default it will remind you that you will need three subject entries. Your assignment can have any assortment of subject entries but you will need three as a minimum. 4. Set the subject heading type: Select the subject authority list you use in your library. Choose: Sears specified in subfield $2 5. Click OK to close the window and save your settings.



Spend this week going through tutorials at the **bottom of this page** <[]. [Link updated 1 October.] The tutorials are PDF files. You may work differently but I had to print out the tutorials and go through them line by line.
 * Getting Started with MARC Magician Professional
 * Tutorial 1: Cataloging Basics
 * Tutorial 2: Editing Records
 * Tutorial 5: Working with Record Viewer

You may look at any and all of the tutorials, of course. The four listed above will cover all of the issues you will have with MARC Magician for the rest of the course.