The development and provision of the Jisc Library Hub Cataloguing service has now been brought in-house. This will allow integration of the Cataloguing service with other new developments as the NBK continues to evolve into the future. We appreciate the work OCLC has put into the previous version of the Cataloguing service during the initial NBK development period. For any library whose data has been synchronised with WorldCat via the NBK, this will continue for coming months and we will report separately on the ongoing discussions with OCLC.
We have sent access details to all NBK contributors and other users of Library Hub Cataloguing. If you have any questions please get in touch at nbk@jisc.ac.uk
Our terms of use are available at: https://cataloguing.libraryhub.jisc.ac.uk/about/#terms-of-use
New Cataloguing Database
The new Library Hub Cataloguing service uses an un-deduplicated database and the records are provided in the form supplied by the original library. This means you can assess the source of the data effectively and it removes the complexities of trying to merge variable records with the potential to introduce duplication of content or other data problems. The records are sorted in order of ‘quality’, with more complete records and those with fewest potential errors towards the top of the result set. This provides a choice of records for those that want this, whilst also providing a ‘good record’ for those that simply want a single record from any source. Adding search preferences, eg records from particular libraries, can help tailor your search results.
New facilities
We have introduced a number of changes to the search facilities, with additional search options and more flexibility. We are also now reporting potential errors in each record to assist seleection.
New search options
In both the Web and Z39.50 interfaces there are a range of new search options and in some cases searches may now include a wider range of content. Some of the new options that may be of interest include:
- Dewey Decimal Class: you can search by Dewey Decimal number, including subclasses, eg 330.973. (Note that not all records contain Dewey numbers.) You can search for a range of numbers, eg: 330-333 will find all numbers in this range, such as 330.015195
- MARC field tag: this returns records that contain a specific MARC tag or combination of tags. You can include subfields by entering them immediately after the field code, eg 600e, 490x. You can also search for records with a specific type of 880 eg 880245You might find the MARC field search helpful if you are particularly interested in ensuring that records include certain material specific fields, such as a 254.
- Search keys: we have introduced three search keys that you may find useful for efficient searching of older materials. The options are:
- Author-Title 4-4 key eg: For “The heretics : a novel / by Humphrey Slater” use the key SLAT-HERE
- Title 3-2-2-1 key eg: For “Trade policy review. The Republic of Iceland / General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade.” Use the key TRA-PO-RE-T
- Personal name key eg: For “William Dean Howells” use the key Howells-WD
You will find more information about search keys and other search options in the Advanced search help: https://cataloguing.libraryhub.jisc.ac.uk/support/search-help/advanced-search.html
MARC errors/warnings
Where we have identified an error, or potential issue, in the MARC structure of a record this information is now included in a 933 field.
- In the web interface you can see any MARC error reports listed below the record in the full record display.
- The 933 field is included in the record export for both the web and Z39.50 search so that the information is available through either interface.
The 933 and 856 are the only local fields included in the MARC export. Details of the error checks currently being used are given in the ‘viewing records’ help: https://cataloguing.libraryhub.jisc.ac.uk/support/search-help/viewing-records.html
Z39.50 access
- Whether the increased range of Z39.50 searches are available to you will depend on the way access has been established in your local Z39.50 client. The searches are detailed at: https://cataloguing.libraryhub.jisc.ac.uk/support/api/
- In a Z39.50 search the query will no longer be rejected if an unsupported attribute is included. Instead the query will use the default values, which will often mean a keyword search. So if you get an unexpected search result you could first check the attributes being used in your search.
Data export
Data can be requested in either MARC exchange or MARCXML. The character set used is UTF8.
Feedback/Questions
We expect that all aspects of the service, including the quality measures and MARC error checking, will evolve over time as we carry out further testing and respond to your feedback.
There is a feedback questionnaire accessible on the Library Hub Cataloguing website and we will be interested in any comments you may have about the service.
Alternatively, if you have any questions or comments about the Library Hub Cataloguing service please contact nbk@jisc.ac.uk.
