SUBJECT: CAT DATEs in OSCAR bib records
DATE: 1999 Nov. 17
FROM: Noelle Van Pulis, Catalog Maintenance & Authority Control
TO: Collection Managers
This information is provided to increase your awareness of the meaning of various regular and special cataloging dates (CAT DATE) in OSCAR/FELIX bibliographic records. In the past, special dates were not recorded in one place, or not at all, and over time the meaning of some dates has been lost.
OVERVIEW
For records exported from OCLC, the CAT DATE is added during edit through field 949 0.
For records loaded from YPB, the CAT DATE is added during processing on OSCAR.
For records loaded from tape or ftp files, a CAT DATE is set for the group prior to loading.
Many special cataloging dates for projects are Sundays or holidays, to exclude regular work.
The CAT DATE serves several purposes, allowing collection of records to:
- report statistics for cataloging production or special projects
- perform rapid updating
- set OCLC holdings for exported records or those brought via ftp, such as GPO
- create new book booleans
- send records out for authorities processing
For ongoing cataloging returned from authorities processing, the CAT DATE is re-set as the last day of the month for the original date of cataloging (e.g. May1-30, 1997 now = May 30, 1997).
| mm-dd-99 | current cataloging (including special loads such as GPO and ERIC) |
| 03-15-94 | Full bib records brought from old system, LCS, to OSCAR |
| 03-16-94 | Full bib records brought from old system but updated by authorities processing |
| mm-dd-94 | Other records loaded at time of transition from LCS to OSCAR |
| 01-01-97 | retrocon, analytic "unique matches" |
| 01-05-97 | retrocon, analytic "non-unique matches" |
| 09-13-98 | retrocon, machine conversion by EKI/TALX (171,000+) |
| 09-27-98 | retrocon, manual conversion in-house (30,000+) |
| mm-dd-98 | retrocon, various special dates for major microform sets or other groups |
| Sept. 1997 | Last CAT DATE for records returned from former authorities vendor, BNA |
The big bang of bibs
The transition from our old system, LCS, to OSCAR, which came up live in Sept. 1994, resulted in most bibs having a CAT DATE in 1994 (as well as CREATED dates seen in update mode).
| 3-15-94 | Most full bibs from LCS, NOT CHANGED by authorities processing |
| 3-16-94 | Most full bibs from LCS, UPDATED by authorities processing |
| x-x-94 | Other records from LCS (e.g. 07-04-94) |
Ongoing cataloging
For newly processed materials, the CAT DATE is usually the date of actual cataloging. This date is retained in field 910, with the cataloger code when one is used.
- OCLC bib is exported (xpo), CAT DATE added to bib using field 949 0.
- OCLC bib is loaded from YBP, CAT DATE added during edit on OSCAR.
- Loaded from tape, CAT DATE usually = date of the load (weekly for OSUL)
- Loaded from ftp file, CAT DATE usually = date of the load (e.g.GPO, ERIC), but could be a special date for a particular group of records.
Retrospective and other cataloging
Special dates have been chosen to enable collection of records, e.g. databases analysis/update, to send for authorities processing, identify them for statistical purposes, or create new book lists.
Dates assigned in the past few years for retrocon generally have been assigned to avoid collection in the new book boolean but ensure collection for later authorities processing.
A blank CAT DATE will prevent a bib from being selected for regular routines.
As stated above, special dates usually are selected as being on a Sunday or holiday. Some microform groups have a single CAT DATE which might be a regular workday, but would not fall in the new book boolean at the time it was chosen.
Questions
Queries about CAT DATEs in bib records should be directed to Noelle Van Pulis, Catalog Maintenance and Authority Control (vanpulis.1@osu.edu; 292-1629; 4-0942).
Page last modified: 8 November 2011