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From Many, One: Building the Catamount Library Network Catalog

NETSL Conference 2014 Lightning Talk By Tom McMurdo, Vermont Department of Libraries. From Many, One: Building the Catamount Library Network Catalog. Almost no direct funding of local libraries by the state. Local interest takes precedence. Multi-library cooperation is limited.

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From Many, One: Building the Catamount Library Network Catalog

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  1. NETSL Conference 2014 Lightning Talk By Tom McMurdo, Vermont Department of Libraries From Many, One: Building the Catamount Library Network Catalog

  2. Almost no direct funding of local libraries by the state. • Local interest takes precedence. • Multi-library cooperation is limited. In some ways Vermont is like the wild west.

  3. Multi-library shared catalog. • 1stconsortium in Vermont with user-generated holds and shared policies across libraries. The Catamount Library Network (CLN) began with high ambitions:

  4. VTLIB staff consult daily with CLN libraries. • VTLIB wanted to start a democratic, member-driven consortium in VT with user-initiated holds and shared policies across libraries. The Vermont Department of Libraries (VTLIB) was big part of the team that created the CLN and we act as consultants to the CLN Board of Directors. This is an ongoing commitment.

  5. Fines are the same across libraries. • Circulation times for items are the same – except for items that only circulate locally. Shared policies means surrendering local control to the organization as a whole.

  6. Fears about small libraries collection-raiding large libraries. • Concerns about increased transit costs. • But the library directors were willing to try. User-initiated holds are a big step in Vermont, as no one has done this for a multi-library consortium.

  7. What strategies would work? The CLN directors were on board, but we needed buy-in from catalogers and other staff at the member libraries.

  8. Wiki-type discussion board. • In-depth discussion of issues apart from meetings. • Ameans of inclusion for new members. We chose Basecamp as our project management software based on my experiences with previous projects.

  9. Single point of responsibility for each library. I asked that each library provide a “supercataloger” who is responsible for all cataloging at their library.

  10. Catalogers have their own space for specific issues. • Separate from the Board of Directors. I also started the CLN Catalogers Group - a group that meets monthly, frequently online.

  11. This was the big step. • Made the group independent. • Now led by Jill Chase, Cataloger at Waterbury Public Library. CLN Catalogers Group After a few months of me leading the Catalogers Group, I asked that one of the catalogers take over as leader.

  12. The catalog has as many as 36,000 bib records that have duplicates in the catalog. The Catalogers Group recently took on a big issue: how to deduplicate the CLN catalog.

  13. This weak matching causes duplication when adding records from a new library. • Consequently, the CLN catalog accumulated duplicates as we added libraries. Koha matching based on ISBN is limited to a single number, either 10 or 13 digit. Parenthetical information in the 020 field can prevent matches.

  14. The other choices: an automated deduplication or an expensive one-time full-catalog processing. Each has serious drawbacks. The Catalogers Group reviewed the options, debated the potential ramifications of each, and made a clear recommendation to the CLN Board: hire a person to deduplicate the catalog part time.

  15. Yes. The Catamount Board of Directors accepted the recommendation of the Catalogers Group for deduplication.

  16. These things achieved the buy-in I hoped for at the beginning. • Still a young organization, but off to a good start. Democracy Works! With a member cataloger at the helm, and with me acting as consultant, the Catalogers Group is now a strong, independent part of the CLN.

  17. For more information about the Catamount Library Network, visit the CLN website: http://www.catamountlibraries.org/ Feel free to contact me with questions: thomas.mcmurdo@state.vt.us

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