Evergreen

Bug #1353036
Comment #8

Comment 8 for bug 1353036

Revision history for this message

Elaine Hardy (ehardy) wrote on 2020-01-08:

Yes, that is how OCLC has their internal TCNs work regardless of how you access WorldCat. However, OCLC adds the prefixes and the initial zeros to their TCNs when a record is imported from WorldCat, either through the Z39.50 gateway or batch loads from WorldCat. It is not added by Evergreen. As far as I know they always have. Any ILS I have ever worked in has always used the prefixes and has never filtered them out in a search. The 035 retains the original format of the TCN.

Most Evergreen libraries are not OCLC libraries. Any library (including LC) that allows Z39.50 access to their database can be a target source. Many Evergreen libraries have multiple sources. Although most libraries use the Record/database ID assigned by Evergreen as their internal TCNs, LCCNs can be TCNs, so it is possible for the LCCN to be an Evergreen library's TCN. LCCNs, at least older ones, can have letters and backslashes.

PINES' only source of bib records is OCLC. Unfortunately, we still have records from member libraries' prePINES days that are not OCLC records and have various prefixes and formats.

The TCN search in the Z39.50 interface was originally intended for searching OCLC only, since PINES just uses them as our bibliographic utility. I know this because I requested that it be included when it was not in an early design and had to explain why we needed it. Early designs of the interface did not include being able to overlay from within the interface and did not search the local catalog.

Given that the record TCN is either the Evergreen assigned ID or the source supplied TCN per the MARC 035/001 switcheroo, I don't know that the TCN search is intended to simultaneously search the local catalog and the Z39.50 source since chances are they won't be the same number, especially given any added prefixes required by the source as per OCLC. If you want to search both WordCat and your local catalog at the same time, I suggest using another search or combination searches. Unfortunately the locally displayed TCN is the Evergreen supplied Database/record ID. However, you can look at the local MARC record and get the OCLC based TCN from the 901 field. You can then mark the local record as the overlay target, pick the matching OCLC record by that TCN and overlay. Given that there are reasons why your local record might not be the one identified by your staff member search of WorldCat (way too many duplicates in OCLC now and merged records in OCLC might have a different TCN than yours), searching using other search fields would allow you to find a local record a TCN search might miss.

Most Evergreen libraries are not OCLC libraries. Any library (including LC) that allows Z39.50 access to their database can be a target source. Many Evergreen libraries have multiple sources. Although most libraries use the Record/database ID assigned by Evergreen as their internal TCNs, LCCNs can be TCNs, so it is possible for the LCCN to be an Evergreen library's TCN.  LCCNs, at least older ones, can have letters and backslashes.

PINES' only source of bib records is OCLC. Unfortunately, we still have records from member libraries' prePINES days that are not OCLC records and have various prefixes and formats.

The TCN search in the Z39.50 interface was originally  intended for searching OCLC only, since PINES just uses them as our bibliographic utility. I know this because I requested that it be included when it was not in an early design and had to explain why we needed it. Early designs of the interface did not include being able to overlay from within the interface and did not search the local catalog.

Given that the record TCN is either the Evergreen assigned ID or the source supplied TCN per the MARC 035/001 switcheroo, I don't know that the TCN search is intended to simultaneously search the local catalog and the Z39.50 source since chances are they won't be the same number, especially given any added prefixes required by the source as per OCLC. If you want to search both WordCat and your local catalog at the same time, I suggest using another search or combination searches. Unfortunately the locally displayed TCN is the Evergreen supplied Database/record ID. However, you can look at the local MARC record and get the OCLC based TCN from the 901 field. You can then mark the local record as the overlay target, pick the matching OCLC record by that TCN and overlay. Given that there are reasons why your local record might not be  the one identified by your staff member search of WorldCat (way too many duplicates in OCLC now and merged records in OCLC might have a different TCN than yours), searching using other search fields would allow you to find a local record a TCN search might miss.