CCS News November 30, 2012

CCS News
 
NOVEMBER 30, 2012

FROM THE COMPUTER ROOM:
NOTICES – Notices were changed this week so that the Zip Code is in compliance with US postal regulations.

CLOSED DATES – the table of closed dates where items should not become due has been updated. Be sure to check your holiday dates in the Symphony policy tables.

ANNIVERSARY – We congratulate Bob Barth on 25 years with CCS. We have been fortunate to have his consistent, patient and ever-so-knowledgeable expertise through these many years from the early days of Geac/CLSI and Symphony to the present.
                   
AUTHORITIES NEWS:
This week was a busy week of loading Marcive files. Two files were loaded into our system . One contained 4891 updated authority records and the other contained 307 new authority records  that were needed in our database, but were not available before this time.

In the file of updated authority records, there was a large number of heading changes that can be attributed to RDA (the new cataloging rules that more and more bibliographic & authority records are using).

So, what does this mean to your catalog? You’ll be seeing a lot more headings  like “Harris, Andy (Writer on food and travel)” or “Russell, Vince (Comic artist)” that include parenthesis with author descriptions in it.  Headings that used to include titles of nobility and rank are not going to be included now, so the English poet and novelist, Sir Walter Scott, his new heading is “Scott, Walter, 1771-1832” (don’t worry, there are references that will get you from the old heading to the new one). Another big heading change which shows that ranks are not used, but relationships like “Jr.” can be used now. It’s for the science fiction author, L. E. Modesitt – his new heading is “Modesitt, L. E., Jr., 1943-“

Once the software catches up to RDA, you will also be seeing public notes that will give a short biographical note or a short corporate history. Here’s one that was added for Jack Benny - “Jack Benny (1894-1974) was an American comedian, vaudevillian, and actor.”

As for recent subject heading changes?  “Voodooism” is now “Vodou”.


Virginia Seward
CCS Authorities Librarian

CCS MEETING NEXT WEEK:

Thur., 12/6, 9:30, CCS: Long Range Planning