MARCIVE Newsletter
February 2001
Top Seven Customer Service Questions
Big Change to Format of LCCNs Implemented Jan. 1, 2001
Research Service Questia Media Relies on MARC Records from MARCIVE
Notification Service Distributes Pinyin Romanization Changes
Academic Library Reclassifies from Dewey to LC During Shelflist Conversion Project
Use Documents Without Shelves to Enhance your Collection
Welcome to the Spring Depository Library Council Meeting
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MARCIVE Celebrates 20 Years of Providing Bibliographic Solutions to Libraries
We always say we have been providing bibliographic solutions for over 20 years because the original MARCIVE services started out at Trinity University here in San Antonio in the 1970s. However, the actual incorporation of the company as separate from Trinity occurred in 1981. And we have been growing ever since.
Our first services were based on timely computer processing of MARC records, and that concept remains the same. Many of those original services are still available including production of catalog cards and book label sets.
Thanks to the suggestions of our customers, we have developed many more useful and affordable bibliographic services, notably the products related to the MARCIVE Enhanced GPO Database. The marketplace has also been showing us the way to the web. In response, MarciveWeb SELECT has transformed the way our customers obtain traditional services such as MARC records, smart barcode labels, and other cataloging products.
1 9 8 1 - 2 0 0 120
YEARS OF SERVICE TO LIBRARIES
MARCIVE, INC.
When asked why MARCIVE has been so successful for so long, President Robert Fleming said, "I believe our success is directly attributable to our customer service. We always strive to provide the best service to our customers and that also means we have to be good listeners. All of our services are constantly being changed to meet the needs expressed by librarians." Three of the four founders of our company are still active in the company's operation: Robert Fleming, President; James Plaunt, Vice President; and Richard Smith, Systems Manager. Several customers who used our services in 1981 are still our valued customers, although the services they obtain are quite different today. In 1981, the most popular services were catalog cards, microfiche and microfilm catalogs, and book catalogs. Today's customers are more likely to want MARC records (including records for audiovisuals, which is a service that was not available at the beginning), authorities processing, and specialized services for US government document cataloging.
We appreciate your business and hope that you will continue to contact us with ideas to make your job easier and satisfy your patrons.JM
Special thanks to customers who were with us then and now:
Central Texas College, Killeen, TX
Cochise College, Douglas, AZ
College of the Mainland, Texas City, TX
Houston Public Library, TX
Lee College, Baytown, TX
Saint Mary's Univ., San Antonio, TX
Saint Philip's College, San Antonio, TX
San Antonio College, TX
Trinity Univ., San Antonio, TX
United States Air Force libraries
Univ. of Houston, Clear Lake, TX
Wharton County Jr. College, Wharton, TX
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San Francisco CA: NCNMLG/MLGSCA
Medical librarians in California, Nevada and Arizona, we look forward to seeing you February 8-9.
Denver CO: Association of College and Research Libraries
From March 15-17, academic librarians will have an excellent opportunity to learn how to add Table of Contents (TOC) data to their MARC records, economically and conveniently. Booth #204.
San Antonio: Texas Library Association
From March 28-30 marketing and technical staff from MARCIVE will be waiting to meet with you in booth #2419 (thats in the Convention Center Exhibit Hall, not on the Riverwalk!)
San Antonio: Depository Library Council
We want to welcome all depository librarians to our hometown. Further details will be posted on MARCIVE_GPO and on our website closer to the date (April 2-5). We also plan to sponsor the reception that will be held at San Antonio Public Library. See you there!
Coming to San Antonio for a conference?
Send an email to info@marcive.com if you would like us to mail you a copy of our "Welcome to San Antonio" sheet, loaded with insider information about where to find food, drink, music, books, history, and fun.
Be sure to include your address!
Welcome to San Antonio!
Orlando FL: Medical Library Association
Visit Mickey, Minnie, and MARCIVE while you are in town May 26-29. We're the ones in booth #333.
We are also proud to be a sponsor of the Hospital Library Section Colleague Connection, Monday night 5:30-7:00 pm. Looking forward to this opportunity to see you!
San Antonio: Special Libraries Association
From June 9-14 please drop by booth #732 for information on how we can help you make your collection easier to navigate. We also have tips on navigating the Paseo del Rio!
San Francisco: American Library Association
If you are going to both SLA and ALA (June 16-19), don't even bother going home. We'll see you on the flight from San Antonio to San Francisco.
Minneapolis MN: American Association of Law Libraries
July 15-17
are the dates for this year's meeting of the AALL.![]()
Top Seven Customer Service Questions
1. Does MARCIVE work with purchase orders?
Yes, MARCIVE does work with purchase orders. MARCIVE will accept a blanket purchase order which covers a certain period of time. We accept monthly purchase orders and we accept purchase orders on a per order basis.
We can also establish a deposit account by billing your library for the amount of the purchase order. This is especially useful if your library has difficulty paying small invoices. Each month you will receive a statement showing how much money was used up that month.
2. How can I get more "hits" for my videos?
Are you seeing records from the Professional Media Services Corporation A/V Access® database when you search? If not, you may wish to e-mail Customer Service at custserv@marcive.com and ask if you are profiled for this. Please be sure to give us your four-letter MARCIVE library ID code and library name when submitting a request in writing. You can e-mail Customer Service to request that this database be added to your profile.
When you do a search on the title "Thomas Crown affair", you should see five titles designated PMSC. If you do not see these titles, you are probably not profiled for the A/V Access® database. There is no charge to add this database, however there is a surcharge of $0.75 when you do use one of these records.
3. Why do I get a "Data Missing" error message?
MarciveWeb SELECT
is designed for you to use the buttons within the program. The program needs to keep track of which screen you are on and how you got there in order to respond correctly. If you hit the browser's BACK button, the "Data Missing" error message will appear.4. Why didn't I receive a call number on my cards and/or labels?
Is your profile set up to give call numbers?
Was there a call number in the record when you selected the record on MarciveWeb SELECT? If no call number appeared in the correct field, did you supply your call number in the local call number box?
If you are a medical library, are you profiled to receive the "R" LC call number? If you opted not to receive the "R" call number, was this a title for which the call number did begin with an "R"?
If you are unsure, please e-mail or call Customer Service.
5. Is there a manual for MarciveWeb SELECT?
MARCIVE does not have a manual for MarciveWeb SELECT as there are HELP buttons on all screens in the program itself. If you need to, you can print this information and put it in a binder for reference.
6. I thought I submitted my order, but have not received anything back.
Did you click "Submit Order", or just end your session?
You have to hit the "Submit Order" button for the order to be sent to MARCIVE for processing. (Continued on next page)
You will actually have to hit the Submit Order again after it asks you if you want to use an optional batch ID. Then you will have to click on OK where it will say the order has been or has not been submitted to MARCIVE for processing. You can end your session to save all work if not ready to submit.
If a book jobber submits orders for you, has the jobber submitted your order to us?
If you have not received an order from MARCIVE that you are expecting from your book jobber, please call your book jobber to make sure the order has been submitted.
If the book jobber says the order has been submitted, please do not hesitate to call our Customer Service and ask if the order has been processed and shipped. If it has been shipped and you still have not received it, MARCIVE will use UPS tracking to find your order.
7. How can I change my profile?
You can change your profile by simply submitting in writing your request. This can be e-mailed to custserv@marcive.com or faxed to 210-646-0167. Include your library name and four-character library ID.
Then, before submitting your next order, be sure you have a confirmation from Customer Service stating your change has been made.
If you did not see your question here, please contact Customer Service at custserv@marcive.com or 1-800-531-7678.
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Big Change to Format of LCCNs Implemented Jan. 1, 2001
Most people did not experience many Y2K glitches when 1999 became 2000. However, librarians are in for some potential difficulties when 2000 becomes 2001 because of the format of the Library of Congress Control Number. LCCNs with two-digit years have been used since 1898. When 1998 came along, LC postponed the problem by simply using a higher range of numbers to avoid duplication with numbers issued 100 years earlier. Now however LC is dealing with the issue.
According to a Technical Notice issued November 2, 2000:
The Library of Congress has announced previously (see http://lcweb.loc.gov/marc/lccn.html) a planned restructuring of the Library of Congress Control Number (LCCN) for newly assigned LCCNs. As of January 1, 2001, all newly assigned LCCNs (fields 001 and 010 in records distributed by CDS) will contain a two-character alphabetic prefix, a four-digit year portion, and a six digit serial portion. The number of characters in the LCCN will remain the same (12), but the trailing blank or supplement number will be discontinued. Previously assigned LCCNs will not be changed to the new structure, and update records will continue to be distributed in the old style LCCN.
| Example Title |
Year of publication | LCCN as it might appear on the piece or in a catalog | How you type search requests | How you enter 001 and 010 fields (original cataloging) |
| Women's college and college life in America | 1898 | c 98-398 | c 98-398 | _ac 98000398 |
| Land settlement in the Transvaal | 1902 | agr03-903 | agr03-903 | _aagr03000903 |
| Anoka-Champlin area | 1970 | gm 72-1458 | gm 72-1458 | _agm 72001458 |
| Spaces in European cinema | 2000 | 00-702340 | 00-702340 | _a 00702340 |
| AHS plant guide | 2001 (cataloging begun in 2000) | 00-58933 | 00-58933 | _a 00058933 |
| Made-up future example | 2001 | 2001-555555 | 2001-555555 | _a 2001555555 |
The important thing to remember is that the LCCNs for old titles (cataloged by LC before 2001) have not changed. If you are entering cataloging for an older title, you still enter it with the two-digit year and everything else, just as you have always done. If you are working with a title that LC cataloged after January 1, 2001, then you copy the LCCN as they create it.
You need to pay attention to the LCCN as you see it because LC may have created a CIP record prior to January 1, 2001. For example, LC has created a prepublication record for the book AHS good plant guide. It has an LCCN of 00-58933, indicating that it was cataloged, albeit minimally, prior to January 1, 2001. When LC creates a full cataloging record for this work, published in 2001, it will still have the old LCCN of 00-58933. Don't try to change the format of the LCCN.
What does this mean to MARCIVE cataloging customers?
When submitting search requests or searching the MarciveWeb SELECT database, use the LCCN as you find it, or you may retrieve incorrect records.
When creating original cataloging or creating a new cataloging record from an old one, enter old LCCNs according to the old rules and new LCCNs according to the new rules.JM
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Research Service Questia Media Relies on MARC Records from MARCIVE
Not every customer of ours is a library; some customers provide services to libraries. The newest is Questia Media, a Houston-based company with something rather different to offer. Like libraries, however, they have to keep track of large numbers of books for which they use a MARC-based integrated library system. We were intrigued by the company's need to do a large Brief Record Upgrade project (over 200,000 titles to start) and then high-volume daily cataloging (transmitting lists of ISBNs to us, receiving MARC records back the next morning).
Dr. Carol Hughes, Director of Collections Management for Questia, agreed to answer our questions.

Dr. Carol Hughes
1. First of all, what does your company do?
QuestiaSM is the first online subscription-based research service that provides undergraduate college students unlimited access to the full text of tens of thousands of scholarly liberal arts books and journals. A wide range of tools is available to help students write and research better papers, faster and more efficiently. The research tools allow students to quickly locate the most relevant information on their topics, automatically cite sources and instantly format bibliographies.
2. What do you do with the MARC records we provide you?
We need MARC records to form the basis of our internal inventory system which runs on SIRSI. Our SIRSI database feeds an Oracle database that is the repository for bibliographic data used by both our own internal processing units and our service.
3. Why did you choose MARCIVE?
We chose MARCIVE because my past experience with the company was very favorable in terms of speed and cost of service and company responsiveness. We aimed toward finding "acquisitions cataloging" for quick throughput of titles into our service. We did some large record upgrade projects in the summer. Now we send ISBN numbers to MARCIVE for overnight processing of records.
As a commercial enterprise we require speed in processing, including the profiling and change processes. MARCIVE can respond to our need.
4. How much of your staff time is dedicated to this project?
We now have one systems staff member and one cataloger who work with preparing and receiving our files for MARCIVE processing. Staff time is minimal because we rely on automated routines for generating ISBN lists.
5. How effective has the service been for you?
I feel you can really emphasize the strength of your database for English language publications. We get over 80% of our titles matched with the overnight ISBN service. It is invaluable.JM
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Notification Service Distributes Pinyin Romanization Changes
When the Chinese language is transliterated into Western characters, a number of rules about characters, syllables, and diacritics for common words and proper nouns have to be followed. For over a century, the Library of Congress has adhered to the set of rules called Wade-Giles.Last year the Library of Congress switched from the Wade-Giles romanization system to the pinyin system. The People's Republic of China had adopted pinyin over 40 years ago and most of the rest of the world followed suit. Here in the United States, scholars, journalists, and some US federal agencies have used pinyin for several years.
In conformity with LC practice, most US libraries had been using Wade-Giles and millions of existing bibliographic records reflect the old system. This disparity between what library users see in the library catalog and what they see in the newspaper, hear on television, or read in scholarly publications has been confusing.
Now that Library of Congress has converted to the pinyin system, it is distributing authority records to help libraries make the change in an automated way.
Pinyin Romanization (Continued from previous page) If you have an existing database with headings that have been transliterated under Wade-Giles, you can send your database to us for authorities processing and have the recognized headings brought into conformity with pinyin.
Those of you who chose to have MARCIVE perform authorities processing on your backfile and then elected to maintain the work through Notification Service are ahead of the game. We will automatically send you the revised authority records relevant to your collection. Depending on your local system capabilities, you can then load the records and have the changes performed automatically.
If I don't catalog in Chinese, why should I care?
Even if you do not have a single book in Chinese, you probably have books by Chinese authors or about Chinese persons or places. New records that you receive will not collocate with these authors or topics.
The most obvious example is Mao, Tse-tung (the Wade-Giles transliteration). The new form in pinyin is Mao, Zedong.
All new records distributed by LC will conform to pinyin and so, if you do not change existing records, you will have two different transliterations representing the same heading.
How can I tell if my records are transliterated using Wade-Giles or pinyin?
It's very easy. For the most complete information, go to the Library of Congress web site
http://lcweb.loc.gov/catdir/pinyin/difference.html
Their rule of thumb: if you see syllables beginning with the letters B, D, G, Q, R, X and Z, it's pinyin.
Will MARCIVE transliterate the descriptive cataloging to pinyin as part of authorities processing?
No. We do not have the facilities to change the cataloging copy. The only change we can make is that if Library of Congress has released an authority record with the new pinyin form, we upgrade the heading to the new form.--JM
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Academic Library Reclassifies from Dewey to LC During Shelflist Conversion Project
Wallace Community College (WCC), which has its main campus in Dothan, Alabama, chose MARCIVE to perform retrospective conversion of 35,000 titles in preparation for their libraries' implementation of the Endeavor Voyager automation system. The primary output of the conversion project was MARC bibliographic records, smart barcode labels, and matching authority records. For those collections that were still in Dewey Decimal Classification, MARCIVE also produced new book labels with Library of Congress call numbers so that the libraries could have everything classified in LC. Book labels were printed in Dewey order to make locating the books easier.
Over the last few years, other academic libraries have also made the decision to reclassify their collections from Dewey to LC: Texas Lutheran University (Seguin TX), Regis College (Weston MA), Lancaster Bible College (Lancaster PA), Tennessee Wesleyan College (Athens TN), Naval Education and Training Center (Newport RI), Albertus Magnus College (New Haven CT), Northwestern Michigan College (Traverse MI), Louisiana Tech University (Ruston LA), and Fort Hays State University (Hays KS).
We asked Megan Johnson, Director of the Learning Resource Center System at Wallace Community College, to discuss their project with us. Here are her answers to our questions.
1. What was your primary goal in undertaking this project?
The LRC System at WCC needed to do a complete reclassification from Dewey to LC on the main part of the collection in the shortest amount of time but with accuracy. We also had to do retrospective conversion of the whole collection to MARC format for our new automation/networking system. This all needed to be done in a short turnaroundapproximately 3-6 months.
2. Why did you decide to use MARCIVE for the project?
The project was bid as per law. MARCIVE offered the best bid, especially within the time frame we had to work in and the services offered.
3. How much of your staff time was involved in preparing for this project?
Two librarians from the Wallace and Aviation campuses, three LRC assistants (full-time), and four part-time personnel assisted in the preparation for this project over one year. The work included a complete inventory of books at all locations, cleaning up problems, and getting the shelflist ready to ship to MARCIVE.
4. What would you tell other librarians who are considering this service?
Several things would lead me to recommend MARCIVE to others, including: 1) The staff were great to work with. They were courteous, prompt, and always available to assist when we had questions or problems. 2) Although we haven't had time to review all the data, the entries appear to be quite accurate based on the information that was sent to them and was done in a timely manner from June to October [2000].
5. If you had the project to do over again, what would you have done differently?
The only thing that I would have done differently was to have completed the bid process sooner so that the project could have been completed sooner. We had no control over that hitch.JM
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Use Documents Without Shelves to Enhance your Collection
Depository librarians have long been aware of the vast amount of useful information available in government documents but are often frustrated by the lack of knowledge about them even on their own staffs. In recent years, efforts to exploit documents to their full potential have been realized by including cataloging records for them in the librarys online public access catalog (OPAC).
Many library users search the OPAC by subject, and are often unaware that they need a document title for their research unless an index or a catalog leads them to it. Finding a citation for a document title is usually something that happens by serendipity rather than by careful searching.
Rather than "preach to the choir" by talking about the importance of federal documents cataloging for depository librarieswed like to point out the relevance of this information for libraries that are not depositories.
Budgetary restraints have crumbled many libraries book acquisitions, meaning catalogs can be frozen, reduced, or completely cut off at various times. But campus departments such as engineering, business, and medicine rely heavily on the availability of current information. What can be done?
The amount of full-text federal government information on the Internet is increasing daily, as the Government Printing Office (GPO) has accelerated towards their goal of an all-electronic format for the majority of government documents. Thus, the importance of having cataloging records in the OPAC with links to these documents is paramount. Federal document titles can help fill a gap in the collection, or strengthen it in an area by providing a reliable source of comprehensive and up-to-date information that is free of charge in most cases.
Cataloging records with URLs or PURLs (web addresses) are available from various sources, but much time is needed from library staff to first identify the need for different sources, find cataloging records for them, and then modify the records to meet the needs of the online system. The availability of these records in an automatic, carefully tailor-made way can be provided through MARCIVEs Documents Without Shelves service. Libraries can identify what broad areas (e.g., Agriculture, Education, Criminal Justice) they need to develop by providing to us information about what agencies publish the types of materials of interest. For example, a library may ask us to provide any record with a URL or PURL from the U.S. Dept. of Justice (i.e., choose records with SuDoc numbers beginning with "J") or just for certain sub-agencies within this department (i.e., choose just those records with SuDoc numbers beginning with "J 28" for the National Institute of Justice). A library with a criminal justice department would want to receive all records with URLs/PURLs from this department; a library with more general programs may want to limit to sub-agencies.
An example of a record of general interest from the National Institute of Justice would be
WEB ACCESS: http://purl.access.gpo.gov/GPO/LPS2993
SUDOCS #:
J 28.15/2-5:
TITLE:
Annual report on cocaine use among arrestees
PUBLICATION INFO:
Washington, DC : U.S. Dept. of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, National Institute of
Justice, 1999
The patron clicks on the URL and is led to this document on the Internet. The document can be read at that time, or (depending on library equipment) can be printed, downloaded to diskette, or sent to the patrons email address. The library does not have to physically own (and pay for, shelve) this document! In this way, the collection is greatly expanded to include sources that they could not otherwise afford, or have space to maintain.
Let us supply new cataloging records (and replacement records, if desired, which can reflect changes made, including corrections to URLs or additions of PURLs) every month, selected to your librarys collection development needs, and customized to the specifications of your online system with an annual subscription to Documents Without Shelves for only $1,325/yr. Please contact Joan Chapa to receive the paperwork to begin a subscription. --JIC
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Welcome to the Spring Depository Library Council Meeting
In addition to meeting in Washington DC every year, the Depository Library Council also meets once a year "on the road." This gives members of the federal documents community outside the Washington area who might not be able to travel very much a chance to attend the meeting. This year the Council meets in San Antonio, April 2-5! As noted earlier in this issue, we will be sponsoring the reception being planned at the San Antonio Public Library. We have also prepared a guide to where to go and what to
San Antonio Public Library is the site of the DLC reception.

Most attendees will be staying at the Four Points Sheraton on Riverwalk North.
do while you're in San Antonio. Send a message with your mailing address to
info@marcive.com if you would like us to send you a copy in advance.Since this is our home town, we expect to offer some tours of MARCIVE during the meeting. Details are still being worked out, but we look forward to having a chance to see some of you at our office.JN