SUNCAT: the Central Source of Serials Information in the UK

FIL Interlend, 05 July 2005 1

SUNCAT: the Central Source of Serials Information in the UK

SUNCAT: the Serials Union Catalogue for the UK

www.edina.ac.uk/suncat

FIL Interlend, 05 July 2005 2

Background

• UKNUC Feasibility Study - 2001

– Serials Report: Tony Kidd, Rob Bull

• SUNCAT Scoping Study - 2002

– Information Power Ltd.

• JISC & RSLP funded

• Purpose - to develop a UK Serials Union Catalogue

• Phase 1 – February 2003-December 2004

• Phase 2 – January 2005-December 2006

• Partnership between the University of Edinburgh, through EDINA, & Ex Libris

• Associate Partners - Cambridge, Glasgow, National Library of Scotland, Oxford

FIL Interlend, 05 July 2005 3

Project Management

• EDINA Co-directors of SUNCAT Project

Peter BurnhillChristine Rees

• Ex LibrisJulie BoothDominic Nast

• Steering Group (Chair Derek Law)

• Advisory Group (Chair Peter Burnett)

• Bibliographic Quality Advisory Group (BQAG)

FIL Interlend, 05 July 2005 4

Work Packages

– Project Manager:• Fred Guy

– Systems Librarian: • Morag Macgregor (EDINA)

– Bibliographic Work Package: • Natasha Aburrow-Jones (EDINA)• Moira Whitson (EDINA)

– User Requirements Work Package• Zena Mulligan (EDINA)• Liz Stevenson (Edinburgh University Library) • Advisor: Tony Kidd (Glasgow University

Library)

FIL Interlend, 05 July 2005 5

SUNCAT aims

• SUNCAT: primary aims– Location of serials, including information about

access– Source of high quality bibliographic records for

downloading to local catalogues

• Additionally - to raise consciousness of the importance of quality serials information among UK researchers and librarians

FIL Interlend, 05 July 2005 6

Contributing Libraries: Phase 1

British LibraryNational Library of Scotland National Library of Wales

Imperial College, LondonLondon School of EconomicsManchester Metropolitan

UniversityQueens University, BelfastUniversity of BirminghamUniversity of BristolUniversity of Cambridge University College, London

University of DurhamUniversity of EdinburghUniversity of GlasgowUniversity of LeedsUniversity of ManchesterUniversity of NewcastleUniversity of NottinghamUniversity of OxfordUniversity of SouthamptonUniversity of Wales, CardiffUniversity of Warwick

FIL Interlend, 05 July 2005 7

FIL Interlend, 05 July 2005 8

SUNCAT: How does it work?

• Centralised union catalogue

• Records stored in one large database

• Records deduplicated to view using Aleph functionality

• Records merged “on the fly”

• Complex matching algorithm

• “Preferred” record displayed

• Matching above format

FIL Interlend, 05 July 2005 9

FIL Interlend, 05 July 2005 10

How does SUNCAT obtain records?

• Dialogue between library and SUNCAT project team

• Contributing library ftps a file to SUNCAT

• Data specification is drawn up by the team, and approved by the contributing library

• Data is converted according to data specification

• Data is loaded into SUNCAT

FIL Interlend, 05 July 2005 11

SUNCAT: Phase 1 contributing libraries’ LMS

• Aleph

• Endeavor Voyager

• GEAC Advance

• Innopac

• Innovative

• Talis

• Unicorn

FIL Interlend, 05 July 2005 12

SUNCAT standards

• Entry standard

• Upgrading standard

FIL Interlend, 05 July 2005 13

User requirements - interface

• User requirements – display and functionality• Accessibility and Usability

• Aleph 500 already deployed for other union catalogues

• Dialogue with California Digital Library, and review of other Union Catalogue OPACs

• User testing – Focus group - Librarians– Individual sessions - Researchers & Academic

staff– Extended testing – Phase 1 Libraries

FIL Interlend, 05 July 2005 14

Electronic journals

• Increasing proportion of holdings are electronic

• Growing archives of back files

• Preliminary survey of current practice

• Single or separate records

• Access and holdings: subscription information

• Research undertaken

FIL Interlend, 05 July 2005 15

SUNCAT Phase 2

– Pilot service launched January 2005

– Coverage extended to include a further 60 libraries

– Range of library types extended to include special libraries, research collections

– Research and development work: ejournals

– Testing and development of interface

– Librarian’s interface

FIL Interlend, 05 July 2005 16

SUNCAT: The Librarian’s Interface

• Download

• Assisted matching

FIL Interlend, 05 July 2005 17

SUNCAT: Other developments

• Updates

• Notifications

FIL Interlend, 05 July 2005 18

SUNCAT: Conclusions

• “One-stop shop” for researchers and librarians

• Researchers – single tool for location of serials

• Librarians – central source of high-quality bibliographic records available for download; locate function for ILL

FIL Interlend, 05 July 2005 19

SUNCAT

SUNCAT Pilot Servicewww.edina.ac.uk/suncat

SUNCAT Project Websitewww.suncat.ac.uk

Zena [email protected]