Connexion

Connexion allows you to add and extract records from OCLC Union Catalog, i.e., WorldCat. As of December 2006, WorldCat includes more than 73 million bibliographic records, 1 billion individual holdings, and 41,550 participating libraries.

At Yale, client is configured to export records in Unicode character encoding. "WorldCat supports cataloging in the Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, Cyrillic, Devanagari, Greek, Hebrew, Japanese, Korean, Latin, Tamil and Thai scripts."

Some tricks: search OCLC number from any search field by preceding with # sign; In all indexes, colon means keyword, while equal sign means left-anchored phrase (and use truncation). Alt-Delete deletes an entire field; edit-->Cancel changes brings it back. Control-E to invoke diacritics chart. SRA suggests using Connexion key mapping feature (rather than macro-express Scope tab) to make the same as Voyager. Derive record: Tools-->Options-->Derive record, to add 050 and 090 to list. Then Edit-->Derive new record-->Fixed fields transfered? Yes-->Make edition specific changes.
Control headings and assign call number on master record. These changes do not require enhance status. Do this, and then replace, before making local changes that will apply only to institutional record.

(This is where it starts getting interesting)

Possible to extract metadata from Web page. Cataloging-->Create-->Extract Metadata. Enter URL in text box. Quality of record dependent on quality of HTML markup.

Constant data. What is it? For fields that you use all the time, e.g., "Theses". If catalog lots of DVD's, than consider constant data record including all fixed field data. Cataloging-->Create-->Constant data-->Workform type (doesn't matter unless includes fixed field data)-->Action--Save record to online file. Use initials to make it name unique e.g., "thesis-dl". And "dsl" in "my status".

To generate constant data from pre-exisisting record try: Edit-->Derive-->New Constant data record.

Macros are related, allow you to string together commands, e.g., control headings + save record + export record. Constant data can be assigned to key stroke not directly but via macro. Need something open on screen. Tools-->Macros-->Manage-->New Book ("MyMacros")-->Record-->Name: "Thesis"-->applies thesis CD-->Edit-->Constant data-->Apply-->by name-->Apply macro to keystroke.

What about "text string". E.g., 949 fields, including some kind of Voyager processing instructions? Tools-->Text strings-->Add/Modify text String-->Includes bib references--504 Includes bibliographic references. (Insert blank line above. Indicators must be integers or spaces. Consider also initials).

The OCLC Research division develops tools for mining and repurposing the huge WorldCat database. A couple of blogs from research scientists are particularly worth tracking, e.g., Lorcan Dempsey's Weblog, Tom Hickey's Outgoing, Eric Childress's It's All Good, and Hanging Together (from assorted RLG Programs staff)