HIGHLIGHTS:

RLIN Record Loads. Most law libraries are weekly contributors of their ongoing cataloging.

Summary Holdings. RLIN encourages libraries to send US MARC holdings data with our RLG records. Libraries that cannot export holdings in the MARC format should follow a consistent alternative, such as sending non-MARC holdings data that can be mapped to RLIN holdings.

MARCADIA & Law Reclass. Now that RLG has loaded Yale Law’s reclass records, MARCADIA could be useful to other libraries doing reclassification projects. Cornell has also loaded a large number of reclassed records. MARCADIA uses a Z39.50 client to search the RLIN database in a batch mode, according to library-specified criteria, and combines records found with the customer library’s local data. MARCADIA can be a very useful tool to law libraries that are reclassing to LC. The library can limit searches to specified libraries and take the call number data only.

Notable customers include Harvard, Columbia and Cornell. At Harvard Law Library, records identified as matches are manually reviewed prior to loading; even with the manual routine, the process is speeded up a lot by MARCADIA’s automated record retrieval. Columbia’s Butler Library, on the other hand, automatically overlays the entire bib record without a manual review.

Format Integration. Format integration allows the assigning of primary and secondary format characteristics (e.g. book and CD). Cornell and Boston University are among the libraries that assign the secondary code where applicable.

856 Second Indicator. RLG expects to implement the new indicator values by the end of November 1998.

Authority Record Enhancements for NACO Participants. RLIN is providing enhancements that include templates, CRE* from Authority records, and the ability to generate an authority record from a heading. These will certainly make life easier for catalogers who are NACO contributors.

Z39.50 Client Uses for Technical Services. RLG is developing Z39.50 client gateways for the Deutsche Bibliothek Database (DBD) and for CURL (Consortium of University Research Libraries) Union Catalogue (CUC) in the UK, offering access to millions of additional bibliographic records. The gateway is a virtual extension of the RLIN database; records are not actually loaded on RLIN. Access should begin to be available September 1 on all RLIN accounts. The DBD and CUC databases will be offered for selection as we now select BKS, SER, etc. Tech services staff will be able to transfer records, and do CRE* within RLIN. Record transfers (Pass and Put) will cost more than RLIN database records because RLIN is being charged licensing fees. Zephyr access to the CUC and DBD for libraries that have their own Z39.50 clients is expected to be made available in Fall 1998; Eureka access will follow sometime later.

Future RLIN Meetings at AALL. There was a discussion of reorganizing and rescheduling RLIN-related meetings, including the RLG meeting on Saturday mornings and the RLIN committee that normally meets at 7 a.m. during the week. It was clear that the committee meeting should not be combined with the Saturday RLG meeting because of the conflict that already exists with the Innovative Users’ Group meeting. There was sentiment in favor of trying to hold a longer RLIN Committee meeting (combining elements from the RLIN Forum), but in a more convenient timeslot than 7:00 a.m., possibly on Sunday.