RE: SCAT Tables vs. Call Numbers

[CSeeman@xxxxxxxxxx]

Joan -- 

The section in the Release 2001 users manual that explains SCAT Tables
is at Page # 101831.

If you have not maintained your SCAT tables, the values that might be
the ones that were in your system when you implemented.  The SCAT
categories are (ideally) distinct call number ranges that are used in a
number of reports on the system:

1. Statistical Reports (in Management Information) can sort through
review files or ranges of records and sort them out by where their SCAT
category.  

2. Call Number circulation statistics are also recorded as items are
checked out.  The INNOPAC/Millennium machine tracks the SCAT Category
number at the time of the transaction, so if you change or add to the
categories, you might be invalidating the previous results.  

If you are using the original SCAT categories, they probably will not
work for your library.  Given that you are a health library, you might
want to further subdivide the sections to make the call number
categories more useful.  

For example, if you were the Baseball Hall of Fame, a good percentage of
your collection would fall between GV860 and GV878 (or thereabouts).
Since that whole range would probably be in one of the default
categories, it would give you reports that would not break down the call
number ranges as narrow as you might want.  So if you break them down (I
am making these numbers up...and simplifying them for the sake of
example):

GV860-GV864 --> General Baseball History
GV865 --> Baseball Biography
GV866-GV869 --> Baseball Technical
GV870-GV878 --> Team and League Histories

etc. and so on.  This way, your statistical reports would break down the
categories to give you more narrow and useful information.  Also if your
collection circulates, you can get an idea of which items move more than
others.

I have gone on and on...but hopefully I have answered some of your
questions.

Best -- 

Corey Seeman
University of Toledo





-----Original Message-----
From: Daghita, Joan (OD/ORS)
To: 'INNOPAC@xxxxxxxxxx'
Sent: 1/31/2002 12:50 PM
Subject: SCAT Tables vs. Call Numbers

		We at the NIH Library in Bethesda, Maryland, are running
Release 2001 and are a Millennium Library.  However, we have not
maintained
our SCAT Tables and are now thinking about reinstating them but before
we do
so, we would like to know the advantages and/or disadvantages in using
SCAT
Tables  vs. call numbers to create statistical reports?  We would also
appreciate knowing what other uses SCAT Tables have?  

		Joan M. Daghita
		NIH Library
		Bethesda, MD
		Phone:301-594-6211
		Fax: 301-402-0254

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