[IUG] IUG: bib call numbers vs. item call numbers

[Joan Pirie <jopirie at vassar dot edu>]

We are a "vintage" site which has historically stored call number data in 
the bibliographic record, only storing item level call numbers when we have 
either 099 call numbers for a local collection, or perhaps an analyzed 
monographic series with x-links between the serial record and the related 
monographic record.

Over the past year or so we have done a number of inventory projects (not 
using the III inventory module) and barcoding projects, each of which 
required output of call number data into a database.  The records in which 
we  have multiple call numbers (paper serials with microtext backfiles, or 
the examples listed above), created a quality-control nightmare with large 
numbers of records which had to be manually massaged to get the output we 
were looking for.

My question is:  would our lives have been better if we stored all call 
numbers in the item records as well as the bibliographic records?  Will 
this create a problem with the WebOPAC display?  And, if we should move to 
including call numbers in the item records, is there a painless way to 
input that data (the only batch process I can think of is to "modify group" 
for serial titles, leaving many thousands of monographs to be slogged 
through one-by-one).

Also (assuming we move to item call numbers), should we index both, or rely 
on the indexing of the bib call number (to avoid multiple false hits in the 
WebOPAC?), and just use the item call number for data display and output 
purposes?

Any advice would be appreciated!







Joan Pirie
Head of Cataloging
Vassar College Libraries
Box 295
124 Raymond Ave.
Poughkeepsie, NY 12604-0295
845-437-5778
845-437-7128 (fax)