Scope: This document outlines fast-cataloging procedures for eligible books across all LTS units. Before following the below steps, it is VITALLY IMPORTANT that staff make sure the books do not meet any of the Exclusion criteria outlined in Section A of LTS Procedure 3b, and that any pre-fastcat adjustments have been made if the book falls in any of the Special Considerations categories (section B) of that procedure. See also Distribution of Non-Fastcat Books after Receiving/Inputting (LTS Procedure #53) and Fastcat Cheatsheet.
Date last reviewed: 09/01/21
Date of next review: March 2022
I. Verifying Required elements in the Instance record: The following elements of the bibliographic information can best be verified either in the “Edit in Quickmarc” screen, or the “View Source” screen in FOLIO, both of which are available from the Actions menu of the Instance record. They can also be viewed in OCLC Connexion before exporting the record to FOLIO. Note: The Edit in Quickmarc screen should NOT be used to make any changes in the Instance record. If there is any inaccurate information, typos, or other errors in the record, the book cannot be fast-cat, and it should be routed to copy-cataloging with the appropriate information filled out on the flyer.
- Fixed Field info:
- Encoding Level must be: \, 1,4, 8, I, L, or M - the Encoding level is in the Leader field, and is usually the 18th character in the string.
- Descriptive cataloging form (or Cat. Form Description) – should be a, c, i, or blank - This byte is located next to the Encoding field in the Leader string.
- Language (Lang) – should match the primary language of the book
- Country of Publication (Ctry) – should match the info in the book.
- Publication date (Start Date) – should match publication or copyright date
2. English language-of-cataloging: check the 040 field in Quickmarc or View Source. The subfield ‘b’ in that field should either say “eng”, or be absent altogether.
Note: this field reflects the language that the book was cataloged in, not the language it was written in. For example, a Spanish (spa) language-of-cataloging record will have the word "paginas" instead of "pages" in the 300 field, or the subject headings may be in Spanish, etc.).
3. Full LC-Type call number
This can be determined in the Quickmarc/View Source screens by the presence of an 050, 090, or 950 field, with second indicator 0, OR in the main Instance pane, where the Classification identifier type will show “LC”, followed by the call number in the Classification field.
Quickmarc view:
Main Instance View (near bottom of screen):
Typically, an LC-type call number consists of separate components, (subfields “a” and “b” in Quickmarc/View Source), with the publication date OR conference date at the end. The following LC call numbers represent less typical formats and have a different appearance, but they are valid and can be used for fastcatting a book. If you have any questions about whether a call number is valid, or if you find multiple call number fields, or combinations of full or partial call numbers, consult your supervisor/trainer to determine how best to proceed.
Examples of unusual call numbers that are suitable for fastcatting:
BS2091.A1 2001 |b .P7
BS140 |b 2000
E527.5 |b 101st
PZ7.R1084 |b Cur 2007
QA251 |b .M15 v.57
4. Valid Subject Headings assigned by Library of Congress (LC).
In the Quickmarc or View Source screens, there should be at least one subject heading in a 600,610,630,650, or 651 field, with second indicator “0” (Zero).
EXCEPTION: Works of fiction such as novels, plays, poetry, or short stories do NOT require subject fields, and can be fastcatted if the records fit all other fastcat criteria.
NOTE: There may be other subject fields in the Instance record, such as 653 or 655, but these are not valid, and can cause confusion. If you have any questions about whether a subject is valid, ask your supervisor.
Descriptive information
The next several descriptive elements should be verified against the book in-hand. If any of these elements contains typographical errors or other inaccuracies, OR the editions don't match, do not fastcat. Instead, create a new record to match the book-in-hand, according to the inputting guidelines in LTS Procedure #3a .
5. Title Data: verify that the title fields match the book in-hand.
- In Quickmarc, the title information can be found in the 245 and 246 fields (for primary and alternative titles, respectively).
- Main title and alternative titles will appear in Resource title and Alternative title fields in the instance, respectively.
6. Identifiers:Verify that the ISBN, LCCN, or any other identifiers in this section correctly match the book in-hand. There is no need to verify OCLC numbers or System Control numbers if they appear here.
In Quickmarc, the ISBN will be in the 020 field, and the LCCN (if present) will be in the 010 field. In the FOLIO instance screen, they will each be listed as Resource identifier type:
7. Contributor(s): Verify that any authors or other contributors to the book are reflected accurately in the instance. In Quickmarc, contributors will appear in a 100 field (for primary author) or in 700 fields (other contributors, if applicable).
8. Descriptive Data: Verify that the Publisher, Place, and Publication Date fields match the book. In Quickmarc, this information will appear in a 264 field, or occasionally in a 260 field (for non-RDA MARC records).
9. Editions, Physical Description: Edition statement must match the book in-hand. See Edition statement examples if necessary to determine whether you have a different edition. Pagination, physical dimensions, etc. must also match book in hand. In Quickmarc, the Edition Statement and the Physical Description of the book occur in the 250 and 300 fields, respectively.
10. Vernacular script Information: Books written in non-Roman alphabets often have records which include bibliographic information in both transliterated form, and in the characters of the original language. The main resource title and other fields will appear in the transliterated/Romanized form, for example, and corresponding information in the original vernacular characters is listed as an alternative title. In the Quickmarc/View Source screens, the fields containing vernacular characters will be grouped at the bottom, in 880 fields . Each 880 field is paired with the corresponding bibliographic information in the standard fields above. In addition, there will likely be an 066 field, and the paired fields will also be denoted by a subfield 6 in the 880 fields, which is used for linking data at the head of traceable fields (see Quickmarc view below). If staff are familiar with the language in which the book is written, they should proof-read the material for errors in the same way they do the other information.
Instance View:
Quickmarc view:
II. Steps to Fast-cat the book: When you have verified that the record matches the book, perform the following steps to complete Fast-cataloging:
A. Instance screen:
- In the Actions menu of the Instance Record, select Edit.
- In the Administrative data section, enter the current date in the Cataloged date field.
- In the Instance status term menu, select Cataloged (folio:cat)
- In the Statistical Code section, enter the appropriate source of acquisition code for the book in-hand
5. Near the bottom of the Instance, locate the Classification section, and copy the call number from the Classification field. You will need to paste it into the Holdings record in a later step of the procedure.
NOTE: You can also copy the call number from the Quickmarc or View Source screen (050 or 090 field, occasionally in a 950 field), but you will have to DELETE subfields and spaces, so it's recommended that you copy it from the Classification field instead.
6. Click Save and Close.
B. Create or update the Holdings Record:
- After saving the changes to the Instance record, we'll move to the Holdings. If a holdings already exists for the piece in-hand, click View Holdings, then click on Actions → Edit. If no Holdings record exists yet for the book, click the large Add Holdings button instead. This will take you to the Edit screen of the new Holdings.
- In the Holdings Record, make sure the Holdings type is set to Monograph
3. In the Location section, select the appropriate Permanent Holdings Location, which should match the flyer in the book.
4. Also in the Location section, in the sub-section called "Holdings Call Number", set the Call number type to "Library of Congress classification", then paste the call number into the Call number field.
Note: if the book is OVERSIZE, fill in the the Call number prefix and Call number suffix fields as appropriate, following the guidelines in the LTS Oversize chart. If the book in-hand is an Added Copy, the Copy Number field will also need to be modified (See Procedure 4d)
5. Further down in the Holdings, locate the Holdings Notes section, and click Add Note.
6. Set the Note type to Transaction data, and in the Note box, enter the appropriate transaction information for Fastcatting (ttype:f), OR for Added Location (ttype:l) or Added copy (ttype:a) (see procedure 4d)
7. Make sure to check the Staff only box at the end, to suppress the transaction data from public view.
Note: If you also input the Instance record, create an ADDITIONAL staff-only Holdings note (Transaction data type), with the Inputting transaction type (ttype:i)
Macros: LTS has created macros to enter the above Holdings notes. To activate the macros, put the cursor in the Note field, and type in the appropriate command from the list below:
- · Inputting= ,,i
- · Fastcatting= ,,f
- · Added copies= ,,a (see procedure 4d)
- · Added locations= ,,l (see procedure 4d)
C. Creating an Item record
- After the Holdings for the book has been created, click Save and Close, and from the Instance in the 3rd pane, click the Add Item button.
- Barcode the item according to LTS procedure #15, and in the Item Record, enter the barcode number that you've attached to the book.
3. In the Item Data section, set the Material type to Book
4. In the Item Availability section, set the Permanent loan type to Circulating, UNLESS the book is for a Reference location, in which case it should be set to Non-circulating.
5. Click Save and Close.
D. Final Steps:
- Write the call number in pencil in the top left corner of the inside cover for hardcover books, or in the top left corner of the t.p. verso for paperbacks. Adjust as necessary. For examples of how to write call numbers in books, see Call number examples.
- Put all items on the appropriate trucks in the Cataloging or Physical Processing units.