Overview: This document outlines the ways in which Cornell’s Voyager records are reflected in the OCLC WorldCat database starting in January 2020, when cataloging activities moved from Voyager to OCLC Connexion.
Unit: Cataloging and Metadata Services
Contact: Laura Daniels
Date last reviewed: 9/29/2020
Two main things to remember:
(1) Changes to OCLC records are not automatically made to the corresponding records in Voyager. Import/merge to update the record in Voyager.
(2) There must be a one-to-one correspondence between the Voyager bib ID and an OCLC record #.
(3) Cataloging is now done in OCLC and pushed into Voyager.
- Record of record for holdings, items, local data = Voyager
The CUL database of record is Voyager. Local and copy-specific notes will only be found there. Updates to the bibliographic data, such as added contents notes, changes or additions to publication statements, or updated access points, should be made in OCLC and the same changes made to our local version of the record. It will often be easier to edit the record in OCLC and then "merge" in Voyager.
- Records created in Voyager are no longer sent to OCLC
Batch processing will send our holdings only back to OCLC, not the MARC records. If you have a record started in Voyager, you can export it to OCLC, open it in the local save file, and work from there. (exporting records from Voyager to OCLC)
- Only one OCLC 035 per monograph bib record
If you are working on an existing OCLC record and then decide that a different OCLC record is better for your purposes, and overlay the first record with a second record, you will have multiple, different 035s on your bib. You have to delete the ones that are not your intended match. Multiple 035 subfield z’s and 019s are fine, but if you have two or more OCLC 035s subfield a’s, the machine will make the choice of which to attach Cornell’s holdings—and you may not like the machine’s choice,
- OCLC has some different encoding levels
Our E/Lev 7 is OCLC’s K. Full catalog records in OCLC are coded I or blank, depending on their authentication (e.g., pcc).
- In Voyager, use MARC number encoding level codes
In Voyager, you must change the E/Lev in Voyager from an OCLC letter code to a MARC number code. The LTS statistics code does not count your original cataloging statistic 948:1 : if the E/Lev is an OCLC letter. (However, if you give yourself a copy stat in the 948:1 : $b c, you can use any code and the stats program doesn’t care).
- Some records in Voyager get replaced
Any Voyager record coded 3, 5 or 8 will eventually be completely replaced in Voyager if the record becomes full in OCLC. We run queries of all our E/Lev 3, 5 and 8 records against WorldCat and bring in any records coded blank, 4, I or (recently) M. Your record will be completely overlaid. A Voyager record coded blank or 7 is more protected, but it will still be subject to changes if the record in OCLC is updated.
- FAST comes in automatically
If a record in OCLC starts life with LCSH (either your original-cataloging LCSH or on copy), OCLC will run the record through its FAST converter program and add FAST to match the existing LCSH. Then OCLC tells us that the master record has changed. Batch Processing goes and gets the FAST from OCLC and adds it to the Voyager record. Batch Processing refers to this service to our Voyager records as “WorldShare” from a feature of OCLC’s WorldShare suite of products. The FAST operation at OCLC also tells us about changes to its vocabularies, and we periodically perform Voyager maintenance based on lists of new FAST changes.
- LCSH may come in automatically
If a record in OCLC starts life with FAST, but some member library adds LCSH, OCLC tells us that the master record has changed. Batch Processing goes and gets the LCSH from OCLC and adds it to the Voyager record.
- LC call numbers come in automatically
If a member library adds an 050 to an OCLC master record that didn’t have a call number before, OCLC tells us. Batch Processing goes and gets the 050 from OCLC and adds it to the Voyager record.
- 880s come in automatically
If our Voyager record does not have 880 fields for parallel scripts, but the OCLC master record gets them, we add 880 fields to the Voyager record. This is a scripted job that Batch Processing runs manually.
- Duplicate contents (505) and summary (520) fields
If you merge an OCLC record onto a Voyager record, some of our Voyager fields are “protected,” meaning that they won’t be zapped in the merge. If your Voyager record has a 505 or a 520, and the OCLC record also has a 505 or a 520, after the merge, the Voyager record will have both the 505/520 it started with, AND the 505/520 that the OCLC master record has. Choose the one you want. Delete the other.
- Authority control in OCLC
If there is an authority record behind an access point in OCLC, that access point can be “controlled” in OCLC (either manually or, to a limited extent, automatically). Then whenever the authority record changes the string in the 1XX, the controlled heading in OCLC automatically changes. This does not automatically update the record Voyager.
- Authority control in Voyager—different!
In Voyager, changes to authorized access points happen through a different workflow that is based on a weekly report of everything that has changed in the entire NAF. We load the changed NAF records and then run programs to update the records in Voyager. Our changes to fields under authority control in the Voyager record do not change anything on the OCLC record.
- OCLC to Voyager cut-and-paste macro
Use this macro to cut-and-paste from OCLC into Voyager without correcting every delimiter from double-barred pipe to Voyager's double dagger. Start by configuring your OCLC. Log into OCLC and go to the area called User Tools in the upper left area. (If you can't see your UserTools, go to View, Toolbars, then add QuickTools by clicking). Click on Manage in the pull-down menu. Click on the radio button Macro. Find Miscellaneous!Copy_to_Voyager, then Assign the Miscellaneous!Copy_to_Voyager to Tool 2 (or some other number if you have already assigned 2 to something else.)
Then put your User Tool 2 in a quicker, easier place on OCLC: Go to Tools - > Toolbar Editor. Scroll down until you see the big blue 2, ToolsUserTools2. Catch the big blue 2 with your mouse and drag it up to your toolbar.
To use this macro, highlight text that you want to copy in OCLC. Do not hit control + S the way you usually would to cut. Instead, hit the big blue 2. Then go to Voyager and press control + V as you normally would to paste. The OCLC text will appear with the right delimiters. [Does not work well with CJK/other scripts].