Voyager/GFA Development Project Working Group
Minutes - December 3, 1999

Present: Susan Currie, Diane Hillmann, Linda Miller, Pat Schafer

One of the working group's goals is to develop with Endeavor and GFA an efficient, automated method for location changes for items as they are transferred to and from the Library Annex. Since we also want to ensure that we develop a method that will not compromise other activities in the Library, we invited Diane Hillmann to the meeting to discuss her concerns with Endeavor's proposal to use the permanent location, which resides in the item record, to change locations.

Diane suggested that Endeavor's definition of "location" is ambiguous. First, there is the location in the 852 MARC field. Second, there can be a permanent location in the item record. Third, there can be a temporary location in the item record. Unless an item is transferred to a truly temporary place, Diane argued that the best approach would be to change the location in the MFHD, not in the item record using the permanent location approach as suggested by Verne Copi at our meeting on September 15.

Diane's major concern stems from the amount of record importing and exporting Cornell does. Normally, records exported to exchange partners contain only the 852 location information and nothing from the item record. A record with one location in the 852 and another in the item record permanent location field could, for instance, be exported to RLIN and display a different location than the one in Voyager under the scheme proposed by Endeavor. Diane indicated that this would make interlibrary loan more problematic, and preclude the use of RLIN as a backup when Voyager is down. The proposed Endeavor approach means increased maintenance at the item record level. Linda Miller suggested that multiple volumes and serials would present even more problems, since the permanent location would reside in every item record attached to the title, not just once in the holdings record. Diane pointed out that a considerable amount of library material is transferred from library to library at Cornell in addition to the amount to the Annex.

All agreed that the OPAC display and efficiency of location changes should not be the only issues driving the location change piece of the development project. Pat said that she would convey to Verne our interest in addressing the current rigidity of the MFHD. Diane pointed out that a solution to this problem would clearly be of use to other libraries.

Pat said that she would brief Lynne Personius on our discussion. The next meeting will be December 10. The topic will be "our next step."

Pat Schafer
Chair