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Statewide Catalog Development

Statewide Cataloging ShelvesThe Statewide Catalog Development department catalogs items for libraries that receive a grant to add their holdings to WorldCat, an international database that includes over 80 North Dakota libraries.  Libraries who add their holdings to WorldCat provide access to their library collections via the Internet twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Becoming part of WorldCat will enrich educational opportunities by providing efficient and economical access to millions of books, videos, sound recordings, etc.  By including your library's collection in the WorldCat catalog, your library becomes an integral component to the overall enrichment of North Dakota citizens. 

Since 1998, the Statewide Catalog Development Department has cataloged over 542,000 items for 58 libraries. The North Dakota State Library wants your library to be an integral component to the overall enrichment of North Dakota citizens.  For more information, please check out the tabs above and the grants page of our website.  If you have any questions about the Statewide Catalog Development Department or the grant process, contact the North Dakota State Library at 1-800-472-2104 or 701-328-2492.

Statewide Cataloging PhotocopyWhen a grant round begins, any interested library needs to contact the State Librarian or the Assistant State Librarian to obtain more details about the grant requirements and the deadlines associated with the grant round.  If the library receives a grant, information will be mailed to the participating library explaining the cataloging process, which is called retrospective conversion.  The State Librarian and the Head of the Statewide Catalog Development Department will also conduct an initial site visit to discuss the retrospective conversion, and to answer any questions posed by the participating library staff. After the initial visit is conducted and all the necessary paperwork is completed, the retrospective conversion is ready to begin.

A library who receives a grant will make a long term commitment to remain in WorldCat, to participate in the interlibrary loan program, to add all of their new materials to WorldCat, to withdraw discarded material from the WorldCat database and to participate in the statewide contract for the Online Library Resources.

Each project will be unique because the process depends on what circulation system the library chooses.  WorldCat is an online catalog only and doesn’t include a circulation system.  The cost of the circulation system is the responsibility of the participating library and is not covered by grant funds.  The options available are explained below.

  1. Library already has a circulation system
    • If you already have a circulation system that you are going to keep and have all of your materials already cataloged into it, it may be possible to send all your bibliographic records to OCLC and set holdings in WorldCat as a batchload process.  (Set holdings means attaching your new OCLC code to the bib record in WorldCat so that your library name will appear in the list of libraries that own a certain title.) 
    • This process involves some paperwork and possibly some cleanup in your local system before the records are sent to OCLC, but the bulk of the work is then completed by a computer process.
    • The only titles that have to be cataloged one by one are the ones that the batchload process couldn’t find a match for in WorldCat.  These could be things like cookbooks created by local civic groups.  If there isn’t a record in WorldCat for the cookbook, it will get rejected by the batchload process and will have to be finished as part of the cleanup stage.  The batchload process works best if your records are already in standard MARC format, so each library’s records will have to be evaluated.  Also, the system you are using must be able to export the records to OCLC. 
    • Once the retrospective conversion is complete, the participating library has some choices as to who catalogs their new titles in WorldCat.  The participating library can choose to make photocopies of their new titles and send them to the State Library.  State Library staff will catalog into WorldCat and send the bibliographic records chosen to the library.  The participating library will then enter the records into their local automated system so that WorldCat and the local system are always in sync.  Another option would be to have the participating library do their own cataloging.  To do this, the librarian must have formal cataloging training and receive CatExpress training from the State Library.
  2. Library is thinking about purchasing a circulation system
    • If you are currently using a manual checkout system but wish to become automated, you should take time before the grant round even begins to research different products, meet with your board, secure funding, weed your collection and make an informed decision.  It is in your best interest that the product you choose be compatible with MARC records from OCLC.  Importing records into the system chosen will be done in tandem with the WorldCat project.
    • The participating library will supply the Statewide Catalog Development department with bibliographic information, usually in the form of photocopies of the title page and verso of their items along with the call number they have chosen. From these photocopies, the Statewide Catalog Development Department will search the OCLC database to find a bibliographic record that matches the title, author, copyright dates, edition, page numbers, etc. of the book the library owns. When a matching record is found, the catalogers set holdings in WorldCat for your library and export a copy of the bibliographic record to a CD disc.  The State Library will then send the CD discs to the participating library and the participating library staff will import the bibliographic records into their local software and follow the procedures of their software to complete the cataloging process.  This usually consists of adding an item record which has the barcode number of the item, the copy number, the length of time it can circulate, etc.
    • Once the retrospective conversion is complete, either the State Library can continue to catalog into WorldCat and send the bibliographic records to the library; or the participating library can catalog their own titles.  To do this, the librarian must have formal cataloging training and receive CatExpress training from the State Library.
    • Note – even though the WorldCat and circulation system projects are done in tandem, it is the responsibility of the participating library to choose the circulation system, learn how it works, resolve questions or problems with the technical support staff of the chosen product, pay all costs associated with the system and be responsible for all issues related to the chosen software.
  3. Library wishes to continue using a manual checkout system
    • In this case, the participating library will supply the Statewide Catalog Development Department with bibliographic information, usually in the form of photocopies of the title page and verso of their items along with the call number they have chosen. From these photocopies, the Statewide Catalog Development Department will search the OCLC database to find a bibliographic record that matches the title, author, copyright dates, edition, page numbers, etc. of the book the library owns. When a matching record is found, the catalogers set holdings in WorldCat for your library.  (Set holdings means attaching your new OCLC code to the bib record in WorldCat so that your library name will appear in the list of libraries that own a certain title.)
    • Once retrospective conversion is complete, either the State Library can continue to catalog into WorldCat or the participating library can catalog their own titles.  To do this, the librarian must have formal cataloging training and receive CatExpress training from the State Library.
    • Please note that WorldCat does not display your local call number.  Your patrons will be able to figure out what titles you own by using WorldCat, but they will likely NOT know where to look for the items on your shelves.  Many records have suggested call numbers that are used by catalogers, but unless you have an accurate and complete card catalog with the call numbers of your titles, your patrons will look to you to know where the book they want is shelved.  If you do not have an accurate and complete card catalog, you should consider purchasing an automated system that would contain your bib records and your call numbers.  Your patrons can still use WorldCat to find titles they want, but the local software can then be used to locate the call number.  For more details, read option 2 above.

If you’re ready to learn more about how to prepare for a grant round, please read the next tab called “Preparing for a Grant”.

There are a variety of things you can begin to do right now in order to prepare for the next grant round. Please note that doing preparation work in no way guarantees your library will receive a grant. Grants are competitive and must meet the eligibility guidelines.

  • You can weed your collection.  This will also be an important service to your patrons.  Cataloging items that you do not want to keep creates unnecessary work and cost for everyone.
  • You can evaluate your titles and make sure they are placed in the proper collections.  If you’ve always wanted to start a “ND” collection or want to disband your “Story Collection” and place everything into the regular “Fiction” section, do that before a cataloging project begins.
  • If you’re interested in purchasing an automated circulation system, begin researching the different products.  Remember that cost is a factor but cheaper is not always better.  Consider what you need in a system, how the technical support is provided and at what charge, does it provide the reports you want, is it easy to use, etc.
  • If you already have an automated system and are interested in a WorldCat batchload project, see if you can run reports in your system to locate any errors or inconsistencies.  Try to locate records that are missing the collection name or call number and fix them.  See if you can locate bibliographic records that are for AV titles but are mistakenly coded as Books, and vice versa.  Try to find bib records without an item linked to them, as well as items without a bib linked to it.  Evaluate your collections and if there are some you no longer use or some you want to consolidate into other collections, do that now.
  • Something that you should NOT get a head start on is the photocopying of your title pages or barcoding of your materials (if you’re planning to move from a manual checkout system to an automated system that requires barcodes).  You must wait until after you receive a grant and are given specific instructions to do this step.

The North Dakota State Library is always on the lookout for ways it can better serve state agencies and state employees. Many state agencies have their own libraries and resource centers housed within their departments. For those agencies that are willing to share their resources with the public, State Agency Services provides cataloging services, which consists of adding the titles owned by the agencies to the online catalog.

The State Library also offers training in using the online catalog, referred to as the Online Dakota Information Network (ODIN). State Library staff also provide training in the use of electronic resources, such as newspaper and magazine databases, and consultation on a variety of library related topics.

For more information about State Agency Services you may view this brochure.

For libraries using the CatExpress interface to OCLC, contact Stacey Goldade at sgoldade@nd.gov or 701-328-1860 for training or questions about CatExpress.