Introduction to Cataloguing on Aleph

Navigation Aleph is made up of panes When you first log in you will see this screen. In the navigation pane on the left, there are four tabs: Records, Items, Administration and Search An open bib record will appear in the Records tab and be displayed in the right hand pane In the Items tab you can view and edit items We don’t use the Administration tab In the Search tab you can find records by various methods

Records tab 1. List of open records (a star next to a record number indicates it is unsaved; highlighted record is the one open for editing) 2. Editing Pane (displaying the record currently being edited) 3. Information Pane Tag information tab – displays a crib sheet for the selected MARC field Messages tab - displays error and other messages when you save the record (NB – we don’t use the Browser, HOL Records or Objects tabs) 4. Record Structure Pane (listing barcodes attached to the record)

Records tab – Editing pane A bib record that is open for editing will appear in the editing pane. Each MARC field and subfield is displayed on a separate line. MARC field numbers and indicators are in blue; subfields are red.

Records tab – accessing items When you open a bib record for editing, In the record structure pane on the lower left there will be a list of barcodes for items attached to the record. You can double click on one of the barcode numbers (or the word ITEMS) to quickly access items.

Items tab – Functional mode 1.In the navigation pane there are two roots – Functional and Overview 2.In Functional mode you can view a list of items and check the history of items in the navigation pane 3.In the top right pane you can create and delete items 4.In the lower pane (General Information 1 tab) you can edit item details (e.g. barcode, shelfmark, loan status, library) 5.In the lower pane (General Information 2 tab) you can add local notes 6.Two shortcut buttons (top right) - close items, and Edit BIB record (returns you to the editing screen in the records tab)

Items tab – Overview mode 1.In the Items tab, select the Overview root in the navigation pane 2.On the right hand side of the screen are buttons for accessing other parts of Aleph, e.g. Cataloguing, Circulation, Orders Cataloguing will take you to the bib record attached to the currently open items Orders will let you view order details in the Acquisitions module Circulation will push the item to the Circulation module, where you can view details such as item loan history and hold requests

Search tab – Finding a record (keyword method) 1.To search for a record in the UCL database by keyword, click the Search tab (binoculars) in the navigation pane 2.Select ‘Find’ mode under the Search heading in the navigation pane 3.Select the Advanced Search tab and UCL01 Bibliographic from the drop down list next to Base 4.If you want to search by keyword, select All Fields from the drop down list. You can also search by title, author, subject, ISBN, etc.

Search tab – Finding a record (keyword method) (continued) 5.Enter your search terms in the box 6.The (…) button next to the search box displays your previous searches from the current Aleph session 7.Click OK 8.Search results will be displayed in the lower pane, indicating the number of records retrieved 9.Click on ‘Show’ to view retrieved records (or just double click on the highlighted line in the lower pane)

Search tab – Finding a record (keyword method) (continued) 1.When you click on ‘Show’, your search results will be displayed in the upper pane 2.A fuller view of the selected record appears in the lower pane 3.Use the scroll bar to browse through records 4.Alternatively, use the > buttons in the lower pane 5.Push a selected record to the Cataloguing module by selecting Catalog in the upper pane or Cataloging in the lower pane

Search tab - Finding a record (browse method) 1.Go to the Search tab in the navigation pane 2.Under the ‘Search’ heading in the navigation pane, click ‘Browse’ 3.Select Title (or Authors, Subjects, ISBN etc., ) in the drop-down Headings List 4.Enter search terms in the first box 5.Click Go 6.Records will be displayed in the lower pane 7.Double-click on the title to view it in more detail, or push to the Cataloguing Module by clicking ‘Catalog’ on the right.

Finding a record (barcode or bib no method) 1.Click in the blank box next to the word Barcode (top left) and enter the book’s barcode. The bib record will open in the Items Module. 2.Click the Edit BIB record icon near the top right corner of the screen The record will open in the Cataloguing Module, ready for editing. To find a record by bib no, follow the steps above, but select BIB Sys No from the drop down list (click the arrow next to the word Barcode).

Downloading from external databases: Searching for a record The initial steps are the same as searching within the UCL database: 1.Select the Search tab 2.Select the Find root 3.Select the Advanced Search in the Upper Pane. Then: 4.Select the database to search from the drop-down Base menu. By default, this is set to UCL01. Choose either RLUK, OCLC, or one of the other databases as appropriate.

Downloading from external databases: Searching for a record (continued) Select an option from the drop- down list in the search box ISBN is a good way to find records from OCLC or RLUK, but you can also search by author, title or other options

Downloading from external databases: Viewing results 1.Your search will appear in the Lower Pane, giving the number of results. 2.If there are only a few records, Aleph will move them automatically to the Show root; if there are more than a few records, click on the Show button.

Downloading from external databases: Choosing a record As with selecting a record from the UCL database: 1.When you click on ‘Show’, your search results will be displayed in the upper pane 2.A fuller view of the selected record appears in the lower pane 3.Use the scroll bar to browse through records 4.Alternatively, use the > buttons in the lower pane 5.Push a selected record to the Cataloguing module by selecting Catalog in the upper pane or Cataloging in the lower pane

Downloading from external databases: Saving a record To save a record downloaded from an external database, in the box that pops up when you push the record to cataloguing, choose record format: BK for books or VM for videos and DVDs, then click OK.

Downloading from external databases: Saving a record (continued) 1.Select Duplicate record from the Cataloging menu (or use shortcut CTRL+N). 2.When you have duplicated the record, the external record will show in the navigation pane as the one beginning EXT01. The new record will appear, beginning ‘NEW’. 3.You can now close the external record by making sure it is highlighted and clicking the Close Record shortcut button 4.When you have finished editing the new record, click on the Save on Server button (shortcut button fifth from the left) to save it.

Downloading from external databases: Saving a record (continued) 1.When you try to save the record, a box will appear with warnings and errors. If there are too many errors, you will not be able to save the record – in this case, it is best to edit the record before saving. 2.Details of errors are displayed in the Messages tab in the lower pane. 3.If the messages are all green, select the Override button.

Cataloging menu Menus in Aleph appear on the top left of the screen. The ones you are most likely to use are Cataloging, Edit Actions, Edit Text and Record Manager Cataloging menu includes: Open Template (CTRL+A) New Record – creates a blank record Duplicate record (CTRL+N) Open Acquisitions Record Save on server and local drive (CTRL+L) Print (CTRL+P) Close Record

Edit Actions menu Change record’s format, e.g. if you need to change a record from Book to Video format Search field headings of current base (F3) – check authority headings View Record’s Cataloguers – see who has edited the record before You can also right-click on a field within a record to bring up the Edit Actions menu

Edit Text menu Add a new MARC field from a list (F5) or define the field yourself (F6) Add a new subfield (F7) Enter Unicode values (F11) Cut fields and subfields Copy fields (CTRL+T) and subfields (CTRL+S) Paste fields (ALT+T) and subfields (ALT+S) Delete fields (CTRL+F5) and subfields (CTRL+F7) You can shift right-click on a field within a record to bring up the Edit Text menu

Record Manager menu Total Delete will delete the currently open record, including any attached Admin records If there are orders or items attached to the record, a red error message will appear and you will not be able to delete the record. In this case, you have the option to suppress (shadow) the record instead.

Suppressing (Shadowing) a record 1.To suppress (shadow) a bib record, add a new, blank field (F6 or menu Edit Text – New Field (User- defined)). Where the cursor appears, type the letters STA 2.Tab along three times until a box appears. Highlight the word SUPPRESSED and either double-click on it or click OK to enter it into the record. The record is now suppressed.

List of keyboard shortcuts F3 – Search Field Headings of Current Base (search authority headings) F5 – New Field (from list) F6 – New Field (user-defined) F7 – New Subfield F11 – Enter Unicode Values CTRL+A – Open Template CTRL+F – Open Form (edit a fixed field) CTRL+F5 – Delete Field(s) CTRL+F7 – Delete Subfield(s) CTRL+N – Duplicate Record CTRL+S – Save on Server and Local Drive CTRL+X – Cut CTRL+C - Copy

List of keyboard shortcuts (continued) F2 – switch to Record tab F8 – switch to Items tab F9 – switch to Search tab CTRL+S – Copy Subfield CTRL+T – Copy Field CTRL+D – Copy Record CTRL+Z – Undo ALT+S – Paste Subfield ALT+T – Paste Field ALT+D – Paste Record

Shortcut buttons from left to right Shortcut buttons are on the top right of the screen. Hover over them to see their functions. 1.Open template 2.Overview tree – view orders and items attached to records 3.Split editor mode – view two records at once, and also move items and orders between them if in overview mode 4.Full screen – maximizes the size of the editing pane

Shortcut buttons (continued) 5.Save record on server and local drive 6.Check record – highlights errors (these appear in the lower pane in the ‘Messages’ tab) 7.Activate keyboard – for entering diacritics 8.View in search

Shortcut buttons (continued) 9.Open Acquisitions record 10.Close record 11.Close all records 12.Clear item – closes an item record 13.Edit BIB record – go from item record to BIB record

Editing fixed fields In Aleph, fixed fields (fields that contain information about the record, such as Leader and 008) cannot be accessed just by clicking within the field. To edit a fixed field, click on the field and use menu: [Edit Actions -- Open form] or shortcut CTRL+F to open the field for editing.

Editing fixed fields – Leader (LDR) When you open the Leader (LDR) field for editing, it will appear with boxes to fill in on a grey background. Codes for the LDR field are displayed in Tag Information tab in the lower pane. When you have finished editing, click OK (top right of screen) to return to the bib record.

Editing fixed fields Codes for the 008 field are listed in the Tag Information tab in the lower pane. 2.Where there is a... button, click this to bring up a list of codes. 3.A box will appear with options to select from 4.Click OK to close the field and return to the record.

Checking headings Use F3 on fields of the type 1XX, 440, 490, 6XX, 7XX and 830 to check the database of headings In the example on the right: Sanders, Mike, is an authorised heading. Sanders, Moshe is unauthorised – nothing in the Auth. Info column. Sanders, Miles, is a cross- reference linked to the correct authorised form.

Checking headings (continued) To overwrite the heading in the bib record with the authorised form select it and click OK. To view the full authority record select the heading and click Expand. To view other records associated with the heading, click View Docs If the correct authorised heading is not listed, check Classification Web. NOTE: Not all subject heading strings will be authorised. To check the validity of subdivisions, use Classification Web.

Saving a record Use menu: [Cataloguing -- Save on server and local drive] or the shortcut button (fifth from left) or keyboard shortcut CTRL+L Sometimes the record is saved straight away and you can then close the record Usually, though, a box will appear displaying any error messages. Green messages will allow you to save the record without correction although they still need to be checked. Some are system quirks and can be ignored, e.g. errors in fields we don't use. To save the record after checking the green messages, click ‘Override’. Red error messages will prevent the record from being saved and must be corrected.

Printing a record Select the Cataloging menu, then Print (or use shortcut CTRL+P) Use the first option in the list (Regular – Internal)

Any questions?