1. URLs in CCS Catalog Records Dos and Don’ts December 1, 2004

2. The Three R’s of URL’s

3. Add (or retain) URLs that: reproduce the cataloged work or the information in it relate directly to the cataloged work refer the user to additional information on the subject of the cataloged work

4. Examples that reproduce the cataloged work or the information in it

9. Examples that lead the catalog user to helpful information directly related to the cataloged work

14. Be sure— that the information is current that the relationship between the material and the URL is direct sample pages, publisher’s description, table of contents, etc.

20. Examples that refer the user to additional information on the specific subject (not too general)

24. Some URLs contain pearls Sometimes, following an URL (a U-R-L? – depends on how you pronounce it) will lead you to the “hidden” background of a book.

25. ◄←Follow this link

26. ... to the publisher’s description for “Yours is a very bad hotel…”

27. …or this link

28. …to the publisher’s description for “Bloody Jack: the curse of the blue tattoo…”

29. Sometimes The text string that is in the 856 tag is changed during downloading or storing of the record

30. Why was this URL not found?

31. There is a space ▲ in the string that should not be there.

32. TITLE CTRL # : o53045056 TITLE :Some great thing / Colin McAdam. 856 42 |3 Publisher description |u http://www.loc.gov/catdir/description/har041/http://www.loc.gov/catdir/description/har041/ 2003057072.htm l RESULTS: URL did not find a matching web page TITLE CTRL # : o45230462 TITLE :God bless the child / words and music by Billie Holiday and 856 42 |3 Publisher description |u http://www.loc.gov/catdir/description/hc042/http://www.loc.gov/catdir/description/hc042/ 00063200.html RESULTS: URL did not find a matching web page TITLE CTRL # : o52838845 TITLE :The witch's grave / Philip DePoy. 856 42 |3 Publisher description |u http://www.loc.gov/catdir/description/hol041/http://www.loc.gov/catdir/description/hol041/ 2003058569.htm l RESULTS: URL did not find a matching web page From the Unicorn URL Checker report— Can you find the error in each of these examples?

33. Sometimes The hyperlink points to commercial propaganda— virtually free advertising for the publisher or producer

40. Sometimes The 856 points to useless information

42. Be sure That the 856 contains at least a subfield u — what the URL checker must find

44. If there is no subfield u the report will blank the data in 856

45. Be careful Of what works and what doesn’t

46. Click on this and you get

48. Extension should be.pdf, not.html

50. Do Make a judgment of the value of the URL to the user See that the URL works Make sure the URL is in subfield u Double check that there are NO spaces Learn what the 856 indicators mean Learn what the 856 subfields mean

51. Don’t Allow a URL into a CCS record that does not give the end user added value Allow the publisher or production company to get free advertising at our expense Allow URLs that point to a page for the popular CD or movie— they are invariable short-lived Allow email addresses in 856 tags