outsourcing work

Outsourcing Authority Work Presented by Virginia Dudley MINITEX Bibliographic and Technical Services (BATS) November 2006 Objectives of this Session To learn what services authority control vendors offer, and To acquire some pointers and information that will help with decision-making regarding outsourcing 2 1 Agenda Why outsource? Basic vendor services Database preparation Authorities Processing Ongoing Maintenance Reports How to choose an outsourcing vendor Local Experiences Pros and Cons of Outsourcing 3 Why Outsource? Time! Time! Time! Shortage of staff The need to clean up your catalog database (for example, before migrating to a new system) Desire for ongoing consistency and quality in your database 4 2 Basic Services Database preparation / MARC Update Authorities Processing Ongoing Maintenance 5 Database Preparation Database Cleanup Brief Record Upgrade Deduplication Smart barcodes Record enrichment Et cetera MARC Update Clean up of MARC coding in Bib records, including: Updating, correcting, deleting, as appropriate, fixed field codes, variable field tags, indicators, and subfield codes GMD update and standardization Other processing as requested by library 6 3 Authorities Processing Usually two steps: 1. Authority Cleanup 2. Authority Control / Authority Matching 7 Authorities Processing: Authority Cleanup Vendor runs a series of routines to update and correct headings Update obsolete subdivisions Expand abbreviations Correct spacing, capitalization, punctuation Correct common typographical errors Purpose is to increase match rate between bib record heading and authority record heading 8 4 Authorities Processing: Authority Matching Compare headings in library’s bib records against LC Authorities (names and subjects) And/or compare against other authority files such as: MeSH, LC Children’s, Genre (GSAFD), Sears, your local authority file, vendor’s own file, etc. Files available for matching depend on vendor 9 Authorities Processing: Authority Matching, con’t Each heading in a bib record is compared against the 1XX and 4XX fields in authority records Results: All possible bib record headings are matched and updated All matched authority records are delivered to the library for its authority database Library re-indexes its database Vendor supplies reports of the various kinds of nonmatches Vendor retains your master authority file and/or a copy of your bib database for future work 10 5 Authorities Processing: Authority Matching, con’t What to do with all the non-matched headings? Manual Review Library OR vendor Cost/benefit Live with a small percentage of non-matches and deal with them as you encounter them during your regular work 11 Manual Review by the Vendor: Some Things to Consider Adds time and money to the authorities processing project Value depends, in part, on original state of library’s headings For example, has library followed national cataloging standards as much as possible? If so, vendor’s match rate should be high and manual review may increase that rate by only a few percentage points Thus, is it worth it? 12 6 Ongoing Maintenance Authority control for newly cataloged bib records Authority maintenance of existing records 13 Ongoing Maintenance: Newly cataloged bib records Periodically send newly added bib records to vendor for authority batch processing Monthly, weekly, or daily Turnaround time can be very short: hours or overnight Vendor returns updated bib records plus new and updated authority records Vendor services: LTI Authority Express MARCIVE Overnight Authorities MARS Current Cataloging LSSI Authority Update Service (1) 14 7 Ongoing Maintenance: Existing Records Keep up-to-date with all the new and revised authority records Vendor alert services: LTI Authority Update Processing MARCIVE Notification Service and/or NewMatch MARS Authority Notification LSSI Authority Update Service (2) Choose your frequency Monthly, quarterly, semiannually, yearly 15 Ongoing Maintenance: Vendor Alert Services Vendor checks for updates and changes by comparing the library’s master file against up-todate national authority file Vendor sends library replacement authority records Or, authority records plus updated bib records (LTI) -orVendor sends only a report that lists which authority records have been changed, replaced, or deleted 16 8 Another Option: Periodic Authorization Updates Instead of ongoing maintenance, you might want to consider periodic authorization updates for headings Every few years For entire database or a selected portion Drawbacks include living with a certain percentage of incorrect headings in between updates 17 Vendor Reports Examples include: Unmatched headings Split headings Tag flips Incorrectly used headings Also: Statistical reports Customized reports 18 9 Costs: Pricing Structures Possibilities Per record processed fee Per heading processed fee Flat rate Based on database size Extra Charges Manual Review Customization Special Reports Et cetera Also, watch for minimum charges 19 How to Choose a Vendor Study vendors’ Websites (See Handout) Be clear about what you are asking for Get quotes from more than one vendor If necessary, do a formal RFP (Request for Proposal) Find out vendor’s experience working with your ILS system Ask around Some vendors have client list online Contact Virginia Dudley at MINITEX for names of local librarians willing to share their outsourcing experiences 20 10 Some Things to be Aware of When Choosing a Vendor Match rate Ideally, 90-95% through batch processing Be aware that no vendor can provide a 100% match rate Turnaround time How does vendor handle special cases? For example: pseudonyms, series titles, birth and death date subfield in personal names, free-floating subdivisions, split headings, etc. How does vendor handle deleted records from your catalog? 21 Local Experiences Academic Library on III System using LTI Public Library on SIRSI using LTI Two Public Libraries on Horizon using MARCIVE 22 11 Local Experiences: Commonalities First outsourced authority processing to clean up catalog database around the time of migration to a new ILS Use ongoing maintenance services Did not contract for manual review Find there is still, potentially, a lot of manual work to do However, three of the four do not systematically go through the vendor reports and make corrections to their bib and authority records. Because of time constraints, they are only able to fix things as they come to them. Pleased with their outsourcing service 23 Local Experiences: Some Differences One library does not have “full” ongoing maintenance. Wish they could do more outsourcing, but there are money issues. One library is outsourcing only a portion of their database for authority control One library is facing another migration in two years and wants to take this opportunity to look at outsourcing vendors again and possibly change vendors 24 12 Pros and Cons of Outsourcing Disadvantages Cost There is still manual work to be done Lose some local control of your catalog Must be willing to accept some errors in the catalog due to machine processing of headings Might have to give up local practices that don’t follow national standards 25 Pros and Cons of Outsourcing, con’t Advantages Saves staff time Cleaner database, with improved consistency and quality Enhanced access It is MUCH better than doing nothing! Costs are controlled 26 13 One Last Thought Someone should be assigned to monitor the outsourcing program, whether or not you do a thorough manual review of all reports 27 Resources See Handout: Authority Control Vendors Consult Vendors’ Websites Zhu, Lihong and Marilyn Von Seggern, “VendorSupplied Authority Control: Some Realistic Expectations,” Technical Services Quarterly 23, no. 2 (2005): 49-65. Vellucci, Sherry L., “Commercial Services for Providing Authority Control: Outsourcing the Process,” Cataloging & Classification Quarterly 39, no.1/2 (2004): 443-456. 28 14 Questions ? ? ? ? ?? Contact Us MINITEX Library Information Network Bibliographic and Technical Services Unit (BATS) 612-624-4002 800-462-5348 Virginia Dudley’s email: v-dudl@umn.edu BATS email: mino@othello.minitex.umn.edu BATS Website: www.minitex.umn.edu/bats 29 15