Dorothy,
Short answer to your question would be to consider the Electronic Resources Management system to do all of that for you.
 
This is the long answer:
 
We use ERM and we get MARC records on monthly basis as part of the package we subscribed to.
This means that the 856 tag launches a search in the ERM portal that then displays holdings for that journal. Does this make sense. So if you have access to the same title in more than one database this will show in the ERM portal also displaying a date range.
 
We also have SIRSI OPAC. We chose to create a second record for electronic holdings to enable us to easily manage those. We are small library and we don't want to spend too much time running various reports in order to update MARC records as oppose to loading them in one go. I hope this makes sense too.
 
Another problem with having one records in Sirsi is that in  the search results it does not show enough information to our clients to make it clear that we do hold a print and an electronic version and what are respective holdings. The results display only shows the title, publisher,  pub year and how many copies are available. Not in which locations though. And it shows a live link to the 856. So if you have one record for both holdings your clients will most of the times go straight to the link to access electronic version without necessarily going through the Details display to find out about print holdings. This is why we chose to create a second record so that from the search results screen client can clearly see that we have two versions of the journal. Call number reflects the location in the collection so for the print record it would be S330.1 for example, and for electronic it would be E-JOURNAL. This also helps clients to understand clearly those two holdings.
 
We also have URL resolver but we don't find this to be in any way interfering with the concept of MARC records. We still keep on updating MARC records on monthly basis and we chose the simple method of discarding the old and loading the new ones.
 
MARC records can also be configured by the vendor to be loaded into your existing record, but as I explained we chose not to do that.
 
You, however, may be able to edit existing records by adding 856 to take your patrons tot he A-Z list rather than straight to the library holdings.
 
The other thing you can do is to get the MARC records directly from the database vendor (like Wiley) and create that second record that your library staff does not like but it is easier to manage your electronic holdings in the OPAC that way. If you create a specific location just for those records like we did; I created E-JOURNALS location, this will enable you easy management in SIRSI. You can discard them from OPAC by running two reports and then put a new batch in by running another report and off you go.
 
if you choose to go with one record concept managing those can become fairly complex and labour intense especially when you decide to finish or to commence with a new database.
 
Hope this information helped.
 
Regards,
Renata Dyer
Systems Librarian
Information Services - Treasury
Langton Cres, Parkes, ACT, Australia
ph: +61 2 62632736
e: renata.dyer@treasury.gov.au

From: SERIALST: Serials in Libraries Discussion Forum [mailto:SERIALST@list.uvm.edu] On Behalf Of Notarnicola, Dorothy Lynn (LARC-B702)[TESSADA & ASSOC INC]
Sent: Wednesday, 1 July 2009 4:34 AM
To: SERIALST@LIST.UVM.EDU
Subject: [SERIALST] Electronic Journal Cataloging

Dear Serialists:

 

We are trying to figure out the best way to let our patrons know what our complete e-journal holdings are.  We are using SFX as a URL handler and A to Z list provider.  Our online catalog is SIRSI. 

 

NASA Langley has converted most of our serials collection to electronic holdings.  The staff is of mixed opinion on how to handle our electronic holdings, especially if we want to have a single ‘catalog of record.’  Since serials packages change, archive packages keep popping up, vendors are swapped out and subscriptions dropped as budgets change we are finding that maintaining both SFX and the online catalog to be time consuming and a duplication of effort.  (Especially with a staff of 2!)

 

For example, we have all the Wiley and almost all the Springer journal titles through one of the special package arrangements but we haven’t loaded the 3000+ journal records into our online catalog, only into the URL handler.  And what if we drop one of the packages next year…. 

 

How are other libraries handling their online holdings?  Are you maintaining the actual holdings in the online catalog?  If so, do you use a URL handler?  If you have a URL handler do you also maintain a complete holdings statement in the catalog? 

 

Thank you in advance for your replies.

 

 

Dorothy Notarnicola

Acquisitions Librarian

NASA Langley Research Center

MS 185 * Bldg 1194 * Room 306

Hampton, VA 23681-2199

Phone: 757-864-7142

Email: dorothy.l.notarnicola@nasa.gov

 

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