HeinOnline Links from Library Catalog for Title Changes — Survey Results
Angelina Joseph
Cataloging Librarian
Marquette University Law Library
[Webmaster's note: Angelina Joseph, Marquette University Law Library, conducted a survey via the AALL Technical Services Special Interest Section electronic discussion lists in June 2005 to determine the kind of note used in 856 fields for title changes. Results have been summarized by Ms. Joseph and are reprinted here with permission.]
Our Acquisitions Librarian receives periodic holdings updates, and new journal title information from HeinOnline. He has created a spreadsheet with information such as: bibliographic record number, title, volume(s), year(s), and URL for the HeinOnline Law Journal Library Web page. The cataloger uses that spreadsheet to update holdings in the bibliographic records. Entries without bib numbers have to be cataloged and have new records created for them in our catalog.
The Law Journal Library page is divided into two columns with the title of the journal in the first column, and the volumes/years in the second column which is for coverage. In this 2nd column, it lists the title changes and their corresponding volume(s) and year(s) information. The 1st column does not indicate title changes at all.
In a library catalog, title changes warrant new bibliographic records. The bibliographic record for each changed title includes separate 856 URL field with CONNECT to link, and the volumes/years information. There is a 500 note saying, "Available in HeinOnline under the "continued by" title or the "previous title" (the title HeinOnline has for the changes) along with the 362, 780/785 fields in each bibliographic record. That way users clicking on the CONNECT to link will realize the title changes, as it takes them to a different title in HeinOnline.
Nonetheless, confusion arose among our library staff members, as the title searched for with the CONNECT to box takes them to an entirely different journal with no relation to the volume numbers and years found in the bibliographic record. If HeinOnline followed the title changes just as the bibliographic record in a library catalog, with holdings information for those titles separately, there would have been no confusion at all.
Some of the library staff met to discuss this issue. We brainstormed among ourselves through emails to see how CONNECT to links can be made more simple, and easy to understand. An email was sent to the AALL TS-SIS listserv to find out the note other law catalogers put in the $z of the 856 filed, and what else is included in their bibliographic record to make the title changes easy to understand. Catalogers from five law libraries across the country responded to my query. Their responses are listed below (names of libraries are not included).
- Library 1.
- $z in the 856 field has "Vol. x-y (years) available via HeinOnline"
- The 780/785 fields in the bib record help the patrons to understand the previous and later titles.
- Library 2.
- $z in the 856 field, "Available via HeinOnline under the 'later' or 'former' " title," (as the case maybe).
- The 362 field has the inclusion dates, and the holdings records indicate what the library owns in electronic version.
- Library 3.
- $z in the 856 field, "CONNECT to electronic (version, journal, database)
- Holdings information is in the check-in holdings record to each title change.
- Library 4.
- $z in the 856 field, "Access via HeinOnline: "the Hein title Vol. x (year)-v. y (year).
- The 362 field matches the holdings information in the 856 field.
- Library 5.
- $z in the 856 field does not indicate any coverage, but only the link for "HeinOnline: "The title" online (available on campus only)
- No note is given in the 856 field, but a link to the journal through HeinOnline.
- Hope is that the patron will see the 780/785 "continues" and "continued by" notes in the bib record.
The above responses seem to be good, but none of them was helpful for us to put an all encompassing note in the $z of the 856 field, so that the URL box with the CONNECT to link will convey the information of what exactly the users get to. We brainstormed again, exchanged more emails among our library staff, and finally came up with the following. Even then, it is not absolutely the best way, but we decided to see how people will react to this.
If the title in the 245 of the bibliographic record matches with that in the HeinOnline Law Journal Library page, the $z in the 856 will say: "CONNECT via HeinOnline (See notes below for title change history)
500 note will be "HeinOnline lists the previous (and/or later) title(s) under this title (Title in HeinOnline)
If the title in the 245 field differs from Hein Online Law Journal Library page, the $z in the 856 will say: "CONNECT via HeinOnline under title, [title in HeinOnline] (See notes below for title change history)"
500 note will be, "Available in HeinOnline under the "Continued by (or Previous) title [the title HeinOnline Law Journal Library has].
Hopefully the 500, 362, and the 780/785 notes will all be looked at when they see the "(See notes below for title change history)" in the URL box.
The HeinOnline Cataloging Aid is maintained by staff and hosted on servers at Washburn University School of Law Library in Topeka, Kansas.
Please send comments, suggestions, and corrections to:
- Martin Wisneski, martin.wisneski [at] washburn.edu ((785) 670-1788) or
- Daniel Rosati, d_rosati [at] wshein.com ((800) 828-7571)
