Cataloging without Cataloging
Creating original MARC records can be challenging. This workflow lets anyone create a valid MARC record without knowing how to catalog!
This workflow uses Google Forms with an attached Google Sheet and MarcEdit. Google Forms allows you to input the information about a book using a familiar interface while guiding you to enter it correctly. The Google Sheet lets you do some formatting on the data you entered in the form and export it into a text file that MarcEdit can read. MarcEdit then translates the text file into a MARC record that you can run pre-built tasks to polish. Your result will be a basic MARC record that will pass validation and you can import into your local library system.
You will need a free Google account, the free app MarcEdit, and some files you can download from this page.
Ready? Let's catalog!
Version Information
This page and files represent the second version of this process. Major change: Allows for Library of Congress Classification in addition to Dewey Decimal Classification. Version 3 that allows for more complex subject terms is under development. (07/13/2024).
Introduction
Click the Forms icon for a preview of what your form will look like when we're done.
Click the MarcEdit icon to download the free MarcEdit app
Setup: Google
Before we get started cataloging, we need to do some setup in Google. We need to copy the Google Spreadsheet and attached Form to your Google Drive and then rename them. You will only need to do this part once - after this, you'll be able to just use them!
Click the Google Sheets icon to save a copy of the Sheet AND the Form to your Google Drive.
Click through the guide below to walk you through saving the files to your Google Drive
Setup: MarcEdit
Before you can start cataloging, you need to adjust the MarcEdit home page to make the process easier and you need to import a task list that cleans the MARC records. You should only have to do this once. Each time after setup, your options should already be in place!
Click through the guide below to adjust the MarcEdit home page
Click below to download the MarcEdit cleaning tasklist
Click through the guide below to import the task list that will clean your MARC records
Practice: Google Form
Open the user/input side of the Form you just saved, and let's get some practice!
Optional Step for the Brave
If you are already comfortable doing so or are brave, I recommend using the Library of Congress' Subject Heading website to look up authorized subjects as you enter them into the Form. The website isn't as scary as it might sound, and most of the time your gut instinct for a subject term is going to be correct anyway. Simply type in your best guess and hit "Enter". Clicking on a search result will give you a little more information to let you verify you got it right or to point you in another direction.
One of the assumptions this cataloging method makes out of necessity is that you are using LCSH for your subject terms. In order for the records to pass validation and be accepted by as many different ILS as possible, I chose to encode the records as if they're using LCSH. I considered encoding them as locally controlled subject terms, but too many ILS handle those oddly and I cannot guarantee that the subjects would have properly imported for everyone if I did so.
If your library uses a different vocabulary, like Sears, or if you would like the subjects encoded as locally controlled terms, let me know and I can alter the files for you.
Example Books for Practice
Please note: Both of these examples are made-up titles that do not actually exist.
Example book 1:
Hudson, Kris Ann. Cataloging without Cataloging: Leveraging Free Tools to Avoid Learning MARC. Waxahachie, Texas: Awesome Publishers. 2024.
142 pages; 25 cm.
9790123456789. This book does not exist, but if it did, it would help small libraries with limited technical services staff be able to create original MARC records even if no one on staff knows MARC. This book discusses the need for better cataloging access, details the workflow the author discovered, and walks readers through implementing the process at their own library. Best of all? All tools involved are completely free!
Table of Contents:
Introduction 1
Literature Review 12
Setup 50
Practice 75
Conclusion 120
References 135
Example Book 2:
Pettis, Robert Leslie, Jr. The Holy Spirit and You: What it Means to Bear Fruit. Springfield, MI: Gospel Publishing House. 2002.
257 pages; 23 cm. References on pages 242-257.
9782345678901. This book also doesn't exist, but it sounds like a real book. This fake work by Kris Ann Hudson's father explores what it looks like for the Holy Spirit to bring forth fruit in your life as you walk with the Spirit daily. A believer's walk with God should mature more every day, and Scripture tells us this maturity will bear fruit (Gal. 5:22-23). What does it mean to exhibit a holy patience in the 21st Century? Does a life of joy mean we're always happy? Pettis explores these questions and more in this fresh take on an ancient topic.
Table of Contents:
Love
Joy
Peace
Patience
Kindness
Goodness
Faithfulness
Gentleness
Self-Control
Practice: Google Sheet
The spreadsheet attached to your Form has some "magic" formulae already entered into the "Books" tab to help create one of the most complicated fields in the MARC record. The good news? You don't have to edit it or understand it! You can simply drag the formula down into new rows and it will do all the work for you.
Let's practice applying that formulae and then exporting your spreadsheet!
Click through the guide below to walk you through applying the special formula to your spreadsheet and then exporting your work
Missing formulae? Click here
You shouldn't ever need these, but if you lose the formula somehow you can paste these into your spreadsheet to get it up and running again.
Filter array formula to pull info from the "Form Responses" tab into the "Books" tab. Copy and paste this formula into cell A2 of the "Books" tab.
=iferror(query(filter('Form Responses 1'!A:AB,isnumber('Form Responses 1'!A:A)=TRUE),"select Col1, Col2, Col3, Col4, Col5, Col6, Col7, Col8, Col9, Col10, Col11, Col12, Col13, Col14, Col15, Col16, Col17, Col18, Col19, Col20, Col21, Col22, Col23, Col24, Col25, Col26, Col27, Col28 order by Col1 label Col1 'Timestamp', Col2 '008/07-14', Col3 '008/24-27', Col4 '008/31', Col5 '008/33', Col6 '008-15-17', Col7 '264$a', Col8 '010', Col9 '020', Col10 '050', Col11 '020', Col12 '100//', Col13 '700', Col14 '700.3', Col15 '700.4', Col16 '245$a', Col17 '245$b', Col18 '264$b', Col19 '300$a', Col20 '300$c', Col21 '504', Col22 '505', Col23 '520', Col24 '650#1', Col25 '650#2', Col26 '650#3', Col27 '700.5', Col28 '700.6'",-1),"[formula]")
Split formula to break the timestamp up. Copy and paste this formula into cell AB2 of the "Books" tab.
=iferror(split(A4,"-"),"[formula]")
Concatenate formula to create the 008 field. Copy and paste this formula into cell AE2 of the "Books" tab.
=if($A4="","[formula]",concatenate(AC4,if(AD4<10,concatenate("0",AD4),AD4),if(AE4<10,concatenate("0",AE4),AE4),"s",B4,"\\\\",F4,"\\\\e\",if(C4="b","b\\\","\\\\"),"\00",D4,"\",E4,"\eng\\"))
Practice: MarcEdit
Now that you have a downloaded spreadsheet, it's time to use MarcEdit to convert it into MARC records. You don't have to know anything about MARC to do this - all you need to be able to do is click a set of options in a certain order.
Click below to download the MarcEdit import profile
2024.07.13_translation_table_v2.mrdClick through the guide below to convert the spreadsheet into MARC records
You should now have MARC records, though they aren't any good yet. We need to use our imported task list to clean the records up so they pass validation.
Click through the guide below to clean and save your MARC records
Optional MarcEdit Tasks for the Brave
There are some optional steps you can do at this point if you are so inclined and if your head isn't hurting. Neither of these tasks can be automated through the task list, unfortunately.
Validate subject headings: This requires you to understand LCSH.
Generate control numbers: This requires you to understand how your local system handles control numbers. Depending on your ILS, this step may be completely unnecessary.
Generate Cutter numbers: MarcEdit is not able to generate Cutter-Sanborn Four-Figure numbers, but it can do Cutter-Sanborn Three-Figure numbers and LC Cutters.
If you're interested in adding any of these options to your workflow, I may be able to help you.
Conclusion
Your original MARC records now ready to import into your local system. I can't demonstrate that process because every system works differently, but you should be able to do this with very little pain. Talk to customer support from your particular ILS for guided help on this, and don't forget ACL Technical Services Interest Group (tsig@acl.org) is knowledgeable and willing to help.
One final note:
When you go back to catalog more books next time, make sure you don't accidentally grab the same spreadsheet lines you've already cataloged the time before - you wouldn't want to accidentally duplicate books in your local system! If you're extra worried about this, you can use the Form settings to clear responses
This CC license applies to the text of this webpage, the text in the Google Form, the formulae in the Google Sheet, the text in the .mrd file, and the text in the .task file. This CC license does not apply to the Google Form, the Google Sheet, or the app MarcEdit; all rights regarding those apps/tools/services belong to their respective owners.