Feeback wanted on guide to integration of SUNCAT

Oct 172011
 

Back in July of this year a guide was produced highlighting how to integrate SUNCAT into your library website and services. SUNCAT would be very interested to hear back from anyone who has implemented any of the suggestions to find out:

– What you did?
– How it’s working?
– Have you experienced any problems?
– Is anything further we could do to help?
– Any feedback you have in general.

If you have any feedback please contact Zena Mulligan at zena.mulligan@ed.ac.uk or via the EDINA helpdesk at edina@ed.ac.uk.

 October 17, 2011  Posted by at 12:21 pm Developments Tagged with: ,  No Responses »

Expansion of record downloading service

Jul 222011
 

The SUNCAT downloading service has been expanded to provide a range of options available to SUNCAT Contributing Libraries. These include the choice of:

  • Downloading MARC records from a database containing CONSER and ISSN records; and
  • Downloading MARC records from a database containing all records from CONSER, ISSN, Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) and now 17 Contributing Libraries.

A printable guide of search tips, for cataloguers using the Z39.50 connection, is also available.

Please note that the above databases, supplying MARC records, are only available to SUNCAT Contributing Libraries. However, MARC records are freely available to view via the SUNCAT web interface. In addition, there is a free Z39.50 connection to SUNCAT available to anyone who wishes to access the records in Dublin Core XML or SUTRS formats.

SUNCAT is the Serials Union Catalogue for the UK. Visit the service at http://www.suncat.ac.uk or the SUNCAT blog at http://suncatblog.blogspot.com
 July 22, 2011  Posted by at 9:48 am Developments Tagged with: ,  No Responses »

Integrate SUNCAT into your library website and services

Jul 112011
 

We have created a quick guide to integrating SUNCAT into your library services and website, available at http://www.suncat.ac.uk/docs/integrate_suncat.pdf

The guide highlights SUNCAT applications, in addition to the benefits of adding SUNCAT to your:
– Link resolver
– Federated or cross search service
– Library catalogue
– Website

Please contact us at edina.ed.ac.uk if you have any queries about the information in the guide or to order print copies of this guide or the SUNCAT flyer.

SUNCAT is the Serials Union Catalogue for the UK. Visit the service at http://www.suncat.ac.uk or the SUNCAT blog at http://suncatblog.blogspot.com
 July 11, 2011  Posted by at 2:20 pm Developments Tagged with: , , , , , ,  No Responses »

New SUNCAT z39.50 server hostname

Jun 292011
 

The SUNCAT z39.50 targets are now available at z.suncat.ac.uk. You may want to change your z39.50 configuration to point to z.suncat.ac.uk rather than newcat.edina.ac.uk to ensure continual access throughout the downtime tomorrow. See ‘Downloading facility of MARC Records‘ and ‘Free z39.50 connection details‘ for full details on how to connect.

SUNCAT is the Serials Union Catalogue for the UK. Visit the service at http://www.suncat.ac.uk or the SUNCAT blog at http://suncatblog.blogspot.com
 June 29, 2011  Posted by at 3:02 pm Developments Tagged with:  No Responses »

SUNCAT and Open / Linked Data

Jun 152011
 

EDINA and SUNCAT in particular are starting to explore Open and Linked Data, and would like to ask for your help!

SUNCAT is funded by JISC (http://www.jisc.ac.uk/). JISC has been actively involved in Open Data, which has resulted in the Discovery Open Metadata Principles (http://discovery.ac.uk/businesscase/principles/). As a result of this, SUNCAT would like to be able to open up the data that is sent by Contributing Libraries. The Resource Discovery Task Force (http://rdtf.jiscinvolve.org/wp/) was instrumental in linking the opening up of data and SUNCAT involvement. Open bibliographic data offers the chance for librarians and, indeed, anyone, to reuse the data to build innovative services for researches, teachers, students and librarians.

A major first step in the process of making metadata fully open is obtaining the consent of the Contributing Libraries to allow EDINA to make the supplied serials data open, under an Open Data Commons Public Domain Dedication and Licence
(URL: http://www.opendatacommons.org/licenses/pddl/ ) with reference to the ODC Attribution Share Alike Community Norms (the set of norms are published at: http://www.opendatacommons.org/norms/odc-by-sa/ ). Please contact us for more details of the licence that we have drawn up. We would be expecting all Contributing Libraries who allow us to open up their serials data to sign this.

Once the data has been made open, we may be able to transform it into a set of triples, and release it as Linked Data. This is dependent on the time scale of the project, and the work that we are able to complete in that time.

We understand that there may be licensing issues with allowing EDINA to use all of the metadata that is supplied to us through regular updates to SUNCAT. However, it would be very useful to be permitted to use some or all of this data, such as letting us use records that you created originally, and did not download from an external bibliographic resource.

It must be stressed that this is exploratory project work. As we are working to a tight timescale, we would like to work with a limited number of Contributing Libraries in the first instance.

We would like to hear from you if you would be happy for us to publish some or all of your serials metadata under an Open Data Commons PDD Licence. Please contact us through the SUNCAT email (suncat@staffmail.ed.ac.uk).

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Natasha.

Natasha Aburrow-Jones
SUNCAT Project Officer

SUNCAT is the Serials Union Catalogue for the UK. Visit the service at http://www.suncat.ac.uk or the SUNCAT blog at http://suncatblog.blogspot.com
 June 15, 2011  Posted by at 3:12 pm Developments Tagged with: , ,  No Responses »

New SUNCAT Google app

Apr 012011
 

A Google application is now available which enables you to search SUNCAT directly from your iGoogle page or from any webpage where you choose to embed the app. Search options include keyword, title and ISSN. Further details and instructions on installing the app are available on the SUNCAT website. Contact the EDINA helpdesk (edina@ed.ac.uk) if you have queries regarding the app or SUNCAT in general.

SUNCAT is the Serials Union Catalogue for the UK. Visit the service at http://www.suncat.ac.uk or the SUNCAT blog at http://suncatblog.blogspot.com
 April 1, 2011  Posted by at 1:44 pm Developments Tagged with:  No Responses »

New SUNCAT Google app

Dec 022010
 

SUNCAT is now even easier to search … A SUNCAT Google application is now available. This allows you to search SUNCAT directly from your iGoogle page or from any webpage where you choose to embed the application. Search options include: Title Keyword(s); Exact Title; ISSN; Keyword(s); and Subject Heading(s).

 December 2, 2010  Posted by at 1:25 pm Developments Tagged with:  No Responses »

SUNCAT links to SCONUL Access

Jan 202010
 

SUNCAT has added links to SCONUL Access to enable you to quickly find out how you can access journals you have found while searching SUNCAT.

The links to SCONUL Access are available from the top RHS of the full record display on SUNCAT. Clicking on the link takes you directly into the SCONUL Access site where you can find out about your access and borrowing rights to over 170 UK Higher Education libraries.

If you are interested in visiting one of the SUNCAT Contributing Libraries which is not included in the SCONUL Access scheme we would advise visiting the Library’s website to check on access arrangements. You can find a list of SUNCAT Contributing Library websites on the SUNCAT website.

SUNCAT is the Serials Union Catalogue for the UK. Visit the service at http://www.suncat.ac.uk or the SUNCAT blog at http://suncatblog.blogspot.com
 January 20, 2010  Posted by at 12:34 pm Developments Tagged with: ,  No Responses »

SUNCAT links to Journals’ Tables of Contents

Oct 142009
 
SUNCAT has just introduced links to journals’ tables of contents (ToCs) using information provided by the ToCs service, Zetoc. This development results from work conducted on the Discovery to Delivery project by EDINA and Mimas.The ToCs links appear on the SUNCAT search result screen and at the top of the full record display. Each link leads to the most recent issue of the appropriate journal title. Currently, there are ToCs links from around 20,000 journal titles, plus conference proceedings on SUNCAT, but this number will expand as new titles are added to Zetoc.
This is an important development for SUNCAT, instantly providing more information about journals on the catalogue. Article details from ToCs can assist users in distinguishing journals of interest, before establishing their location via the holdings information of the 70 libraries available on SUNCAT.

Journal Table of Contents on SUNCAT Full Record Display

SUNCAT is the Serials Union Catalogue for the UK. Visit the service at http://www.suncat.ac.uk or the SUNCAT blog at http://suncatblog.blogspot.com

 October 14, 2009  Posted by at 9:42 am Developments Tagged with: , , , ,  No Responses »

Expansion to MARC downloading service for SUNCAT Contributing Libraries

Aug 142008
 

SUNCAT has just released a second parallel downloading service to complement the initial pilot service introduced last year. Contributing Libraries can continue to access the CONSER only records with their existing connection and configuration, but may now replace this, or add a second connection to the new service, which contains both CONSER and ISSN records and will gradually expand to include Contributing Libraries’ MARC records. The CONSER only database will be maintained to provide libraries with quick and easy access to these high quality records, with the second service providing a more comprehensive coverage of records.

There is no charge for these services, Contributing Libraries can simply visit http://www.suncat.ac.uk/support/z-target-auth.shtml for details on how to set up the Z39.50 connection and start downloading records.

CONSER is the cooperative online serials cataloguing programme coordinated by the US Library of Congress. There are over one million high quality CONSER records on SUNCAT, with particularly strong coverage in current STM titles.

Each ISSN assigned to a serial publication is registered in the ISSN Register and with over one million ISSN numbers assigned, this database is one of the most comprehensive and authoritative sources for the identification of serial publications world-wide.

The facility is only available to SUNCAT Contributing Libraries and therefore a username and password is required to set up the connection. These details remain the same as for the pilot service and have already been sent to the primary SUNCAT contacts at each Contributing Library.

Contributing Libraries should contact the EDINA helpdesk at edina@ed.ac.uk if they need a reminder of their username/password, experience any problems setting up or using the service or have comments about the service.

SUNCAT is the Serials Union Catalogue for the UK. Visit the service at http://www.suncat.ac.uk.
 August 14, 2008  Posted by at 11:07 am Developments Tagged with: , , , , ,  No Responses »
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