Child Holdings provides two separate capabilities:

• Support for MARC Holdings cataloguing. This is specifically for use in Libraries for the Blind, to support their requirements for multipart items, but is also required in other libraries to allow maintenance of serial and multipart holdings
• A set of functions to address issues in data conversion, where serial part details are not formatted according to the MARC Holdings format, and as a result, the part details are simply accumulated as embedded holdings (using tag 852) within the serial’s parent bibliographic record. Where the library has multiple branches, each having subscriptions to the serial, and maybe several years’ worth of issues, this can provide a bibliographic record with hundreds of attached items. This will cause delays in building formatted details for display in response to search and can be remedied by using these Child Holdings functions to separate the embedded holdings into linked child records.

Record identification and retrieval #

The Child Holdings functions are controlled on the named tab:

Note that this tab is not used to retrieve a record directly, e.g. by ISBN or bibliographic id. Instead, the record must first be identified on the main cataloguing Detail tab – this can be achieved by normal search mechanisms. The exception to this is where looking for Titles with embedded holdings.

MARC Holdings cataloguing #

Once you have the record displayed, the Child Holdings tab will show the detail of the holdings, and allow maintenance and addition of holdings:

This display is divided into several distinct panels:

Child Holdings panel #

This small panel displays the detail of existing holdings. There may be three separate types of holding displayed:

• Embedded holdings (i.e. barcodes in the 852 tags of the main bibliographic record
• Items On order
• Separated holdings, showing the date of creation.

The display shows the number of items per type/ per record and identifies the USRI for any separate order or holding record.

MARC display #

If there are separated holdings listed in the Child Holdings panel, then selecting one of these will display it in MARC format on the right:

Note that a summary listing of the items is also shown in a further panel below the MARC display.

Editing an existing holding #

The Pop-up menu provides options to modify specific tags. This may be used, for instance, to change a barcode on a serial item.

Adding a new holding #

If a new child holding is required, then this may be added by first selecting the green cross button. Note that the Add and Save buttons are deliberately separated to ensure that the correct button is selected.

Having selected the button, Aurora will present a Holdings entry workform. This is always presented in MARC diagnostic format, and the entry method varies from bibliographic and authority cataloguing. All changes are driven through the Pop-up menu.

The default workform to be displayed will be the first alphabetically listed from the available workforms, and will include any defaults, e.g. for 007 and item format selection, as defined in the Workform parameters:

Workform selection #

This panel displays the currently defined workforms available for application. They are displayed in alphabetical order, and selection of a new workform will replace the existing instance. Note that any changes applied in an earlier instance which have not been saved will be lost by selection of a different workform.

Pop-up menu #

Right click allows a small Holdings oriented pop-up menu to be invoked. This supports functions for the following tag associated options. PLEASE NOTE that an option is context specific – and so is only enabled when that tag is currently selected.

• 035 – Control Number. In Libraries for the Blind, this will normally be the defined local book number.
• 852 – Holdings Location.

$b – Sub-location

$= – Item format (Aurora specific subfield)

Shelving designation

$h – Call number Classification number

$k – Call number prefix

$i – Call number part

$m – Call number suffix

Numbers and codes

$t – Copy

• 853 – $8 Set (Link)
• 853 – Captions and patterns (other)

All other available subfields may be selected using this selection. For full details, please see: 853-855 definitions

• 863 $p Item barcode(s) addition
• 863 $p Item barcode change
• 863 Enumeration and chronology (0ther)

All other available subfields may be selected using this selection. For full details, please see: 863-865 definitions

Adding a data element #

Whenever one of the options from the pop-up menu is selected, then Aurora will display a specific input box. This may request input of a new subfield from scratch, or display the existing contents of a subfield, where data already exists.

Item format change #

If a holdings record has an incorrect item format, then it may be changed using the 852 tag values. Now please note that the item format is stored in 863 tags, but to ensure consistency, Aurora includes a device to ensure that all items within the holding record have the same format. For this, when creating a new holding, a pseudo subfield 852 $= is created for this purpose, and allows selection of a new format:

Note that the selection presented is derived from the existing Holdings 007 tag. All item formats that match the 007 values as defined in the Item format parameters will be displayed and may be selected. Selection applied the correct item format code to the 863 $= instances.

When the Holdings record is saved, the 852$= subfield is removed

Titles with embedded headings #

This second function allows for identification and handling of large records, e.g. where following a data conversion, a serial title may have 100 or more individual embedded holdings as 852 tags within the bibliographic record. Retaining records like this will slow down searching and result display.

Child Holdings panel (embedded) #

This panel allows titles with N + embedded holdings to be retrieved and listed on the Work to be done tab. The default value for the number of items is 100, but this may be varied as required; the titles may then be retrieved using the green Go button.

When the titles are listed, a title may be selected using ‘Change’, and the bibliographic details are displayed as normal on the main cataloguing Detail tab. In the links display on the left of this view, the title’s tally of both child holdings and items will be displayed

In this case, there are many items, and this will slow title retrieval and display down. The Child Holdings tab may now be accessed for this title by clicking the Child Holdings link, or simply selecting the tab.

The title is now shown, with all Child Holdings (both embedded and separated) enumerated in the Child Holdings panel: this will always show at least 2 lines – one for the number of embedded holdings and one for the number of on order items. Note that the title’s bibliographic id is shown, but no other bibliographic data is displayed initially.

Identifying items to create a child #

If you now click on the control ‘Identify titles with embedded holdings’ entry, all of the embedded items are listed and provided with individual checkboxes:

The checkboxes can be selected manually, or by using options on the pop-up menu:

Pop-up menu #

A specific pop-up menu is provided, with the following options:

• Check items if Sub-location contains a keyword – please see below.
• Check items if Part contains a keyword – please see below.
• Check all items – this may be used if all items displayed can be used to create a child holing, with no further filtering.
• Uncheck all items (not enabled until at least one checkbox is ticked) – this is useful if your keyword selection is not valid; please see below.
• Create new Child Holding (not enabled until at least one checkbox is ticked). See below for details.

Checking items with a keyword match #

You can select one or more holdings manually or you can use the keyword match options on the pop-up menu. Note that MARC Holdings cannot support multiple locations in the same Holdings record. When a keyword match is found, the matches will be ticked and display highlighted:

Note that if using a location keyword, this must be unique: if you enter say ‘Chatswood’ this will tick all items matching the string – including ‘West Chatswood’, and as these locations are different, this will not be allowed and will generate an error. Multiple selections may be applied, e.g. location and then date, but please note that the selections are treated as OR not AND, so ‘West Chatswood’ followed by ‘2013’ will select items with location ‘West Chatswood’ OR part ‘2013’ – so will include additional locations for which the part keyword will be valid, and again cause the multiple location error. You will therefore need to review locations and years as appropriate before starting the child creation process.

Creating the Child record #

When one or more items are selected, then the option to Create a Child Record becomes enabled. Aurora will ask for confirmation of the action and show the number of items currently selected:

If there are multiple locations selected, then a message will be given, with the location code given (not the name):

You will then need to uncheck selections and start again.

If all is good, then the record will be created, and the display will revert to the parent bibliographic record displayed on the Detail tab.