The catalogue reclamation and the quality control: means, times and strategies

Abstract

The article examines the themes of the catalogue reclamation and quality control that have hardly been considered in professional literature so far. The analysis starts from the author's work experience who is involved in the catalogue reclamation and quality control of Pisa University libraries opac <http://sba2.adm.unipi.it:8991/F/?func=find-b-0>.
Catalogue reclamation is required when many of them merge into a single database, or after massive derivative cataloguing or even after retroconversion projects.
In work planning staff selection is very important. The author suggests that these projects must not be given in complete outsourcing.
The following section describes catalogue reclamation, referring to the University of Pisa union catalogue author's experience. This work begun in 2000 merging single university library catalogues LAN-located into a unique database.
Catalogue reclamation can mainly be carried out by two means: manual and automated changes. In the first case, work methodologies definition and bibliographic tools (national and international opac) are relevant. Instead, computerized interventions are feasible only after a meticulous cases analysis strictly collaborating with systems manager.
The last part of the article is dedicated to catalogue quality control by monitoring new bibliographic records and pointing out mistakes or lacks to the involved cataloguer.