Using ISBNs to Search for / Delete

Duplicate Bibliographic Records

 

The report, "Duplicate Records," which appears under "Database Maintenance" on the Cataloging Reports Menu will identify records with the same ISBN. You may also be notified in an e-mail message of multiple records with the same ISBN. This happens when bibliographic records from vendors, the Union Catalog, or Library of Congress are loaded and encounter multiple records with the same ISBN. A load report (sortie) is sent indicating that the record was rejected due to "repeated ISBN."

 

You can locate these duplicate records for removal by searching on the ISBN appearing in one of the above reports. Occasionally an ISBN appearing in a load report as being rejected due to a "repeated ISBN" will not actually be repeated in the bank. When this happens, the record will contain multiple ISBNs and the problem may be with one of the other ISBNs in the record. Do a search on each of the other ISBNs to determine which ISBN is repeated in another record.

 

NOTE: Not all records with the same ISBN are duplicate records. Each title in a series may have the ISBN for the series as well as an ISBN for the individual title. The series ISBN will appear on the above reports, if the bank contains more than one title in the series.

NOTE: On rare occasions the same ISBN is used for two different items.

 

1.      Select “Create and Update Bibliographic Records.”

 

2.   Press PF2 to search for bibliographic records with the same ISBN number.

 

3.   Select ISBN as the search field.

         OR

      Enter SB= 

 

If you are searching for duplicate bibliographic records with the same ISBN numbers, as a result of having records report as not loaded in the INFOhio Union Catalog Record load email message, enter the ISBN number(s) listed in the email report. Bibliographic records containing identical ISBN numbers will display.

 

4.      Look at each bibliographic record. At the prompt, “Is this the correct record?” press N so that you can look at every record with the same ISBN number. Your goal is to identify a single record to which you are going to link all the items. The other bibliographic record(s) will be deleted.

 

5.      Make a note of the record number (displayed at top left corner of screen) when you have located the matching bibliographic record.

 

6.   Link all the items from the bibliographic records you will be deleting to the single record you

      will be keeping.

 

Make sure that all items have been correctly linked to the single record. (Use its record number to view the record and all its attached items.)

 

7.   Delete the duplicate bibliographic record(s), after all the items have been linked to the single

      record.

 

 

NOTE: If you want a bibliographic record from the INFOhio Union Catalog to replace a record in your bank, re-export and load the record. The record will now replace your bibliographic record, since you only have ONE bibliographic record with that ISBN in your bank.

 

 

Related documents

 

3.4   Linking Items from One Bibliographic Record to Another

3.7   Deleting a Cataloging Record

7.8   Flip Chart – Using ISBN to Search/Delete Duplicate Records

 

New Records Create Duplicates – Resolution by Linking Items