Introduction

This is a guide to cataloguing individual ebooks using RDA.

Most ebooks are essentially electronic copies of print books and should be catalogued as such. Ideally, a good print record should be used as a base record, and ebook details added to it. By preference use an existing good quality print record on Alma and copy it. Alternatively, check the corresponding print record and ensure they match as far as is practical, especially for headings.

Ebooks typically come in packages, which need to be records. These reflect different suppliers, which are distinct from publishers. Some suppliers will produce several collections depending on subject area. The package-specific data is generally held in a few fields (533 and 590) which can be set up in Alma templates.

General Procedure

There are five steps to cataloguing an ebook on Alma at UCL:

1. Basic editing of the record.
   
2. Apply a template with package-specific data.
3. Edit>Enhance the Record>Convert to Ebook Record. This would do all the more generic changes and add a generic 533/590 if these weren’t added in from a template.
4. Edit the generic 533/590 if necessary.
5. Sanity check and save.

Edit the Record

Check and edit the normal book parts of the record. Pay particular attention to name and subject headings. As far as possible the record should match any print records on Alma, and it is often easier to copy elements from the print record and paste them directly into the ebook record. Conversely it might sometimes be necessary to upgrade the print record at the same time.

It is not always possible to check all the details of an ebook record in the same way as a print record when the book is in front of you. You will need to make a judgement of the record based on its source, how complete it looks, and how it compares to the UCL print record. In general, trust the record if it seems to have come from a reputable source but you should be able to check the ebook directly and acessing it.

Delete any existing 533 or 590 field.

Apply a Template

Each package needs to have specific data added to the record from a prepared template (see Creating a Template). To apply a template in the Alma Metadata Editor, select Edit>Expand from Template then choose the appropriate template from the list.

This will insert the following data:

533 field (Electronic Reproduction Note)

This says that this record is in fact an ebook and gives details about the ebook's publisher. See Creating a Template.

533__$$aElectronic reproduction. $$b <Place of publication> : $$c <Publisher>, $$d<date of publication>. $$n Available in <format> format. $$n Description based on contents viewed <date of cataloguing>.

(MARC21 documentation)

590 field (Access Note)

This specifies what the reader will need to access the ebook. See Creating a Template. In the vast majority of cases, this will be:

590 \\$aUCL username and password required for access.

(MARC21 documentation)

590 field (Collection Tags)

Tags are unique to a package or collection and enable us to identify, count, and delete collections. They all start "uclebk" and have a unique suffix, such as the following for the Hart collection. See Creating a Template.

590__$$a uclebkhart

Convert to Ebook Record

Add more general ebook data to the record by using an Alma Normalization Rule. To do this in the Alma Metadata Editor, select Edit>Enhance the Record and choose the "Convert to Ebook" Normalization Type from the list.

Creating a Template