Auto-filling Enumeration & Chronology Fields: an Iterative Approach
Session Abstract
After migrating to Alma from III Sierra, we had thousands of items whose enumeration & chronology metadata were only present in the Description field. While this can work for display purposes, the Enum & Chron fields must be populated for sorting and filtering to work properly. We set about developing an automated process to fill the Enum/Chron fields, using the metadata present in the description field.
As a branch campus with about 250,000 volumes / 5000 physical serials, we were able to take a fairly direct approach—picking off the low-hanging fruit and filling their Enum/Chron fields, then moving on to progressively more complex cases. The result is a Python script (available via the Github repository) which should be adaptable for other institutions trying to achieve the same end.
Learning Outcome #1
At the end of this session, participants will be able to implement and modify a new tool for enhancing item records in Alma.
Track
Demonstrations
Applicable Ex Libris Product
Alma
Target Audience Skill Level
Intermediate