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  1. What databases are searched to find my MARC records?

Our main databases are Library of Congress and Sears, but we also have French, Spanish, AV, contributed research and academic and also contributed school and public library databases to search from.

 

  1. How many records do the databases contain?

Over 20 million records.

 

  1. What type of records do the databases contain?

The databases contain full level, minimal level, and cataloging in process records.

 

  1. What percentage of my titles will match to the MARC databases?

Your matching percentage will depend on the type of collection you have.  The more common the titles you have, the higher the hit rate.  It also depends on whether you choose to have your records created if we don’t have an exact match.  If exact match isn’t important to your library, the hit rate percentage will increase.

Generally, the hit rate will be above 90%.

 

  1. Do the databases contain audiovisual records?

Yes.

 

  1. Do the databases contain foreign language titles?

Yes, we do have Spanish and French titles.

 

  1. What information is entered for the non-matched (created) records?

Depending on the information you send in, the created records may include LCCN, ISBN, author, title (subfield a and b), publication place, publisher name, publication date, edition statement, physical description, series title, summary, up to four subjects, author-added entry (if included in card’s tracings), title-added entry (if included in card’s tracings) and call number.

 

  1. What type of barcode labels is provided?

Laser-printed barcodes

 

  1. What information should the shelflist cards contain?

At a minimum, the shelflist cards should contain title, author and call number, but publisher and copyright date are also highly recommended.  ISBN also helps in our search process and to verify we have found the correct record.

 

  1. How long will it take to convert my shelflist?

Our turn-around time is generally 6-8 weeks.  Your collection size and type will also play a factor in turn-around time.  Summer is the busiest conversion season, so turn-around times during those months could exceed 8 weeks.

 

  1. What if I don’t have a sheflist?

You can either copy the title and verso pages from your books, writing your call numbers on the copies, or you can request we send you an Excel template in which you can type the information needed for conversion.  Either of these formats can then be sent to us for conversion.

 

  1. How do I prepare my shelflist for conversion and ship it to E. F. Library Services?

a. Request boxes from E. F. Library Services to ship in your shelflist cards (for orders greater than 3000 titles)

b. Review your cards to ensure:

·          the title, author, publisher name, publication date, call number and number of copies have been included on each shelflist card

·         Copy amounts are included in a consistent manner on the cards

·         Handwritten cards are legible, and if not, create a new legible card

·         Batch the shelflist cards (rubber banding cards will help to ensure the cards stay firmly in the boxes) and place them in the boxes in call number order

c. Place your cards in the shelflist boxes provided and add packing material to any boxes that are not full

d. Number the boxes in sequence (e.g. Box 1 of 5, Box 2 of 5, etc.)

e. Label the boxes with the name and address of your library and the type of material enclosed (e.g. Fiction A-F)

f. Use the box in which we shipped the sheflist boxes to ship your cards to us adding packing material as needed to ensure the boxes stay tight during shipment.  Please place your return label over ours and label the box to ship to:

E. F. Library Services LLC

139 South Kingston Street

Caledonia MN 55921

g. Ship via the carrier of your choice, but we highly recommend that you have your shipment tracked.

 

  1. Why should I use your service instead of doing it myself?

Since this usually wouldn’t be your first priority (since taking care of your patrons is number 1), it may take you months or even years to completely transfer your shelflist cards to electronic format.  E. F. Library Services can complete your conversion in just a few weeks, depending on the size of your collection.

 

Our data techs have years of experience working with MARC records.  They know what to look for and will provide you with the best MARC record they can find.


  1. Are there any quality guarantees?

E. F.  Library Services guarantees at least 98% accuracy.  We proof our work, especially those records we create for you.  All local holdings information is also electronically verified to ensure we followed your specifications.

 

  1. How safe are my shelflist cards when I send them to you?

All boxes are labeled with your library name and kept separate from other collections once received here.  We do suggest that when you ship your shelflist to us, you use the carrier’s tracking service, and we do the same for shipping the cards back to you.

 

  1. Should I weed my collection before I send it?

If you haven’t weeded in a few years, you may want to consider weeding prior to sending in your collection.  Otherwise, your automation system could actually make your weeding process easier.  Once you’ve loaded your data into your automation system, there may be some collection analysis in the system that could be performed.