Using OCLC Under Prism: A How to Do It Manual (How to Do It Manuals for Librarians)

Incorporating the program's newest features and assuming no prior experience, this guide gives an overview of OCLC, and moves on to explain constructing effective search keys, interpreting search results, and selecting and displaying records using the OCLC PRISM service. Both bibliographic and authority records contained in either the OCLC Online Union Catalog or the OCLC Authority File are covered, as well as the essential operations involving record creation and editing within the OCLC PRISM service.

Warwick and Carlborg, catalogers at Rutgers and the University of Illinois, respectively, describe how to log on to the OCLC system, search its Online Union Catalog, read and edit bibliographic records, enter new ones, and save, update, and produce them. It's a lot to do, but their book is nothing if not thorough. Intended for students in formal courses and on-the-job training, it has five exercises, principally testing search skills but also knowledge of record content and tagging. The emphasis is appropriate for most users, whose hit rates should be 90 percent-plus and whose most important task is finding records as efficiently as possible. Using OCLC Under PRISM is attractively illustrated with sample screens, helpful lists and summaries, and plenty of white space surrounding the text. The sole problem is the writing style?not always direct and clear?which should have been corrected by an editor. Recommended, nevertheless, to cataloging trainers and educators seeking an up-to-date, practical text.?Sheila S. Intner, GSLIS, Simmons Coll., Boston
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.