Gateways logo
ISSN 1443-0568 | no. 39 | June 1999


Kinetica news

Batch*Link

Batch*Link is the new Kinetica service under development that loads batches of cataloguing records and holdings to the National Bibliographic Database. It will support the addition, deletion and update of library holdings on the NBD. Where no cataloguing record exists on Kinetica, the contributing library’s record will be added. Where the contributed record matches with the NBD, Kinetica will merge the incoming bibliographic and holdings data with the Kinetica record. The Batch*Link service will appeal to libraries that formerly used the ABN ‘Holdings Only’ and ‘Batch Holdings Change’ services.

To get the service started, the National Library is working with library system vendors who are developing the facility to export records to Kinetica. The specifications for the service were drawn up in consultation with library suppliers and library system vendors. The Library will give priority to testing a contribution from each type of system.

To contribute to Kinetica, library systems will need to export USMARC records with holdings in the Kinetica format. Each file of USMARC records will be accompanied by a control file, which identifies the file and the type of data. Library systems may need to be changed to ‘remember’ which records and holdings have already been reported to the NBD, so that they are not sent again. Alternatively, the library system may require the user to flag individual records for export to Kinetica.

Several libraries and library suppliers have expressed interest in contributing to the NBD via Batch*Link. In addition to testing the export of files from library systems, the data files themselves will need to be assessed and tested. Priority will be given to data files which offer the greatest value to other libraries for interlibrary document supply and shared cataloguing. For example, a data source which offers a high proportion of new bibliographic records, with first-time reports of holdings for that title, will be of greater value than a data source which contributes additional locations for titles which are already widely held. This fits with Kinetica’s primary function of supporting resource sharing among Australian libraries.

There is a registration charge of $1000 to use the Batch*Link service. This fee is a contribution towards the cost of assessing data quality and test loading the file. The charge is a flat fee, as the size of a library’s file has little bearing on the costs to the National Library of assessing the data or testing the compliance.

Libraries which successfully contribute data via Batch*Link may be eligible for a discount of 15 per cent on their Kinetica charges for core services. The details on how to qualify for the 15 per cent rebate are described in the Kinetica charging schedule at http://www.nla.gov.au/kinetica/kcharges.html

While Batch*Link contributors may become ‘partial contributors’, the higher rebate of 30 per cent is reserved for libraries which attain the status of ‘full contributor’. This acknowledges that online cataloguing is more timely and less likely to introduce duplicate records or headings into the database. In addition, online contribution involves lower administrative costs for the Library. Detailed information about the Batch*Link service is available on the Web at http://www.nla.gov.au/kinetica/batch.html . The Library expects to make further minor changes to these specifications to accommod-ate the needs of contributing libraries. Libraries which wish to register for the Batch*Link service, should contact Julia Trainor or Bemal Rajapatirana via the Help Desk on 1 800 026 155 or email kinetica@nla.gov.au

| Contents list for this issue of Gateways |

Please address any comments and enquiries to The Editor, Gateways: lkirwan@nla.gov.au

Gateways logo