From Fragmented Lists to an Authoritative Master Record

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From Fragmented Lists to an Authoritative Master Record

The greatest challenge in the Sirah Research Hub is duplication. When aggregating data from IRI, SSMK, and printed bibliographies, we must move from importing to merging.

The Goal: "One Record, Many Homes"

IRI Copy + SSMK Copy + Citation #402

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Unified Sirah Master Record

1

Handling Physical Holdings (Merging)

If you have three repeating entries in Koha, use the Merge selected tool in the staff client. Pick the record with the "best" metadata as your reference. Koha will move the barcodes from the duplicates to this master record automatically.

Result: One search result shows availability at IRI, SSMK, and NLP simultaneously.

2

Handling Bibliographies (Citation Tags)

A bibliography entry is a citation, not a physical book. Instead of a new record, use MARC Tag 510 (Citation/References Note) inside the Master Record.

• 510 $a: Name of Source (e.g., Sher Nowrooz Khan Bibliography)
• 510 $c: Entry or Page Number (e.g., Item #142)

3

Preserving Academic Credit

Don't lose track of who cataloged the book first. Use MARC Tag 040 (Cataloging Source) to create a breadcrumb trail of contributions.

Example: 040 $a NLP $d IRI $d SSMK shows the original record came from NLP and was enriched by IRI and SSMK.

💡 MarcEdit Pro-Tip: Before uploading, use the Deduplication Tool in MarcEdit to check your incoming file against your existing Koha export. This stops duplicates before they ever touch your database.