RETROSPECTIVE CONVERSION; A LOOK AT SOME OF TOE SERVICES AVAILABLE

Abstract

The section of VINE (pp 19–25)has as a common theme retrospective conversion. It is a topic which seems to have been giving rise to more and more interest of late as the proliferation of online database systems makes the problem increasingly acute for a growing number of libraries. There are a range of options open to libraries — keyboarding, either directly to an in‐house database or via a bureau service, buying‐in records from an external source and in a recognised format, or using scanning techniques. In practice many libraries will adopt a mix of all three depending on the quality and content of the catalogue to be converted. I am not intending in these pages to look at all facets and problems of retrospective conversion: the Catalogue and Index Group of the Library Association ran an extremely well attended One‐Day Seminar in January this year which addressed many of the issues and choices retrospective conversion raises. (The Proceedings will be published later this year in the CIG's Newsletter). There are three articles in this VINE looking at recon. These first pages assume the buying‐in approach and give a quick guide to some of the data sources for retrospective conversion currently around and the special retrospective services being offered by the database holders; where no special provision for retrospective as opposed to current services exists, as in the case of SWALCAP for example, then the organisation has not been included. The next article outlines a new service using an intelligent scanner and format recognition software; and the final part of the trilogy recounts the particular experiences of Edinburgh University Library with a range of these services.