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OCLC/PCC PURL Service

FAQ

• General #1: Are there special cataloging instructions we are to follow for inputting PURLs into bib. records?
• General #2: If OCLC has a record for both the paper and the online versions, and we use the "single record approach," should we substitute the PURL in both records?
• General #3: May I use the CONSER PURL server for non-CONSER OCLC records?
• Technical #1: What version of the PURL server software is being used for the pilot?
• Technical #2: What is a re-direct & when should it be used?
• Technical #3: What do the status codes (e.g., "024") in the PURL error reports mean?
• Technical #4: How can I get a list of PURLs created by our institution?
• Gov Docs #1: Can we create PURLs for Canadian (or other non-US or non-federal) documents?
• Gov Docs #2: What should we do with candidates for GPO PURLs?

Q: Are there special cataloging instructions we are to follow for inputting PURLs into bib. records?

A: Yes. Input an 856 with 2 $u's, with the PURL in the first subfield $u and the URL in the 2nd subfield $u

OCLC recommended that pilot participants use two subfield $u's so that the PURLs would not affect CORC's  duplicate record detection.

Q: If OCLC has a record for both the paper and the online versions, and we use the "single record approach," should we substitute the PURL in both records?

A: Sounds good.

But we should also keep this question in mind for inclusion in the CONSER report. If the PURL server becomes permanent, what would be reasonable in terms of expectations?

In the situation outlined above, both records point to the same resource. But sometimes, the same URL is used to point to different resources. Where should one draw the line?
 

Q: May I use the CONSER PURL server for non-CONSER OCLC records?

A: Yes.
 

Q: What version of the PURL server software is being used for the pilot?

A: The CONSER PURL software is running version 2.14.
 

Q: What is a re-direct & when should it be used?

A (Susan Walker): WE THINK YOU SHOULD CONTINUE TO CREATE SEPARATE PURLS FOR EACH TITLE.

***
[Theoretical example to explain redirection]
Say, for example that you have a group of serials that all begin http://www.biomedcentral.com/

...and that use an ISSN to distinguish the titles, e.g.:
http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2105
http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6750
etc.

To create a partial PURL for "http://www.biomedcentral.com/" choose "create partial" and type the URL in the window under the displayed PURL: http://bibpurl.oclc.org/web/212/
Then press "submit" and "confirm".

In the OCLC bib record, append the ISSN to the PURL, e.g.:
http://bibpurl.oclc.org/web/212/1471-2105
http://bibpurl.oclc.org/web/212/1472-6750
etc.
 

Q: What do the status codes in the PURL error reports mean?

A: The OCLC CONSER PURL documentation "Getting Started" has a brief description of error categories. See Chapter 6:  http://bibpurl.oclc.org/PURLbib.pdf
[PDF - requires the free Adobe Acrobat Reader to view; 157KB]

For more detailed explanation, two documents may help. The first is a table of errors 001-024 created for the UC's California Digital Library: http://uclibs.org/maint/validate/status-codes.html

The second is the Internet Engineering Task Force's Hypertext Transfer Protocol/1.1 document, particularly the segment 10, "Status Code Definitions": http://www.w3.org/Protocols/rfc2616/rfc2616-sec10.html#sec10 
 

Q: How can I get a list of PURLs created by our institution?

A: There are several options; here are two.

--If you want a list of all PURLs created under your OCLC symbol, then use the "PURL Usage Statistics," and enter your OCLC symbol in "Symbol."

--If you want a list of PURLs created with a specific authorization number, then use "PURL Search Form" and enter the authorization number. Note: do not include hyphens.
 

Q: Can we create PURLs for Canadian documents? The procedure says, "The pilot is limited to freely-available resources, excluding federal documents."

A: Yes.

U.S. federal documents have been excluded from the pilot in order to avoid overlap with GPO's PURL server. Any other type of document may be included in the pilot.
 

Q: What should we do with candidates for GPO PURLs?

A: (From: "Downing, Thomas A." <tdowning@gpo.gov>)

If your project members discover online resources that seem to be U.S. Government publications we would be happy to hear about them (title/url). Several groups within the Federal depository library community are engaged with discovering works that are suitable for inclusion within the Federal Depository Library Electronic Collection. We appreciate being advised of such resources and provide cataloging for them.

...Sending information to Theodore Defosse at his email address tdefosse@gpo.gov would be fine. We would appreciate it if people would first check OCLC before sending any information. Such a check could eliminate the need to send the information because, in some instances, records may already have been created by GPO.

If checking OCLC is not feasible people could still email Theodore with title and URL. We will then see what we might do to bring the resource into our workflow.

 

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