Heritage CIRQA Cataloguing

Most new purchasers of Heritage Cirqa will migrate from an existing library management system and bring their existing catalogue data with them. We provide a conversion service to transfer not only catalogue records, but also circulation histories and reader information if required. We have converted data from a large number of other management systems and so It is likely that we already understand your data structure. For a list of converted systems have a look at Data Conversions.

These days most catalogue records can be acquired electronically without the need for manual entry. If you are cataloguing your stock for the first time, or regularly receive new stock, Quickcat Online is the perfect solution for you. Fast and cost-effective, Quickcat Online offers a combined British Library and National Library of Medicine dataset of over 20 million records which is updated regularly.

The module links directly to the cataloguing screens and users have reported hit-rates in excess of 90% using Quickcat Online. You can enjoy unlimited access to the data source as part of your standard Heritage Cirqa Annual Maintenance Agreement.

Data Entry and Editing

For those records that have to be entered manually, or electronic ones requiring editing and enhancement, Heritage Cirqa offers one of the most comprehensive catalogue data entry facilities available.

Virtually anything can be catalogued in Heritage Cirqa, including books, journals, DVDs, websites, multi-media kits, audio material and images. If you have unusual cataloguing requirements then the chances are that Heritage Cirqa can cope with them, because the data entry facility can be tailored to fit. Blackburn College wrote a case study for the Excellence Gateway outlining how they have used Heritage to catalogue and loan photographic equipment (cameras, batteries, flash cards etc). Powerful tools, such as a thesaurus, help the cataloguer to expand the record with more detail, whilst avoiding synonyms or other inconsistencies that reduce the chances of success in searching the OPAC (Online Public Access Catalogue). Heritage Cirqa maintains a hierarchical structure for catalogue records, with the primary information recorded once and separate accession records maintained for each copy, thereby allowing individual rules to be set. This is useful, for example, when one or two copies of a high-demand title must be made available on a short loan, but the others remain on a regular loan pattern. Global change facilities ease the process of moving batches of items to new loan types to accommodate changing requirements.

Cataloguing and Issuing 'on the fly'

Heritage Cirqa offers 'Issuing on the Fly' which allows the operator to create a temporary or instant catalogue record for any item. This need not be a conventional library resource, for example if a user wishes to borrow your stapler, a random number can be created at the issue prompt, followed by the word 'Stapler', and the item is immediately loaned to them. The system would even generate the usual overdue notices if the item is not returned!

Thesaurus and Spellchecker

Heritage Cirqa is supplied with a blank thesaurus, so that users can either build their own or import one from another source. Once the thesaurus is defined, it is possible to link to cross referenced subject headings, and control the entry of keywords when cataloguing. If a preferred term exists, the cataloguer will be prompted.

Correct spelling in a database system is vital. Any errors might lead to users not finding the required results in the OPAC. Heritage Cirqa has a useful spellchecker for use in data entry fields and in particular Cataloguing.

Book/CD/DVD Cover Images

In the catalogue you can store images which show the cover of any media so that your users can see it in an OPAC search and find it easier to locate the item when they look for it on the shelves. If the image is available on Amazon (and most are) then it can be added to the catalogue record automatically for you, saving you time and effort in providing a really useful addition to the catalogue record.

Other images can also be stored as part of the catalogue record too. Maps, photographs, illustrations and cartoons are just some of the images Heritage users add to their catalogues

MARC 21

If you contribute to a union catalogue, or share records with other institutions, then Heritage Cirqa has a MARC Cataloguing Module which allows users to maintain a MARC 21 standard record at the same time as an expanded, native Heritage Cirqa record.

Serials Management

Heritage Cirqa has a comprehensive optional module for cataloguing and managing journals.

URL Checker

We have recently introduced a URL Checker that will validate web links stored in a catalogue record. A report of all the URLs used in the catalogue is produced and the process identifies URLs which are not currently available and therefore require correcting.

Knowledge Management

Heritage Cirqa is designed primarily as a Resource Management system, but is also used for certain aspects of knowledge and document management. The ability to catalogue any type of resource is not limited to physical resources – electronic documents and even personnel can be catalogued with relevant information categorised and recorded in the notes field. This field is fully indexed so a general search on a term within Heritage Online would search all resources, be they books, serials, judgements, reports, websites, pdfs or even people.

Summary list of cataloguing features

General

• Optional QuickCat Online facility for downloading catalogue records
• Separate Serials Cataloguing facility
• Customisable field display and content
• Customisable online help
• Optional MARC Cataloguing Module
• User-definable additional page of spare fields
• Hierarchical Subject index
• ‘Do Not Index’ option for restricted stock Spellcheck facility Variant spellings facility
•  Composite/Included catalogue record facility for multi-volume works
• ‘See also’ Related Catalogue or Article record facility
• Free book, CD and DVD covers provided by Amazon
• Authority files
• Unlimited Keywords with thesaurus control

Facilities

• Search for catalogue record via any indexed field
• Alphabetical listing of entire catalogue
• ISBN validation
• ‘Fiction’ checkbox for Fiction/Non-Fiction borrowing statistics
• List of Publishers with ISBN prefix provided
• ‘Do Not Index’ option for restricted stock
• Recall facility
• Reservation history facility
• Current Reservations information
• ‘Dates’ facility (e.g. item expiry, renewal, review etc)
• Composite/Included catalogue record facility for multi-volume works
• ‘See also’ Related Catalogue record facility
• ‘See also’ Related Article record facility
• Groups facility for creation of reading lists/collections etc.
• Associated documents facility for linking websites, pdfs, documents, spreadsheets etc.
• Issuing items with a temporary catalogue record 'on the fly'
• Catalogue e-books, websites, DVDs, equipment, papers and other emphemera

Data Entry Controls

• User-defined list of media types
• Multi-value Subject/Classification Index
• Author Authority File
• User-defined list of personal roles (e.g. author, editor etc).
• Multiple Corporate Authors
• Multiple Series field
• Unlimited Keywords with authority file and thesaurus control
• Multiple Languages field
• Customisable Note Types
• Fully Indexed Notes

Copy information (Accessions/holding)

• Accessioning of copies direct from Catalogue Record
• User-defined list of locations
• User-defined list of loan types
• User-defined list of accession statuses
• Calculator provided in Cost field
• Due Date of Loaned/Ordered items displayed
• Individual item shelfmarks
• Multi-site locations and loan rules

Details

• Recommender information
• Current Price information
• Source of Data information
• Date Ranges information
• User-defined fields