How long to wait for records in batch files?

[lgates]

Good Afternoon,

I have a workflow question that I hope someone can answer! At what point should/could I assume that a record for a particular microfiche is not coming in one of the monthly batches, and I should go search OCLC for it myself?

For instance, the first batch or two that I received had a lot of records for fiche that we received in Nov/Dec. The newest batch seems to be mostly items that we received in March/Apr. I still have quite a few fiche that we received sometime between November and February. Should I go searching for those myself, or will records for them be coming?

Thank you!

Lynn Gates
Cataloger
Davenport Public Library

[JDNoel]

Hi, Lynn.

As you are seeing, there's quite a bit of variation in when cataloging can be distributed. Before you go searching OCLC, I would ask GPO about it via askGPO, and give specific examples. If they were about to fall through the cracks this extra attention may help get these records for you and everyone else who selects those items numbers.

On the other hand, it's quite understandable if you do find some of these already on OCLC to want to just grab them so that you can get your work done.

The Congressional microfiche cataloging still seems to be a bit unsettled, with pretty good numbers in some monthly batches and almost none in others, and noticeably long delays compared to the corresponding paper and online titles' records. It's a general problem for anyone selecting the Congressional microfiche numbers.

Jim