Step 6.9

Step 6.9: Bibliographic Update Frequency

The frequency of running Bibliographic Update Services for your library should be based on the following:

• Frequency - How often does your organization’s authority file need to be updated?
• Resources - Does your organization have the staff to upload changed authority records at the frequency you chose?

Most libraries under 500,000 bib records do not need to run Bibliographic Services more than four times a year. A good way to measure how frequent you need this service done is to compare it to how often you add NEW bibliographic records.

If you are adding about 5,000 records a quarter then both Current Cataloging and Bibliographic Update Services should be run every quarter. If you are adding about 5,000 records once a year then consider running Bibliographic Update and Current Cataloging Services once a year.

You can then establish a start date to begin the Bibliographic Update Service. The start date can be selected based on local needs.

If a library has chosen quarterly Bibliographic Updates, and has selected to begin the updates in April, the updates will run in April, July, October, January. Both the frequency and schedule can be changed upon request.

Please check with your MARS 2.0 project manager to determine an efficient Bibliographic Update cycle for your organization.