Metadata Services and Digital Projects

Retrospective Conversion

What is Retrospective Conversion?

Retrospective conversion is the process of turning a library's existing paper catalog records into machine-readable form. Retrospective conversion usually entails using catalog cards to find or create bibliographic records in a database of machine-readable records, such as OCLC (WorldCat), and bringing those records into the existing local database.

The Library is now entering the final phase of retrospective conversion. At the start of this effort in July of 2000, it was determined that there were approximately 200,000 titles that still needed to be represented in the online catalog. As we proceed to enter records for these materials into the online catalog, we are also conducting an inventory of the materials and repairing those that are in poor condition. The end result is greatly improved access: people are now able to search for the materials via author, title, subject, call number, and keyword searches in the catalog and have confidence that the materials are available and in good condition.

As of March 1, 2005, there were approximately 107,000 catalog records remaining to be converted to machine-readable records. This number represents 6.7% of the cataloged collections that still need records added to the online catalog; 93.3% of the Libraries' cataloged collections are already represented with online records.

In addition to thousands of titles from the general open stacks, some of the Libraries' more unique or restricted-access materials have already been converted, including:

Music Services materials
Dissertations, master's and honors theses
Juvenile Collection materials
Burgess Collection (keyword search "burgess collection" in the catalog)
Oregon Collection books are converted (serials are underway)
Warner Collection (search "gertrude bass warner memorial library" in the catalog)
East Asian materials are partially converted
Cyrillic materials are largely converted

For a complete inventory of titles cataloged before 1988, search the card catalog (3rd floor mezzanine of Knight Library) or the fiche catalog (available in the Document Center or Special Collections). The card catalog can be searched under author or title and the fiche catalog can be searched under author, title, or subject. The card catalog and the fiche catalog must be used with caution, however, since no attempt was made to update the information in those catalogs since 1988; many titles have been withdrawn, declared missing, or given a different call number since 1988.

Titles cataloged since 1988 are all in the online catalog.

For more details, click here.

Progress

Staff Information

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Maintained by: MSDP, catdept@uoregon.edu
Last Modified: 01/10/2008