OCLC Connexion Client
(This page is being updated to move the 3rd party software content from the manual. --Heather Hernandez, Aug. 27, 2024)
Resources: This page is an overview and use study of the Connexion Client interface to OCLC, available to OCLC subscribers. (The Connexion Browser interface, discontinued by OCLC as of 30 April 2024, is also discussed on this wiki.)
The Client has useful features, especially:
- Macros: Great macros come preloaded. To see them, go to Tools>Macros>Manage. You can put frequently used ones into Tools>User Tools. (I use the ones to generate 3XX fields and generate 043 fields all the time.)
- Text Strings: You can assign frequently used text strings to particular key strokes. They are under Tools>Text Strings.
- Edit menu: I use the "Insert from Cited Record" all the time, e.g., I create a 7XX field, put an OCLC number in, and when I select "Insert from Cited Record" the Client fills in all the data into the 7XX field from the record with that OCLC number. Be sure to also check out "Guided entry," and if you catalog digitized items, the Client can generate the e-record from the analog record for you.
- Batch functions: the Client can also perform batch operations on records, which can be really handy.
Setting up the OCLC Connexion Client desktop software: Note: Screenshots are OCLC Connexion Client v.2.50, Koha v.3.12
To set up the OCLC Connexion desktop client to connect to Koha, go to Tools > Options, then choose the Export tab:
Choose the “Create…” button to set up a new destination, then choose “OCLC Gateway Export” and select OK. Enter the following information:
- Host Name: Your catalog’s appropriate IP address (from your config file, see the OCLC Cataloging Services section of the Koha manual)
- Port: Your catalog’s appropriate port number (from your config file, see the OCLC Cataloging Services section of the Koha manual))
- Login ID: The cataloger’s Koha login
- Password: The cataloger’s Koha password
- Notify Host Before Disconnect = checked
- Timeout = 100, “Retries” = 3, “Delay” = 0 (zero)
- Send Local System Logon ID Password = checked.
It should look like this:
Select “OK” when finished, and you should see your new “Gateway Export” option listed (The catalog’s IP address and port are blacked out in the following screenshot):
Select “Record Characteristics” and make sure that the bibliographic records are using MARC21, UTF-8 Unicode, and click OK to save:
You should be ready to go! To export a record from OCLC Connexion Client to Koha, just press F5 while the record is on-screen. The export dialog will pop up, and you’ll see Connexion attempting to talk to Koha. You should get a message that the record was added or overlaid, including its biblio number, and a URL that you can copy into your web browser to jump straight to the record.
Using the OCLC Connexion Client desktop software: Records can be exported from Connexion either in a batch or one by one.
Exporting records one by one: To export bibliographic records one by one, be sure your “Batch” options are correct: from the “Tools” menu, select “Options”, and select the “Batch” tab. In the “Perform local actions in batch” area, “Bibliographic Record Export” should be unchecked:
When ready to export, from the “Action” menu, select “Export” or use the F5 key. You will see a screen similar to the following if the import is successful and if the record is new to the Catalog; you may copy & paste the resulting URL into your Koha catalog to see the new record:
If the record was overlaid, you will see a message to that effect in the “OCLC Gateway Export Status” window:
Exporting records in a batch: To export bibliographic records in a batch, be sure your “Batch” options are correct: from the “Tools” menu, select “Options”, and select the “Batch” tab. In the “Perform local actions in batch” area, “Bibliographic Record Export” should be checked:
When a record is ready to export, from the “Action” menu, select “Export” or use the F5 key, and it’s export status will be “ready.”
When ready to export the batch, from the “Batch” menu, select “Process batch” and check the appropriate “Path” and “Export” boxes:
The export will begin, and the bib records will be exported & imported into Koha one by one; you will see “OCLC Gateway Export Status” windows, as above, showing you the results of each export. That window will stay there until you select “Close,” and then the next record’s export/import will begin. The process will continue until all records in the batch are completed. Then you may or may not see the Connexion Client export report (depending on your Client options for that).
Items in OCLC: If you’d like to create your item records in OCLC you can do so by adding a 952 for each item to the bib record you’re cataloging. The order of subfields in the 952 field doesn’t matter; you may wish to set up a text string or macro in the OCLC Connexion Client desktop software for frequently used subfield strings. The location and item information cataloging guide in the Koha Manual will break down what subfields you can use in the 952, but at the minimum you want to have subfield 2, a, b, and y on your items: 952 \\$2CLASSIFICATION$aHOMEBRANCHCODE$bHOLDINGBRANCHCODE$yITEMTYPECODE
- The subfield 2 holds the classification code. This can be ddc for Dewey or lcc for Library of Congress or z for Custom. Other classification sources can be found in the Classification Sources area in administration.
- Subfield a is your home library and needs to be the code for your home library, not the library name. You can find these codes in the Libraries administration area.
- Subfield b is your holding library and needs to be the code for your holding library, not the library name. You can find these codes in the Libraries administration area.
- Subfield y is your item type code. It needs to be the code, not the item type name. You can find these codes in the Item Types administration area.
For example: 952 \\$2ddc$aMAIN$bMAIN$yBOOK
In addition to these required fields you can enter any other subfield you’d like. Most libraries will enter a call number in subfield o and a barcode in subfield p as well. Review the Location and item information cataloging guide for a full list of subfields and values.
Overlaying a bib record from OCLC: To overlay a bib record from OCLC, include a 999__$c in the record with the Koha record number of the Koha bib record to be overlaid in the $c subfield. The 999__$c is in the Koha MARC21 record and also at the end of the record’s URL. Please note that only bibs can be overlaid and item records can not be overlaid, so the item records will be unaffected.
As of November 2023, the Gateway interface works only with bibliographic records; the batch export/import works with either bibliographic or authority records.
Use study, San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park Research Center:
MARC21 tag by tag:
001: This will contain the current OCLC number prefixed by "ocm...," "ocn...," etc. More information on the format and history of the numbers and how the lengths and prefixes have changed is available on the OCLC website. Unused, obsolete, etc. numbers will be in the 035.
999 _ _ $c: If this field is included in the OCLC record, it will cause the version of the record being exported from Connexion Client to completely overlay and replace the existing bibliographic record in Koha. The 999 $c number is the unique Koha bibliographic identification number, and is visible in the Koha MARC record and is also used in the static Koha URL for the bibliographic record at the end of the URL.
952 _ _: This is the field that creates item records in Koha. If included in an OCLC bibliographic record, it will create one new item record for each 952 field with the data in that field. There is no way to overlay item records. You can create frequently used 952 lines using Connexion Client's Tools>Text strings function. Order of the subfields doesn't matter. This is how we use the 952 field to create item records (data in all capitals matches codes used in our Koha Administration):
- $2 lcc: (We use Library of Congress call numbers)
- $3 Materials specified: put any information here that you’d like to show up at checkin/checkout, e.g.: 4 folded maps in pocket
- $7: a value of 1 (the number one) will make the item "Not for loan" (overriding any "Availability" from the circulation rule tables); omit this field for an item to be "Not for loan" or "Available" based on the circulation rules table.
- $a Permanent location: SFMARITIME
- $b Current location: SFMARITIME
- $c Shelving location: use the Authorized Value (the version in all caps in your Koha Administration)
- $e Source of acquisition: we use these codes: GIFT GRATIS NPSPURCH TRANSFER
- $g Cost, normal purchase price: do not key in a dollar sign ($), but just the digits, e.g.: 21.45
- $h Serial enumeration/chronology: all volume, year, etc. information
- $o Koha full call number: enter as in the 090 field, but with the $b and full stop deleted and replaced by a space, e.g.: PZ7 K532 T or VM34 S452 1998 or VK1234 C2 M45 2012
- $p Piece designation: the barcode number
- $t Copy number: e.g., c.3
- $x Non-public note: e.g., source of transfer, storage Box number, etc.
- $y Koha item type: use the Code from Koha administration
- $z Public note
- $8 Collection code: use the code from Koha administration
Examples:
Regular book in the stacks that is "Not for loan:"
952 _ _ ǂ2 lcc ǂa SFMARITIME ǂb SFMARITIME ǂc STACKS ǂy BOOK ǂo VA65 P677 M37 1908 ǂ7 1 ǂp 195195
Analytic:
952 _ _ ǂ2 z ǂa SFMARITIME ǂb SFMARITIME ǂy ANALYTIC ǂo Magazine article