Options for MULS Training
Everyone understands that keeping our Local Holdings Records in OCLC up-to-date has benefits both for the local library and for other libraries that might wish to borrow or obtain a copy from our local resources. With ILL playing a major role in meeting the needs of our users, and with OCLC making our holdings data available to a global audience, there is a high incentive to maintian our Local Holdings Records in OCLC.
If a member of your library staff needs training on how to maintain LHRs in OCLC, MINITEX provides multiple options to choose from.
1. The MINITEX MULS unit will present a series of Local Holdings maintenance webinars, to guide staff through the process of updating LHRs via the OCLC Connexion browser. These 90-minute sessions will cover all of the Local Holdings basics, and you can participate from the comfort of your own desk. For detailed description of the session contents or to register for a webinar, connect to the MINITEX Training page.
2. Archived versions of the webinar handouts and recordings of the webinar sessions are also available. While these sessions don't have the immediate interactive benefits of a live webinar, They cover the same material. You can use the archived sessions and handouts to review training that you received in the past, or take in the training and watch demonstrations from a webinar session, whenever you have the time. Click here to visit the MINITEX Archived Training sessions.
3. MINITEX MULS staff can also present hands on training to library staff that would prefer to have a more traditional learning experience. Hands-on sessions can be scheduled either in the Twin Cities or in other areas; all that's needed is a classroom with multiple computers and a sufficiently large group of learners. If you are interested in this option, contact Dave Linton in the MULS office and we'll see if we can coordinate a session for those who are interested.
Beyond these various training sessions, of course, the MULS office offers ongoing support to libraries as they are working on their holdings. If you run across a holding that you aren't sure how to represent in a LHR, or if you have other questions about to work with Local Holdings data online, we welcome your questions.
Or if your staff doesn't have acess to OCLC (or simply lacks the time to do it) the MULS staff could undetake a project to update your holdings in OCLC for you. To get more info on the MULS Updating Service, contact Dave Linton.