Merging Records in LANCE

Note that these procedures should be followed only after you have verified that you do in fact want to merge two or more records. You should only merge records if you are certain the records represent the same item, either because all important bibliographic information matches, or because you have conferred with other owning libraries.

  1. Verify that the records to be merged represent the same item

  2. It is easiest to work on just two records at a time. Open both records, and split the screen so that you can see them both at the same time.
    1. Close all other bibliographic records.
    2. Open only the two records you wish to merge.
    3. Split your screen, either vertically or horizontally. I prefer vertically, so that's what the examples here will show. Click either "split-screen" button: If you choose a vertical split, your screen should look something like this:

  3. Decide which of the two records will be kept. Choose according to the following hierarchy:
    1. The national level record (e.g., DLC, NLM, NSD)
    2. The record with DLC|cDLC, DLC/XXX|cDLC, or DXXX/DLC|cDLC in the 040
    3. The record with pcc, lccopycat, core, or lcnccp [obs.] in the 042
    4. The record with DLC|cXXX in the 040
    5. The AACR2 record (Desc: a)
    6. The record which can most easily be modified to result in the most complete and accurate record.

  4. Save all necessary information. You must preserve all indexed fields (24Xs, 4XXs, 6XXs, 7XXs) and all local data (590s). You should also consider preserving notes, especially contents notes. Any of these fields can be dragged-and-dropped from one record to the other. To drag and drop:
    1. Position the cursor over the MARC tag of the field you want to drag-and drop. The cursor should turn from an arrow to an arrow-box-arrow image, something like this:
    2. Click and hold on the MARC tag.
    3. Drag the cursor to the other record. Your cursor will change again, to an arrow-box-plus image, something like this:
    4. Position the plus sign between the fields where you would like to insert the new field.
    5. Release the mouse button.

  5. Transfer all item records, order records, and checkin records. You follow a procedure here similar to dragging-and-dropping MARC fields.
    1. Go to the item summary screen of both records. You will still want a split screen, which will look something like this:
    2. Notice that for each item record, there is a numbered gray box followed by an item summary in a line of white boxes.
    3. Click on the numbered gray box of the item you wish to transfer. The item summary will then be shaded black, like this:
    4. Click and hold on the numbered box.
    5. Drag the cursor to the other record. Your cursor will change to an arrow-and-box image.
    6. Position the cursor directly beneath the last numbered box of the destination record. You might imagine where the numbered box will be when you finish transferring the record, then position your cursor in that imaginary box.
    7. Release the mouse button.
    8. Repeat this process for all remaining item records, and for all order and checkin records.
  6. If you are merging a non-OCLC record with an OCLC record, code item records to upload holdings to EBS. For each institution that has items attached to the non-OCLC, do the following to one item record owned by that institution:
    1. Open the item record (double-click on the numbered box)
    2. Change the "0" in ICODE1 to a number corresponding to the owning institution. Use the following table:
      Code Institution
      1 Culver-Stockton College
      2 Hannibal-LaGrange College
      3 Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine
      4 Linn State Technical College
      5 Moberly Area Community College
      6 Truman State University

  7. Check again to make sure that all appropriate information has been copied, all attached records have been transferred, and item records have been coded to upload holdings as appropriate.
  8. Delete the extra record.