EDS Custom Catalog Questionnaire

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Welcome

Thank you for choosing EBSCO Discovery Service (EDS). In order for us to build your Custom Catalog, we need you to complete the following questionnaire.

Please note that some questions relate to your existing ILS. If you have questions about your export process and linking structure, you may need to contact your ILS provider’s support team directly. They are the most appropriate contact for these questions, as every ILS software is different.

For questions about mapping your metadata and your Catalog’s display in EDS, please contact your Implementation Project Manager or email EBSCOSaaSImplementations@ebsco.com.

This questionnaire will cover the following topics:
  • Basic information about you and your institution
  • Your metadata format and ILS provider
  • How you would like us to map your metadata for display in EDS
  • Details about library locations and record types, which allow us to maximize discoverability and relevancy for your users
  • Information for setting up Real-Time Availability Checking (RTAC)


For your reference, an overview of the EDS Custom Catalog process is available on the EDS Support Site: https://help.ebsco.com/interfaces/EBSCO_Discovery_Service/EDS_Catalogs_IRs/EDS_Custom_Catalog_Overview_Instructions


Finally, please note that you may at any time save this form to resume it later, as well as having the ability to forward past required fields (noted with a red *) while filling in the form.  It is only when the form is submitted that it will warn that there are required fields left to be completed.

General Information

To help us better serve you, please provide the following:
EDS Custom Catalog Description

The name should make sense to your users, who will see it here and here. Please make it specific to your institution (we do not recommend something too generic, such as "Library Catalog")

About your ILS


Data Delivery

If you need assistance exporting records, we recommend contacting your ILS provider’s support team.

If you have questions about a delivery option which is not listed here, please review the FTP or OAI FAQs on EBSCO Connect, or contact your IPM. Note, for Full OAI Harvests, EBSCO expects uninterrupted access to the server.

If you need assistance exporting records, we recommend contacting your ILS provider’s support team.

If you have questions about a data format which is not listed here, please contact your IPM. Your IPM will also be in contact with credentials to use to FTP your data, if you have not yet received them already.

An example of a harvest URL can be seen here, and the EBSCO Connect FAQ regarding the OAI Harvest process is here.           

Please note that if your harvest URL is ever updated, you will need to contact us immediately to ensure regular updates.




Please indicate your set scheduling preference (Including time zone information). Examples - 4PM Eastern every day or Monday 4PM EST every week

For all full harvests, EBSCO expects uninterrupted access to the server. Please coordinate with your support team to confirm this will be the case. Additional details can be found here.

examples - Every Wednesday, Every first of the month, Every three months on the X day, etc.
Permalink and UniqueID 

The syntax should include an identifier that is unique to a given record and can be found in a specific field of your metadata. An example can be seen here, although this URL will look different depending on the ILS software you use. If you are not sure what your URL syntax is, we recommend contacting your ILS provider’s support team for assistance.

Unique identifiers are sometimes known as control numbers or record numbers. Examples can be found here for MARC21 and here for MARCXML.
Location Mapping

If your Catalog data includes more than one type of class / call number, we recommend choosing just one for display in EDS. We recommend using call numbers in your local item/holdings field, but this is not required. An example of a record with two call numbers can be seen here.


The default static value, if none is entered, will be "Main Library".

Location codes might refer to a shelf, collection, department, or building where items are located. An example can be seen here. You can also provide a static location such as “Main Library” if your institution does not use multiple locations. Note: If the “location” is in two parts within the MARC/Bib record, i.e. library and location, please concatenate both into one location_code column and make note of this on the questionnaire. Please do not use two columns or include extra spaces. The codes in this column cannot repeat.

Location Lookup Table

Using the location codes from the field and subfield mentioned in question #8, we can set up limiters and facets that allow users to narrow their searches to specific locations. If necessary, we can also translate your location codes so they appear in a more “user friendly” format in EDS.
  • For example, we can use the location code “YA” to create a “Young Adult Section” limiter or facet for your users.
  • We can also translate the location code “YA” so that it displays as “Smith Library - Young Adult Section” in the location field of each YA record.
If you would like to set up location limiters or translate your location codes, we will need a Location Lookup Table. This is where you provide us with a list of your location codes and tell us how they should display on as facets and limiters. A Location Lookup Table looks like this:

Location Lookup Table

A detailed explanation of how the values from each column appear in EDS is available on our Support Site: https://help.ebsco.com/interfaces/EBSCO_Discovery_Service/EDS_Catalogs_IRs/EDS_Custom_Catalog_Location_Lookup_Table_Overview

URLs in Records

The most common field and subfield for URLs is 856 $u. An example can be seen here.


Examples:
- Only show records if the 856$u contains the domain "sampleschool.edu"
- Exclude records that have "loc.gov" in the 856$u field

The most common field and subfield for link texts is 856 $y. An example can be seen here.

If you do not have a link text encoded in your data, you can specify a static link text. If you leave this question blank, we will use “Online Access."

The most common field and subfield for public notes is 856 $z. An example can be seen here.

The most common field and subfield for material types is 856 $3. An example can be seen here.
eBooks, Audiobooks, and Full Text

eBook records will frequently include “electronic book” or “ebook” in the 245 $h or 655 $a subfields. An example can be seen here.

Audiobook records will frequently include “audiobook” in the 655 $a subfield. An example can be seen here.

Common responses to this question include:

• All records
• All records with “[ebook]” in the 245 $h subfield
• All records with a URL in the 856 $u subfield

If you decide that anything with a URL in the 856 $u subfield should return when the Full Text limiter is applied, we recommend checking that none of the URLs lead to non-Full Text resources such as abstracts, publisher descriptions, etc.

Additional information on EDS’ Full Text limiter is available on our Support Site:
https://help.ebsco.com/interfaces/EBSCO_Discovery_Service/EDS_FAQs/What_is_the_Full_Text_limiter_in_EDS
Record Deletion Policy

  1.  If you mark records in your ILS system, please find the FAQ on deleting records in your EDS Custom Catalog using headers here.
  2. If your policy is to delete records by removing them from your catalog entirely, you must send a full file or schedule a full harvest with EBSCO to have the removals also reflected in EDS.

Suppression Filters


We have the ability to add suppression filters to your Catalog. By default, we will automatically suppress Catalog records which match records from your EBSCO-provided eBook subscription databases. This ensures that users do not see duplicate records in their search results.


Examples include rules based on location (what location codes in which marc field should we include or exclude) OR based on status of an item (marc field and value to identify lost/withdrawn items etc).
Real-Time Availability Checking (RTAC)

RTAC allows us to display real-time locations, call numbers, and statuses (i.e., “Available,” or “Checked Out”) for Catalog items. To set this up, we need to establish a connection to your OPAC via a z39.50 or REST service. If you’re not sure whether you have either of these, we recommend contacting your ILS provider for assistance.

If your institution uses a firewall, you will need to grant EBSCO access to your z39.50 server to set up RTAC for your Catalog. In order to make sure that your RTAC service is uninterrupted, please add the following EBSCO IP address range to your firewall:


IP Details with Wild Card notation: 140.234.*.*


You should open your z39.50 server’s specific port number in order to allow RTAC to connect to it. If you are not sure what your port number is, we recommend contacting your ILS provider’s support team for assistance. 



Please note: Real-time information retrieved via RTAC overwrites the static call number and location mapping set up in questions #7 and #8, as well as the “Copy_Display” column of your Location Lookup Table from question #9. Instead, RTAC will display real-time call numbers directly from your z39.50 / REST server.


Real-Time Availability Checking (RTAC) User Guide:

Here’s an example of what RTAC looks like when enabled in EDS (Classic):
Classic RTAC












Here’s an example of what RTAC looks like when enabled in EDS (New UI):

NewUI RTAC

If the institution hosting your catalog (either yourself or your ILS vendor) uses a firewall, they will need to grant EBSCO access to your z39.50 server to set up RTAC for your Catalog. In order to make sure that your RTAC service is uninterrupted, please add the following EBSCO IP address range to your firewall: IP Details with Wild Card notation: 140.234.*.*
z39.50 Server Authentication

If your institution or your ILS Vendor uses a firewall, you/they will need to grant EBSCO access to your z39.50 server to set up RTAC for your Catalog. In order to make sure that your RTAC service is uninterrupted, please add the following EBSCO IP address range to your firewall OR contact your ILS vendor to ensure the IP below is whitelisted: IP Details with Wild Card notation: 140.234.*.*

19b) In order to connect to your z39.50 server, we need the following information:
REST Service

The REST URL should include the base URL for your institution, the query string, and a unique identifier for the record. An example can be seen here.



Please contact us if you would like to add RTAC to your Catalog at a later date. Status will display as “View Catalog Record” if RTAC is not enabled.

Catalog Notification Email

Additional Contacts

Note: You will receive a copy of your Questionnaire at the email address you provided in the Account Information section.
Comments

For questions, comments, or concerns in regards to your general EDS implementation, please contact your Implementation Project Manager or email ebscosaasimplementations@ebsco.com.