OAC Finding Aids Removed from the CDL Directory

February 13, 2003 Author: CDLCategories:

As of Thursday, February 13, 2003, the CDL will be taking the formal step of removing OAC finding aids from the CDL Directory. Established in 1998, the CDL Directory allows users to browse and search through the CDL’s extensive collections of digital resources, including electronic journals and databases. The Directory is an excellent place to start if you wish to see if a certain electronic journal or database is available.

The removal of the OAC finding aids was discussed by the SOPAG Task Force on Access Integration. Page 16 of the Task Force’s final report <http://www.slp.ucop.edu/sopag/TFAIReport1.pdf> states “the OAC finding aids do not have catalog records at present, but OAC is in the process of developing minimum-level MARC records for all OAC finding aids. While there is some disagreement as to whether the finding aids should continue to be reflected in the Directory, they should certainly be in the catalog (and, by extension, in the Online Resources Collection (logical base) of Melvyl-T).” UC Libraries are expected to create collection-level records of OAC finding aids for inclusion in Melvyl.

Future releases of Searchlight or its replacement can be directed at OAC resources (full text of finding aids and electronic texts as well as image metadata) allowing users to discover these materials alongside other topically related online resources.

Please note that CDL Directory headings will no longer be required in finding aids and the OAC EAD Best Practice Guidelines (OAC BPG) will be modified in the near future to reflect this change.

Please direct questions to Robin Chandler: robin.chandler@ucop.edu or 510-987-0370.