Migrating Library Data: A Practical Manual

by Kyle Banerjee (Editor), Bonnie Parks (Editor), Elan May Rinck (Contributor)

Most librarians and staff participate in at least one data migration during their careers. And since the new systems inevitably work differently than the old ones and require different data to function, it's always a challenge to plan smooth migrations that position libraries to immediately leverage new system capabilities. Using step-by-step instructions and checklists, this book offers expert advice to help library staff without programming knowledge address common conceptual and technical issues encountered in migrations. An important planning and implementation tool that will help prevent headaches and frustration, this book

offers a holistic view of migrating different types of library data in ILSes, institutional repositories, DAMs, and other types of systems used to manage data and operations;
shows how to analyze, clean, and manipulate data using skills and tools available to most libraries;
demonstrates how to work with specific data types typically encountered such as MARC, XML, and delimited text;
examines issues that affect specific areas such as acquisitions, circulation, licensing, and institutional repositories;
addresses how to handle changes in authentication management or when moving into a wholly new environment such as a shared catalog;
thoroughly covers testing, the final migration process, and putting the new system into full production;
offers guidance on planning for system freeze, staff training, and how to deal with fallout;
provides step-by-step instructions as well as useful checklists for "go live" readiness, post-migration functionality, and more.

Library staff involved with migrating data will feel confident following this guide's expert advice.

Genres: Nonfiction, Professional Development

251 pages, Paperback

First published June 12, 2017

Reviews

[dejah_thoris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this for our library right after it was published and I was hoping we wouldn't need it, but no, we're following the crowd onto Alma. I read it quickly and it is both thorough and system-agnostic. (One writer mentions a specific vendor, but nobody else does.) It also covers everything you would need to consider during data cleanup, which I really appreciate because vendor instructions are anything but transparent. I especially enjoyed learning about data I don't normally handle like patron, order, and checkin records because our migration is the deep end of the pool for this system migration virgin. The sections on OpenRefine and MARCEdit are also really useful. Apparently, I've only scratched the surface of MARCEdit's features. The testing checklist will also be incredibly helpful when the time comes next year. It's definitely worth purchasing for the checklists, tips, and flowcharts.

The only downside to this book is its need for better copy editing. Most of the time I could figure out what the writer meant, but there was at least one instance where something was inverted or somewhat confusing in their instructions. (Of course, I can't find it now. I should've used a vertical book flag.) I know everyone is fallible and I shouldn't complain because my last published article had a typo on the first page that somehow escaped me, the peer reviewers, the editor, and the proofreader. (My coworker in serials/eresources caught it immediately.) However, I was not expecting so many issues in a work published by ALA. It's probably not worth issuing a new edition, but if you're a detail-oriented person you will notice it.

[Errrrrrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're doing a systems migration, get this book. It provides a general framework of the sort of things you'll need to do based on activity (Acquisitions, Serials, etc.) and an overview of some tools you might find useful in manipulating data (MARCedit and OpenRefine).

[Debra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well organized and informative. It will/would come in very handy when preparing for the next ILS migration.