General Enhancements to MODS records

After a MODS record has been saved in the appropriate directory, the level and type of cataloging that occurs depends on the type of volume, further described here. However, there are several types of information that are typically added to all MODS records.

Fixing Errors in the Original Catalog Record

Since many MODS records in the LC were automatically created from MARC records that had not been updated in many years, a number of standard items are checked to see if they need correction, including:

• Language mis-identification or need for addition of language information (such as Latin editions having been cataloged as being in Italian).
• Addition of series information if missing (e.g. Teubner, OCT, Loeb, Bude, etc.)
• Correction of title fields (separating out the statement of responsibility).

Enhancements Added to MODS Records (where relevant)

• Links to online URLs (to linked data representations as of Fall 2012) for author and editor names in VIAF and the LCNAF Linked Data Service
• Addition of unique work identifiers for each work within the edition from various canons (PHI, TLG, STOA), which can be either found in the Authors-Abbreviations-Editions spreadsheet (or looked up in the appropriate PHI or TLG canon). If no work identifier can be found, in some cases ad-hoc processes have been developed to support the creation of a work identifier and thus support the creation of CTS URNs
• Addition of related work identifiers (for example, a cataloged work by Aristarchus of Samothrace, a scholia on Homer, has two identifiers encoded: <identifier type="tlg">1767.001</identifier> its own work identifier) as well as <identifier type="tlg" displayLabel="isScholiaTo">0012.001</identifier> the work identifier for Homer’s Iliad).
• Creation of structured analytical cataloging data where relevant (full lists of contained works and authors in structured XML) using the MODS element <relatedItem type="constituent">.
• Links to online bibliographic records (Worldcat.org, LC Permalink, Open Library)
• Links to online digitized books with exact page level linking to individual works (GoogleBooks, Internet Archive, HathiTrust, SLUB, etc.). For more on how to create exact page level links in these various digital libraries, go here.