Silly user, tricks are for programmers!

At the one and (thankfully) only systems department meeting I attended at the library over a month ago there was a short conversation about how systems installed an obscure version of perl (not ActiveState or Cygwin) on a cataloging department Windows XP box, so a cataloger could run a magic perl script handed down from the ages. The magic perl script processed a file of MARC records from our "books on order" vendor to update each record with the correct Auburn location code for where the record's book would be shelved.

I volunteered at the time that Jack or I could whip out a java or C# program to replace the perl script. I was warned that this was complex code that tied together purchase orders, bib, holdings, and item records. I had to see this amazing piece of work!

When I finally got around to looking at the perl script and a sample input I found about 50 lines of perl and a simple file full of BIB records. I knew it!

Anyway, I wrote a little webstart app (MarcConvert - more info here) that could probably replace the perl script. MarcConvert reads an input file of records in MARC or MARCXML format, and writes the records back out to an output file in MARC, MARCXML, or SIMPLE (readable) format while optionally applying a "location filter". I'll e-mail a few people at the library to see if they want to give it a try. MarcConvert should be useful in a few ways.

• First, MarcConvert can transform a file of MARC records to a readable format, so a cataloger can take a quick look at what is actually in the file.
• Next, if a cataloger wants to make a simple change to a file of MARC records, then he/she can just convert the file to XML, make the changes to the XML in a standard editor, then convert the XML file back to MARC.
• Finally, a cataloger can apply the "location filter" to a MARC file without installing perl.