Justification
The use of Provider-Neutral records for electronic resources, print on demand reproductions and photocopies of textual materials, minimizes the number of records describing essentially the same content. Following the national standard in using provider-neutral records reduces user confusion over multiple instances of a title in the catalog and leads to better discoverability, while saving time and money. At their discretion, members may make local additions to any record’s metadata using local bibliographic extensions in the IZ.
Policy
- Members must use Provider-Neutral records in the shared Alma Network Zone
- Follow the PCC’s practice to use a provider-neutral approach for electronic resources, print on demand reproductions and photocopies of textual materials, scores, and cartographic materials, as described in the PCC Provider-Neutral guidelines or the LC-PCC PS for RDA 1.11
- Vendor records for sets of electronic resources added to the Alma NZ must, whenever possible, be provider-neutral. Exceptions may be made for vendor record sets, but Alliance members must make a commitment to using the best available sets that adhere to the standard of provider-neutral in such cases where possible.
- This mandate addresses the Alma Network Zone, and does not apply to Alma Community Zone records
Background
Current phase: Phase 5 Approved
Written by: Bibliographic Mandates Review Group
Approved by: Collaborative Workforce Team on 03/08/2016; Technical Services Working Group on 02/16/2016; SC/TS Team on 2/27/2020.
Last updated: 01/27/2020
Nature of last update: revised policy