Serials – How To Guide
For OLIB Web 2.2.6, OLIB 9.0 SP6
Contents
Section
Before starting
Page
2
1(a)
Adding serials management details for your location to an existing
full serial record
3
1(b)
Creating serials management details for your location if full serials
record does not exist
5
2
Adding serial copy details
7
3
Check in serials
9
3 (a)
Additional issues, supplements etc
11
3 (b)
Combined Issues
12
3 (c)
Issue will never be received
13
4
Departmental journals
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5
Transferring from a paper to an electronic copy of a journal
15
6
Cancellations
16
7
Claiming
17
If you encounter an unusual scenario not contained within this guide then please try the FAQ’s here:
http://www.swimsnetwork.nhs.uk/modules/serials/serials-faqs/
For further assistance contact your Journals Group representative:
http://www.swimsnetwork.nhs.uk/groups/journals-group/
1
Before starting:
Finding serials on SWIMS - Most SWIMS Network serials titles should be on SWIMS already.
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Launch a Title search and enter the exact title (beware of abbreviations - check the SWIMS
cataloguing rules for journals with abbreviated titles). Also make sure you are using the most up
to date version of the title.
Serials are easy to spot as they are IN CAPITALS
If you find the journal title record, add or update your Location and Holdings details as per the
cataloguing rules.
Click on the Management tab to check the details there.
If they are already set up, go to SECTION 1(a).
If you do not find your journal title record, or if you find the journal record but the management
screen is not set up, go to SECTION 1(b).
NB: If a Circulation List is required, such a list should be set up before attempting to add Serial Copy
Record details. See the serials FAQ for how to set up circulation lists.
http://www.swimsnetwork.nhs.uk/modules/serials/serials-faqs/#routing
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SECTION 1(a) - Adding serials management details for your location to an
existing full serials record
NB: If an existing full serial record already has the management screen populated then all you have to
do is add a serial copy record for your location. This will enable you to generate issues for check in.
 Find and open the title record.
 Check that there is an ISSN. If there is nothing at all in this field, your issues will not appear in
claims reports. If you cannot find an ISSN for this journal, input a hyphen. This is sufficient to
generate claims. To input a hyphen click New under the ISxN box and enter a hyphen in the
Invalid ISSN field and save. The hyphen will display in the Invalid ISxNs column of the ISxN
box.
 Click on the Management tab to reveal the Serials Management Details screen.
How to fill in the Serials Management Details screen
If the Serials Management Details have been added already the screen will be filled in similar to this:
© OCLC (UK) Ltd 2015
NB: Please do not alter any of the existing details on the management sheet about the journal e.g.
frequency, citation, etc. If you think any of these are wrong contact a member of the Journals Group.
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Put the record into modify.
Pre-Text should be left as already entered – do not change this – it is different for each citation
Start Number - enter the volume and issue number details of the first journal issue you wish
your records to start at
Post-Text should be left as already entered – do not change this – it is different for each
citation
It is important to retain the exact format including underscores and brackets
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Increment After – this is the number of issues per volume, so the system knows when to
increase the volume number – this should be filled in already.
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1st Issue Cover Date - click on the calendar icon and select the date of the first issue you will
want to check in e.g. 01-JAN-2013
Please use the same day of the month as already entered when doing this
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e.g. if the date already entered is 01-JAN-2012 and you want to start from June 2012 use 01JUN-2012, not 15 or 31. If you use a different date, duplicate issues will be generated rather
than the system adding your location to existing issues
Save changes
NB: The remainder of the fields will already be filled in similar to the screen shot above, and should be
left as they are.
*** Now Refer to: SECTION 2 - ‘Adding ‘SERIAL COPY DETAILS’ ***
4
SECTION 1(b) – Creating serials management details for your location if a full
serials record does not exist
This is the process for creating management details to a serials record which contains none. This will
enable you to generate and check in issues.
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Find and open the title record. If no title record is found, create a new entry in accordance with
the cataloguing rules: http://www.swimsnetwork.nhs.uk/modules/cataloguing/cataloguingrules/ and add a holdings record for your location (except for departmental journals)
Check that there is an ISSN. If there is nothing at all in this field, your issues will not appear in
claims reports. If you cannot find an ISSN for this journal input a hyphen. This is sufficient to
generate claims. This will display as -(Invalid ISN) but the string (Invalid ISN) will not appear in
WebView.
Click on the Management tab to reveal the Serials Management Details screen.
Filling in the Serials Management Details screen:
You will need to fill in your Serial Management Details screen similar to this:
© OCLC (UK) Ltd 2015
With a copy of the journal in front of you enter details of the journal’s Frequency and Citation Pattern
(e.g. volume and issues details).
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Look at the journal or its website to find out how many issues there are a year and on which
dates these are published.
 With the Management screen in modify mode, click on the Search icon next to Frequency.
 Put the number of issues published per year in the Frequency Code Description field, click on
Search and choose the relevant description that matches the journal’s publication schedule e.g.
‘4’ will pick up all the weekly/monthly frequencies starting with that number.
 Tick the box of the relevant frequency and insert. If there is no relevant frequency code contact
a Journals Group member with the details and they will set one up for you.
 Repeat this for Citation Pattern using a wildcard % sign
NB: It is easier to check serial issues in accurately if all details are shown e.g. the month and date are
shown as well as volume and issue. If there is no relevant Citation Pattern contact a Journals Group
member with the details and they will set one up for you.
Please be very careful when choosing the Frequency and Citation Pattern
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Pre-Text should be left as already entered – do not change this – it is different for each citation
Start Number - enter the volume and issue number you want to start at
Post-Text should be left as already entered – do not change this – it is different for each
citation
It is important to retain the exact format including underscores and brackets
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Increment After – this is the number of issues per volume, so the system knows when to
increase the volume number – put in the number of issues there are in the volume.
1st Issue Cover Date click on the calendar icon and select the date of the first issue you will
want to check in e.g. 01-JAN-2013
NB: Please be very careful when selecting this value – choosing the day of the month as close as
possible to the publication date of the first issue. The value entered here will also apply for any
subsequent location’s entries.
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Receipt Date Flag – leave blank.
Number to Generate - put in how many issues you want to generate – for example if it is a
monthly journal entering 12 in this field will create issues for a year.
Copy Category – choose Journal Issue Copy Record
Language – leave blank
Concat. Title? – choose No
Other Iss Copy Cat - choose Journal Issue Copy Record
Copy Status and Copy Shelf – leave blank
Save changes
*** Now Refer to: SECTION 2 - ‘Adding ‘SERIAL COPY DETAILS’ ***
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SECTION 2 – Adding ‘SERIAL COPY DETAILS’
On the Management screen put the record into Modify mode. In the Serial Copies section, under the
list of current locations, click on New. This will open a new screen, and your location details should be
filled in automatically.
© OCLC (UK) Ltd 2014
Complete the fields listed below (leave fields blank unless otherwise stated):
 Generate Issue Copies – leave as Yes
 Autogenerate – leave as Yes
 Autogenerate Days – this means that when the expected date of the last issues already
generated is reached, more issues will be generated. If you want this to happen in advance of
this date then enter a minus figure, e.g. -30, meaning the next batch of issues will be generated
30 days before last expected issue.
 Receipt Date Flag – this is relating to claims and is the number of days of leeway you would
give this journal to arrive between the date it is published and the date you usually receive it, i.e.
if it is published on 1st November in U.S. you would not want to be claiming for it on 3rd
November. If you put 30 days in this box, it will not be claimed until 30th November when you
could have expected it to arrive. This is different for each journal.
 Check-In Popup – put in any message re this journal e.g. send to X-ray Dept first, or donated
by A N Other.
 Circulation List – pick up any circulation list. See the serials FAQ for how to set up circulation
lists: http://www.swimsnetwork.nhs.uk/modules/serials/serials-faqs/#routing
 Controlled Circ – leave as No
 Subscription Type – select appropriate category e.g. Subscription, Donation.
 Supplier – click Search to search for a supplier – tick and click Insert on selected supplier e.g.
Ebsco(YDH). If the supplier you require is not listed, then contact a member of the Journals
Group with the details and they will create this record for you. If the copy is a donation then this
field can be left blank, or if you would like to keep track of your donations then a code can be
created to reflect this e.g. ‘Donation YDH’
NB: If you just want to print the claims list in order to email or fax claims you don’t need to fill in the
Address Type. However, if you want OLIB to generate claims, the supplier record will need to have an
address with type O for Order.
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Supplier Reference - This can be used for more information (maximum 40 characters)
e.g. Departmental copy, Cancelled 2009 or Donation.
Click on ‘Save and Close, and then Save and Close again to save Serials Management
details.
Generating issues to check-in: Back on the Management screen
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Put the screen back into modify mode to get the pre-generation button to appear.
Click on Pre-Generate to see how the issues will appear before you accept them (to move up
and down the Preview Issues screen click in the box and use the up and down arrows on the
keyboard).
It is at this point that you can see any mistakes.
NB: The issues you have pre-generated should match exactly the issues already generated for other
libraries, in both date and volume/issue details. Scroll down to the Issues box to check this.
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If there are issues which have incorrectly pre-generated, return to the management sheet and
check that the details entered are correct.
Make any corrections required, save the record between modifications to effect the changes,
then pre-generate again - issues can be repeatedly pre-generated until they are correct.
© OCLC (UK) Ltd 2013
If you cannot pre-generate the issues correctly do not proceed to generation, contact a member
of the Journals Group to assist you.
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When the issues have been pre-generated correctly click the box next to your location to reveal
the Action tab.
Choose Generate Issues (selected). You will get an alert message saying Issue Generation
Complete
Click OK to move back to the management sheet. To check this is done click on the refresh
button and you will see any Receipt Date Flag details you have put in.
This is now complete.
*** Now Refer to: SECTION 3 - Check in Serials ***
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SECTION 3 – Check in serials
There are two methods of checking in serial issues. Slide cursor over Domains tab to reveal the menu.
Click on Serials Management, then click on Check-In – the system defaults to Outstanding Issues
by Serial Title (This Location).
Method 1
 Leave the selection on Outstanding Issues by Serial Title (This Location).
 Enter journal title.
 Scroll down the list of outstanding issues and tick box next to the correct issue.
 Click in the Other Actions box and from the drop down menu choose Automatic Check-In
(This Location). The issue will now be checked in with the day’s date. Any Check-In Popup
messages will appear at this point and if a circulation list has been set up, an alert will show.
 Click OK to return to list
© OCLC (UK) Ltd 2014
Method 2
 Leave the selection on Outstanding Issues by Serial Title (This Location).
 Enter journal title.
 Double click on the issue to be checked in.
 Tick the box next to the issue to be checked in.
 Click in the Other Actions box and from the drop down menu choose Automatic Check-In
(This Location). The issue will now be checked in with the day’s date. Any Check-In Popup
messages will appear at this point and if a circulation list has been set up, an alert will show.
 Click OK to return to list
NB: Checked in issues will be removed from the ‘Outstanding Issues…’ hitlist once the screen is
refreshed.
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© OCLC (UK) Ltd 2014
Incorrect check-ins:
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Slide cursor over Domains tab to reveal the menu. Click on Serials Management then click on
Check-In, hold mouse over Other Searches to reveal further options.
Select All Issues by Serial Title (This Location) from the drop down list and enter journal title
or the wildcard (%) in the search box - all issues checked in and not-checked in can then be
seen.
Click on correct issue to open - tick box against relevant location.
Click in selection box and select Undo Check-In from the Actions, and OK at the alert box.
© OCLC
(UK) Ltd 2014
To view changes or to see which issues you have received, search for the journal once more, choose
All Issues by Serial Title (This Location).
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SECTION 3 (a) - Additional issues, supplements etc
If a journal has regular supplements or indexes these should have been added to the issues to be
checked in already and can be checked-in in the same way as the ordinary issues. If unexpected
separate supplements or indexes arrive, a new issue copy record will need to be created. However
please DO NOT treat ‘stapled-in’ supplements as a separate issue as these separate records can
cause problems with claiming.
NB: When adding supplements, please ensure items added actually are supplements – for example,
please DO NOT add advertising material. Some items can be very difficult to clarify as supplements - if
in any doubt about such items, please contact a member of the Journals Group.
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From the Check-In screen find the issue nearest to the date of the unexpected issue.
Click in box to reveal the Other Actions, and select Create Supplement.
© OCLC (UK) Ltd 2014
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A cataloguing screen will display with the issue details taken from the copied record.
The title can be modified directly after the Volume and Issue date by adding Supplement and
then the full details of the relevant supplement so that the whole entry is in a standard format
(see example below):
Vol 126 (10) October 2013: Supplement I0A - (insert full supplement title)
Refer to Serials Module FAQ ‘What should I be aware of when adding supplements?’ at
http://www.swimsnetwork.nhs.uk/modules/serials/serials-faqs/#aware
© OCLC (UK) Ltd 2014
NB: If you need to change the date of a supplement for any reason then this can be done by clicking on
the relevant issue, click again on the issue title, and then put the record into modify mode. Make the
necessary changes to update the date information, Save and Close to save changes. Return to the
Outstanding Issues… screen to view details, and check-in.
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SECTION 3 (b) - Combined issues
If you receive a combined issue, e.g. if November and December are combined and no issue will be
published in December, you will need to alter the previously generated issues to reflect this.
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Go to the Outstanding Issues by Serial Title (This Location) screen and search for the
journal title.
Click on the issue to check in.
Click again on the Issue details - NOT the Issue Copies
Put the record into modify and make the necessary changes to the issue details to show the
combined issue, enter details in format as example below:
Vol 27 (5-6) May/June 2014
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Save and Close to save changes and return to Outstanding Issues by Serial Title (This
Location) to view details.
The combined issue can now be checked in.
© OCLC (UK) Ltd 2014
NB: Please do not attempt to delete or modify the unwanted issue. A
member of the Journals Group should be contacted to do this.
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SECTION 3 (c) - Issue will never be received
If you have an issue which will never be received, it is possible to mark it as such. This will stop the
issue appearing in the list of outstanding issues and in claims and claim reports.
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Search Outstanding Issues by Serial Title (This Location) for the issue
Click on the issue to open the Check-In Details screen
Tick the box to select the issue in question
Select Toggle Will Never Be Received from the drop down Actions box
The issue will be removed from the list of outstanding issues.
© OCLC (UK) Ltd 2014
NB: This is not available as a bulk action on more than one issue copy at a time.
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SECTION 4 – Departmental journals
Follow directions in SECTIONS 1 – except:
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In Check-In Popup put Dept. and the details of the person or department to send it to.
In Supplier Reference put Departmental copy.
Click Save and Close.
© OCLC (UK) Ltd 2013
Don’t add anything to the catalogue sheet for the journal holdings. If there are no other libraries with
this title you need to hide the title on WebView. On the Related Items and Control Data screen, click
in to modify mode, scroll to the bottom, change the Display Title in WebView? option to No. If you do
this you must add a title note to say the title is hidden. More details on hiding title records are in the
Cataloguing FAQ at: http://www.swimsnetwork.nhs.uk/modules/cataloguing/cataloguingfaqs/#WebView
As departmental journals hidden from WebView can be created without adding a copy (holdings)
record, it is very easy to delete such a title record by accident because there is no copy record,
resulting in the complete loss of all check-in data. To avoid this possibility, a title trap should be added
and this will prevent easy deletion. A title trap which can be used exists in SWIMS: ‘Departmental
journal record for checking in - do not delete’. If there are holdings records attached to the title record it
is not necessary to add such a title note.
More details on departmental journals are in the Serials FAQ at:
http://www.swimsnetwork.nhs.uk/modules/serials/serials-faqs/#addjournals
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SECTION 5 - Transferring from a paper to an electronic copy of a journal
It is best to deal with a change from the paper copy to an electronic copy of a Journal on SWIMS as
soon as possible; the system will generate unwanted print issues automatically otherwise.
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Follow the procedure for cancellation of print journals (see Section 6 - Cancellations below).
Modify your serial copy on the management sheet to reflect the change in source of the journal
by removing the supplier details, so that automated claims are not generated.
The note you include under supplier reference should indicate that you retain access
electronically from now on e.g. Electronic only from 2011.
Any issue copies that have been generated unnecessarily will need to be removed (please ask
a member of the Journals Group to do this).
If you know that you will receive the print journal as a regular donation, and would like to
continue to check the issues in, then these can be retained/generated.
Any grace issues sent from the publisher need not be checked in, but can be included in the
holdings record.
NB: Please do not check in electronic issues as if they were paper copies.
Electronic journals need a separate title entry from the print journal
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For your electronic journals you need to either add your location to an existing electronic journal
record on SWIMS, or create a new record if one does not already exist (see SWIMS
cataloguing rule B) at http://www.swimsnetwork.nhs.uk/modules/cataloguing/cataloguing-rules/ .
It is not necessary or desirable to check in electronic issues as if they were paper copies.
NB: You will notice that the management sheet on an electronic journal entry is never populated for
this reason.
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SECTION 6 - Cancellations
It is best to deal with cancellations on SWIMS as soon as possible after you decide to cancel. This
should usually be by the end of November and before the autogenerate date, otherwise the system will
generate the next year’s issues automatically.
If next year's issues have already generated, contact a member of the Journals Group who will delete
them for you.
To cancel a journal subscription, alter your serial copy record which is attached to the main journal
entry:
NB: Please DO NOT delete any Serial Issue Records.
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Find the journal title record and display in full.
Click the Management tab and double click on your location in the Serial Copies box.
Put into modify mode and change Generate Issue Copies to No.
Change Autogenerate to No.
Remove any entry you have in Autogenerate Days, Receipt Date Flag and Supplier.
NB: Only remove the supplier details after the last expected issue has arrived, as email claims and
serial reports will not generate once the supplier field is unpopulated.
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In Supplier Reference you can add a note for your own information, eg ‘Cancelled 2010
onwards’.
Change Cancelled? to Yes.
Save
© OCLC (UK) Ltd 2012
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SECTION 7- Claiming
It is easy to see which issues have not been received when checking in. However procedures for
obtaining information about unreceived issues are as follows:
Automated emailed claims:
These are configured to run automatically and are sent to the librarian (or direct to the supplier if
preferred) according to predefined timing to notify that issues are overdue. More details about
automated emailed claims and how to have them set up for your location can be obtained from a
member of the Journals Group.
Creating a manual list of overdue issues:
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From the Menu select the Serials Management option and then run an Issue Copies search.
Change to All issue copies from drop down menu
Refine on Expected Receipt Date e.g. Between or Before and enter date(s) in format DDMMM-YYYY
Refine on Status - One of Expected
Refine on Supplier then Supplier/Publisher and enter your supplier code in the same format
as entered onto SWIMS eg. Ebsco(YDH)
NB: Alternatively, to retrieve all issues regardless of supplier, substitute the supplier details
refinement for Owner Location or Check-in Location and enter your location.
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Do a wildcard search (%) to retrieve your results.
The search can be saved and reused as desired changing the date parameters as appropriate.
The layout Serial Claims can be used to print/save the list. For more information about how to
do this please refer to the FAQ at http://www.swimsnetwork.nhs.uk/system-general/reportingalerting-and-statistics/#print
Optionally you can update the Claim History field in the Claim tab of the Order Item record
with information about the actions you have taken.
Screenshots reproduced with the permission of OCLC (UK) Ltd
Last updated AD (July 2015) Amended AD (July 2016)
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