After your library has been approved for participation and scheduled for addition to MeLCat, you will then go through these steps to implement MeLCat for your patrons and staff:
Attend a session to learn how to complete the catalog and resource sharing profile forms that detail how your holdings will be loaded into MeLCat, which of your patrons can make MeLCat requests, and which of your staff are authorized to work in MeLCat. A checklist of tasks to be done during the three month implementation is provided.
If your library has approved machine-readable bibliographic records, they will be loaded into MeLCat and a method to frequently update them will be set up. Good quality MARC records are strongly preferred. If your library has no bibliographic records, you will be able to use a Web browser to attach your holdings to records already in MeLCat.
A link to your library’s patron records, or to a copy of those records, will be set up in order to authorize your patrons to make requests for items in MeLCat. If your library cannot provide a copy of your patron records or has no patron database, you will be able to create records for your patrons in MeLCat.
Your staff will receive training and test the system with some partner libraries to make sure it is working as you expected and to develop your local workflow.
Your library will then be ready to publicize this new service and make it available to your patrons.
