NHAIS Notes

Linked data and URIs -- #3 Data Provenance Subfields

noreply@blogger.com (Mary Russell) — Thu, 14 May 2026 18:00:00 +0000

Data provenance subfields ($0 and $1) provide information about metadata/cataloging data in other subfields within the same MARC field.

Codes in parentheses at the beginning of these subfields refer to the category of information given and the subfield within the MARC field to which they apply (if they don’t apply to all of the subfields). The meaning of these codes is given in MARC documentation (Ex. https://www.oclc.org/bibformats/en/controlsubfields.html#subfielddp))

We’ve always provided information about our metadata within catalog records, but these subfields allow us to provide this information in a more structured way than we have in the past.

For example, here’s the same note without and with information about the source/ provenance of the cataloging data given in a separate subfield. The code in parentheses tells you that the text in the subfield $7 is a “note on metadata work,” i.e. a note about the cataloging data. In this example, there’s no need to also include an indication of the subfield to which this text applies because there’s only one other subfield in the 520 field:

520__”Everybody has needs. This nonfiction book explores the basic needs of people and how we get our needs met”—Publisher’s website.

520__”Everybody has needs. This nonfiction book explores the basic needs of people and how we get our needs met”$7(dpenmw)Publisher’s website.

Here’s an example with the source consulted for the metadata in the 264 subfield $a given in both textual and URI forms in separate subfield $7s. The first code in parentheses tells you that the category of information provided about the metadata is “source consulted” and the second code tells you that the information applies to the subfield “a” of the 264 field:

264 #1 [Helsinki] : $b Dionysos Films, $c [2019] $7 (dpesc/dpsfa)Dionysos Films website $7 (dpesc/dpsfa)https://www.dionysosfilms.fi/

Subfield $0 vs. Subfield $1

As explained in the last post, subfield $0 carries the “Authority record control number or standard number.” A URI used in $0 will link to a description of the name or label used in the MARC field. The subfield $1 carries a “Real World Object (RWO) URI,” linking to a description of an entity.

The descriptions that these two types of URIs link to might look identical at first glance. So, what’s the difference?

Remember that the purpose of linked data is to make it easier for computers to find and interpret information. In linked data world, it’s important for computers to be able to distinguish between a name used for an entity and the entity that’s being named. The subfields used for URIs signal this distinction. URIs entered in subfield $0 link to authority records for names or terms used for entities (people, places, corporate bodies, etc.), while Real World Object (RWO) URIs entered in subfield $1 link to descriptions of the entities themselves (the actual people, places, corporate bodies, etc. behind these names or terms). My personal mnemonic device for this is that “0” comes before “1,” and we had authority records in the library world long before records for “real world objects.”

For example, a URI in the subfield $0 of a 100 field for the author Charles Dickens would refer to his name, the alphanumeric string that is used to identify him (Dickens, Charles, $d 1812-1870), while a URI entered in a subfield $1 of the 100 field for this author would refer to the human being who wrote “Bleak house” and is identified by this name.

Even though they might appear similar at first glance, records linked to by URIs in subfields $0 or $1 may contain different types of data. In the next few posts, we’ll look at an example of three types of links in a catalog record with URIs that link to three different types of descriptions.

This is the third in a series of seven weekly blog posts written by Zahra Gordon, the NHSL Cataloger, which will explain “Linked Data,” an emerging topic in the library field, and how it relates to “Uniform Resource Identifiers (URIs),” which are appearing in subfields of MARC records with increasing frequency.

No SE-B van Thu 5/14

noreply@blogger.com (David Harris) — Thu, 14 May 2026 13:38:23 +0000

The SE-B ILL van route is canceled today [Thursday, May 14] due to illness. The affected libraries are:

Auburn
Windham
Pelham
Salem
Derry
Londonderry
Hudson
Nashua
Milford
Amherst
Merrimack
Bedford
Manchester

Thank you for your understanding.

Jennifer M. Finch (she/her)
Reference Librarian and State Data Coordinator
New Hampshire State Library

School vacations

noreply@blogger.com (David Harris) — Wed, 13 May 2026 15:14:09 +0000

School librarians please take note: as the academic year winds down, please remember to tell NHAIS Services if you will not be responding to requests in the NHAIS ILL System during the summer. We'll set your account so new requests won't be routed to your location during your vacation. This helps move requests along to active libraries, rather than letting them sit around waiting and waiting for a closed library to respond.

Contact the NHAIS Help Desk with your vacation information (library name, first and last dates you won't be responding to ILL) via e-mail or call 603-271-2141.

If your school's calendar for 2026-27 is already fixed, you can submit vacation dates for the entire school year now--there's no need to wait. Fill out the School Closed Dates form and send it to NHAIS Services.

To check whether you've already submitted vacation dates, go to Staff Dashboard > ILL Admin > Participant Record > Holiday List. If you see appropriate start and end dates listed there, you need do nothing more.

You may get curious about other things in the Participant Record while you're on that page. For an explanation of what it all means, see a 2022 NHAIS Notes post.

Brief ILL outage Tue 5/12 10pm

noreply@blogger.com (David Harris) — Tue, 12 May 2026 14:28:25 +0000

The NHAIS ILL System will be offline briefly starting at 10 o'clock tonight (Tuesday, May 12) to install a software update. The blog message you see above the Staff Dashboard page will now also appear on the Request Manager page.

Linked data and URIs #2-- Where are They?

noreply@blogger.com (Mary Russell) — Thu, 07 May 2026 18:00:00 +0000

Nowadays, URIs are found in numerous MARC fields. Consult a version of MARC documentation (Ex. https://www.oclc.org/bibformats/en/home.html or https://www.loc.gov/marc/bibliographic/ ) to verify that a particular MARC field contains a subfield for URIs.

URIs may sometimes be added to MARC fields without subfield coding (for example, in parentheses or after a dash to indicate a source of data in a note field). However, when URIs are separately coded, they are used in only a few subfields (For a fuller explanation, see https://www.oclc.org/bibformats/en/controlsubfields.html):

$u Uniform Resource Identifier: The URI in this subfield may link to an electronic version of the resource described in the record or to any electronic resource that’s related in some way to what’s described in the record.

$0 Authority record control number or standard number: This subfield may contain numbers or text, in addition to URIs. A URI used in $0 will link to a description (like an authority record) of the name or label used in the MARC field.

$1 Real World Object URI: The idea of “Real World Object” (RWO) is new in the library world. Despite the use of the word “object” in this phrase, it also refers to entities that we wouldn’t typically think of as objects, such as people or concepts. A URI used in this subfield points to a description of an entity, rather than a description of a name or label (as a URI used in a $0 would).

$4 Relationship: The subfield $4 has been used for a while in cataloging to carry relationship/relator codes that indicate the relationship of the entity entered in a MARC field to what is being described by the MARC record (Ex. “aut” for “author”). Now, URIs may also be entered in the subfield $4, linking to records that provide further information about these codes.

URIs may also be used to describe “data provenance” in the following subfields: $e, $l, $y, $7. The MARC field being used will determine which subfield is used for data provenance (Remember to consult MARC documentation when choosing a subfield to use). Text may be used in these fields in addition to or instead of URIs. If both text and URIs are used, they are entered in separate subfields (Ex. text in one $7, URI in a separate $7).

Since $0 and $1 and subfields used for data provenance ($e, $l, $y $7) are relatively new (or being used in new ways), a little more explanation of these subfields is in order. This will be the subject of the next post.

This is the second in a series of seven weekly blog posts written by Zahra Gordon, the NHSL Cataloger, which will explain “Linked Data,” an emerging topic in the library field, and how it relates to “Uniform Resource Identifiers (URIs),” which are appearing in subfields of MARC records with increasing frequency.

No LR van Fri 5/1

noreply@blogger.com (David Harris) — Fri, 01 May 2026 12:05:00 +0000

The Lakes Region (LR) ILL van delivery is cancelled for Friday, May 1. Affected libraries are as follows:

NH State Prison, Concord
Hill
Bristol
Meredith
Center Harbor
Moultonborough
Wolfeboro
Alton
Gilford
Laconia
Sanbornton

Thank you,
Jennifer M. Finch (she/her)
Reference Librarian and State Data Coordinator
New Hampshire State Library

Linked data and URIs #1-- What are They?

noreply@blogger.com (Mary Russell) — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 18:00:00 +0000

This is the first in a series of seven weekly blog posts written by Zahra Gordon which will explain “Linked Data,” an emerging topic in the library field, and how it relates to “Uniform Resource Identifiers (URIs),” which are appearing in the subfields of MARC records with increasing frequency.

There’s been a lot of talk in the library community (especially the library cataloging community) lately about “linked data.” Linked data is “a set of best practices for publishing structured data on the Web” (https://www.w3.org/wiki/LinkedData). Simply put, linked data uses links to structure information in a way that makes it more readable by computers.

Why is this important to libraries? The idea is that using links to make library data more readable by computers will make it findable by automated tools outside of the library catalog and connect it to other sources of information outside of the catalog. So, people searching outside of the catalog can find our resources more easily, and we can more easily find further information about our resources that’s located elsewhere.

In catalog records, these links take the form of Uniform Resource Identifiers (URIs), defined as “unique sequences of characters that identify abstract or physical resources” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uniform_Resource_Identifier). The Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) that we’ve added to our records for years (often in subfield $u of MARC field 856) are a type of URI.

URIs are increasingly being added to fields and subfields in MARC records and are just a preliminary step in turning library data into linked data. Eventually, the idea is that MARC will be replaced by tools and models such as BIBFRAME that allow library data to be entirely created and edited according to linked data principles.

The next post will discuss where these URIs show up in MARC records and what they mean.

Zahra Gordon is the Cataloger at the New Hampshire State Library. Before coming to the State Library, she worked as a cataloger for a contract cataloging agency serving government libraries in the Washington Metropolitan Area and then for YBP Library Services (now GOBI Library Solutions) in Contoocook, New Hampshire.

2025 Public Library Survey DUE TOMORROW

noreply@blogger.com (David Harris) — Wed, 29 Apr 2026 15:48:00 +0000

As of 11:30am today [Wednesday, Apr. 29], approximately 75% of NH public libraries have submitted their annual reports. Well done! However, I’m still expecting surveys from a little over 50 libraries. Let’s go, folks!

I’ve sent emails to the directors of those 50+ libraries requesting a status update. If someone other than the director in your ‘brary does the survey, forward this message to them and ask them to contact me, pretty please with data on top.

The end (of the survey) is nigh!

Thanks all,
Jennifer M. Finch (she/her)
Reference Librarian and State Data Coordinator
New Hampshire State Library
N.H. Department of Natural & Cultural Resources
20 Park St.
Concord, NH 03301
Office: 603-271-2060
Ref Desk: 603-271-2144
Jennifer.M.Finch@dncr.nh.gov

No NC van Wed 4/29

noreply@blogger.com (David Harris) — Wed, 29 Apr 2026 13:26:54 +0000

Due to illness, today’s North Country (NC) ILL van route cancelled [Wednesday, Apr. 28]. The affected libraries are:

Twin Mountain
Plymouth
Rumney
Wentworth
Warren
Lyme
Orford
Piermont
Haverhill
North Haverhill
Monroe
Woodsville
Bath
Lisbon
Littleton
Bethlehem

Thank you,
Jennifer M. Finch (she/her)
Reference Librarian and State Data Coordinator
New Hampshire State Library

No SW-A van Wed 4/29

noreply@blogger.com (David Harris) — Wed, 29 Apr 2026 12:44:17 +0000

There will be no SW-A ILL van deliveries on Wednesday, April 29, 2026. The affected libraries are:

Dartmouth College
Hanover - Howe
Lebanon
Meriden
River Valley CC - Claremont
Claremont
Walpole
Keene
Peterborough
Wilton

Thank you,
Jennifer M. Finch (she/her)
Reference Librarian and State Data Coordinator
New Hampshire State Library

Brief ILL outage Tue 4/28 10pm

noreply@blogger.com (David Harris) — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 17:10:00 +0000

The NHAIS ILL System will be offline briefly starting at 10 o'clock tonight (Tuesday, Apr. 28) to install software updates, including two fixes.

-After going from a List view of search results to the Full Record Display, the back arrow is supposed to bring users back to where they clicked on the list but, under certain circumstances, users could be returned to the top of the results page. This has been corrected.

-Some users have been unable to set the Request Manager as their default opening page since that feature was introduced four weeks ago. Following tonight's update, all staffers logged in with a username ending with "ill" or "all" should see Request Manager as an option at Your Account > Your Preferences > Default Opening Page.

No NC, SW vans Tue 4/28

noreply@blogger.com (David Harris) — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 12:23:00 +0000

The North Country (NC) ILL van delivery route is cancelled for Tuesday, April 28. The affected libraries are:

Whitefield
Dalton
Lancaster
Groveton
Stratford
Colebrook
Errol
WMCC - Berlin
Berlin
Gorham
Jefferson
Randolph
Jackson
Bartlett
North Conway
Conway

The Southwest (SW) ILL van route has been cancelled for Tuesday, 4/28. Affected libraries are as follows:

Webster
Salisbury
Andover
Wilmot
New London
Colby Sawyer
Sutton
Warner
Bradford
Newbury
Sunapee
Newport
Hillsborough
Henniker

Your patience and understanding are appreciated.

Thank you,
Jennifer M. Finch (she/her)
Reference Librarian and State Data Coordinator
New Hampshire State Library

No LR van Mon 4/27

noreply@blogger.com (David Harris) — Mon, 27 Apr 2026 12:11:00 +0000

There will be no Lakes Region (LR) ILL van deliveries on Monday, April 27. Affected libraries are:

Tilton
Franklin
Bristol
Meredith
Moultonborough
Wolfeboro
Gilford
Laconia
Belmont
Bow
Concord Public

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Best,
Jennifer M. Finch (she/her)
Reference Librarian and State Data Coordinator
New Hampshire State Library

When you need more copies...

noreply@blogger.com (David Harris) — Fri, 24 Apr 2026 15:56:00 +0000

From the NHAIS mailbox:

This morning I received 3 requests for the same title, from the same library, with the same book group note attached. This isn't the first time recently either. We know there are always new people doing ILL. Would you mind posting (or reposting) a blog or email to the ILL list about why multicopy requests need to be done differently and how to do them.

In this case, the borrower had correctly used the Multi-Copy function to create 10 requests for a nonfiction title but then used the Rebuild Lender List feature on some of the requests that weren't filled. One more time: DO NOT use Rebuild Lender List with multi-copy requests.

Here's more, originally posted in October 2023:

When you need to borrow multiple copies of a title, the Multi Copy function in the NHAIS ILL System helps you get what you need. If you've submitted a multi-copy request but still didn't get enough copies for your needs, DO NOT use the Rebuild Lender List function and DO NOT create a new multi-copy request based on the same edition. Doing either of these means your new or renewed requests will be routed to the same libraries that have previously seen your request. They've either already shipped the item to you or said they can't fill your request. To get your request before new eyes, your best bet is usually a message to the NHAIS-ILL list. Another option for some titles is to create a new request in the system for a different edition than the one previously requested. If you need further help with getting the copies you need, ask the NHAIS Help Desk.

Annual reports reminder!!!

noreply@blogger.com (David Harris) — Thu, 23 Apr 2026 11:50:00 +0000

I think this cow might be wondering, “When are you going to submit your 2025 annual reports/public library surveys?” Don’t leave this cow in suspense!

In all seriousness, the data collected in this IMLS-funded annual project is critical to public libraries and for education about the impact of NH public libraries state-wide. I just finished my presentation for the NHLTA Conference and the state-wide annual stats figure prominently in it!

Please let the humorous, patient, and generally wonderful Jen Finch know if you need any help at all. You can do it!!!

Thanks,
Mindy Atwood
Administrator of Library Operations :: Assistant State Librarian
New Hampshire State Library
N.H. Department of Natural & Cultural Resources
20 Park Street :: Concord, NH 03301
603-271-2393 (w) :: 603-573-6402 (m)
mindy.atwood@dncr.nh.gov
nhsl.dncr.nh.gov

ILL issues Tue 4/21

noreply@blogger.com (David Harris) — Tue, 21 Apr 2026 18:50:00 +0000

Tuesday, Apr. 21, 2:50 p.m.: If you were having trouble using the NHAIS ILL System earlier this afternoon--connection failure or sluggish response to searches--try it again now. Auto-Graphics restarted its servers in the past hour to address performance issues.

2025 Public Library Survey Countdown

noreply@blogger.com (David Harris) — Tue, 21 Apr 2026 17:10:00 +0000

As of noon today [Tuesday, Apr. 21], 55% of NH public libraries have submitted their annual reports/public library surveys for 2025.

There are 10 days left for the remaining 100 libraries to turn in theirs.

You can do it, folks. I have faith in you!

Tip: Remember to click the SUBMIT button after Verifying. 😊

Please email or call me if you are having trouble.
Thanks!
Jen

Jennifer M. Finch (she/her)
Reference Librarian and State Data Coordinator
New Hampshire State Library
N.H. Department of Natural & Cultural Resources
20 Park St.
Concord, NH 03301
Office: 603-271-2060
Ref Desk: 603-271-2144
Jennifer.M.Finch@dncr.nh.gov

No SW-B van Wed 4/15

noreply@blogger.com (David Harris) — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 12:56:00 +0000

The SW-B van route is cancelled today, April 15. The affected libraries are:

Nelson
Alstead
Westmoreland
Chesterfield
Winchester
Richmond
Fitzwilliam
Rindge
Jaffrey
Hancock

We apologize for any inconvenience.

Sincerely,
Jennifer M. Finch (she/her)
Reference Librarian and State Data Coordinator
New Hampshire State Library

Title sorts in tables

noreply@blogger.com (David Harris) — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 12:52:00 +0000

As promised, non-filing characters for initial articles in titles are now ignored in title sorts in NHAIS ILL System tables. That may not be evident when you open a table:

You need to click on the column header to get a proper sort. Clicking on that header several times will cycle you through ascending sort, descending sort, and the default (which is...semi-sorted).

Until last night's program update, requests created before last June 25 included initial articles in the sort so, for example, The Da Vinci Code showed up in the T's rather than the D's.

Public Library Survey/Annual Report Update

noreply@blogger.com (David Harris) — Tue, 14 Apr 2026 19:06:00 +0000

As of 2:15pm today [Tuesday, Apr. 14], 50% of our NH public libraries have submitted their 2025 PLS (annual report). Thank you!

April 30, 2026 is the PLS deadline. 17 days remain to submit your survey/report.

NOTES
For weird, unknown reasons, the LibPAS survey software has been really laggy and slow to calculate totals. In several cases it has refused to update itself even after several days have passed. To add to that frustration, sometimes the survey is lagged on the library’s end but when I log in as the State Data Coordinator and look at that library’s report, it looks fine, with all numbers filled in appropriately.

Why is that happening? I hope to find out from the vendor asap.

TIPS
1) There are Save and Recalculate buttons at the top of your survey. If your survey is lagging or totals won’t total, try mashing Recalc and Save.

2) If #1 doesn’t seem to do anything, close the survey and your web browser and take a little walk. Get a nice beverage for yourself. Play a couple games of hopscotch. Practice some primal scream therapy.
3) After 15 minutes or so come back to the survey, log in again, and see if anything has changed.
4) If still nothing seems to populate/change/update in your library’s report, send me an email and ask me to look at it from my side. I might be able to kick it into submission.
5) After you click VERIFY and get the coveted “Verified!” message, make sure you then click on the SUBMIT/LOCK button. This will summon the email saying, “Thank you for your submission!” and then it will all be over.

Thanks again, folks. You can do this!
Jen

Jennifer M. Finch (she/her)
Reference Librarian and State Data Coordinator
New Hampshire State Library
N.H. Department of Natural & Cultural Resources
20 Park St.
Concord, NH 03301
Office: 603-271-2060
Ref Desk: 603-271-2144
Jennifer.M.Finch@dncr.nh.gov

Brief ILL outage Tue 4/14 10pm

noreply@blogger.com (David Harris) — Tue, 14 Apr 2026 11:50:00 +0000

The NHAIS ILL System will be offline briefly starting at 10 o'clock tonight (Tuesday, Apr. 14) to install program updates.

-When sorting by title in tables (as in Staff Dashboard > ILL Admin > Borrower Requests or Lender Requests), non-filing characters have sometimes been ignored and sometimes not. That involves an update last June which affected new requests but not existing requests.

With tonight's release, all non-filing characters will be ignored for a more logical sort of titles, with The Antidote and The Assassin of Venice appearing in the A's rather than the T's.

-When running the Lending Activity report under Staff Dashboard > Statistics > Activity and Request Reports, an incorrect Customer Code occasionally displayed in the LibCode field. This has been corrected.

Another 2025 Public Library Survey UPDATE

noreply@blogger.com (Christine Martin) — Fri, 10 Apr 2026 17:07:00 +0000

Hello, folks,

As of noon today, 46% of NH libraries have submitted their 2025 surveys.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!

There are 21 days left to the deadline of April 30th.

Do not fret, don’t have a cow,
You can do it, ask me how!
Submit your surveys, one and all,
Then say “Hurray!” and have a ball!

Have a good weekend, everyone,
Jen

Jennifer M. Finch (she/her)
Reference Librarian and State Data Coordinator
New Hampshire State Library
N.H. Department of Natural & Cultural Resources
20 Park St.
Concord, NH 03301
Office: 603-271-2060
Ref Desk: 603-271-2144
Jennifer.M.Finch@dncr.nh.gov

Searching NHAIS Notes

noreply@blogger.com (David Harris) — Fri, 10 Apr 2026 13:21:00 +0000

From the NHAIS Help Desk mailbox:

Is there a way to keyword search the NHAIS Notes blog besides the Posts by topic list?

Yes, just look for the search box in the upper left of the screen:

It's small and it disappears when you scroll down even a tiny bit. You'll be searching text of the entire 20-year archive of NHAIS Notes posts. Be aware that messages from before the fall of 2019 may refer to the workings of the ILL program in use prior to the current one.

Searching by month/year or topic are also options.

Sending lists from the NHAIS ILL System

noreply@blogger.com (David Harris) — Wed, 08 Apr 2026 14:09:00 +0000

Seen on the NHAIS-L e-mail list:

"If a patron makes a list on share it and supposedly sends it to me where is it? I have not done this before but it would be helpful if this is a possibility."

Anyone, whether logged in or not, can save titles to a list in the NHAIS ILL System and send that list to any valid e-mail address. How users add titles to the list varies. On screens with multiple search results, click the icon under "List" for the desired title.

When viewing a single search result on the detail screen, choose "Add to Your List" from the menu on the left.

To send the list, users can choose the Email List button if visible. If it's not on the screen, click on the Your List icon in the upper right (just above "Login"), then choose Email List.

An e-mail address must be entered--let your patrons know which address you'd like them to use to send titles to you. The default subject line is "Session List" but that should be changed to indicate who's sending the list, which will appear to come from no-reply-nhais@librarycard.com.

The resulting e-mail, with "ILL request from..." entered in this example to replace the default "Session List" in the subject line:

All the above can be done without a login. At libraries allowing patron-initiated ILL requesting, patrons have the option to log in to save lists for future sessions. Otherwise, the list disappears in SHAREit when the current session is ended.

Another option for anyone to send bibliographic information from the NHAIS ILL System: choosing the "Email This Item" option in the left-side menu of the detail screen.

This sends more details than the basic title/author info transmitted with the list option and has more editable fields (just don't change "no-reply@auto-graphics.com" in the FROM area) but it only deals with one title per e-mail.

The resulting e-mail, with a patron name entered in place of "guest" in the FROM area for this example:

NHAIS ILL: The Next 3 Years

noreply@blogger.com (Mary Russell) — Fri, 03 Apr 2026 19:34:00 +0000

The NHAIS Interlibrary Loan system runs on Share-It, a product from Auto-Graphics (now part of Soutron Global for those keeping score at home). The first contract for this iteration of the system was approved by Governor and Council in July 2019. In 2023 we exercised our option to extend the contract for a period of 3 years. That extension will conclude on June 30, 2026.

We will be going before Governor and Council to seek approval for the remaining 3-year extension available to us in the original contract. If they approve we will continue with our current ILL system until June 30, 2029. We will begin the process of issuing an RFP for the next iteration of NHAIS Interlibrary Loan during 2028.

Today we submitted the contract amendment documents to the NH Department of Information Technology which will review and (hopefully) approve them. This is the first step toward having the contract amendment on the agenda for a June 2026 Governor & Council meeting.