RLIN SEARCHING

RLIN searching - fuller explanation of short guide

logging on

• use either RLIN 4 STANDARD (select CATALOG configuration which has some buttons for basic commands; then click plug icon or select Connect from Session menu) or telnet to mercury.hudson.rlg.org
• use account obtain from supervisor when needed with password (may be chained with slash between commands or use button in RLIN 4) - then cal rlin (cat) or ... (aut)
• our library identifier (LI) is NYUG; most of the identifiers are mnemonic with 2 state letters (except California) and a 3rd letter for institution and 4^th for sublocation

• RLIN is divided into bibliographic and authority files, which are further subdivided by bibliographic formats (e.g. books, serials, maps, computer files) or authority files (e.g. NAF, SAF, AAT) - records in most formats are clustered by edition (this is done by machine and does not always match what a person might call the "same" book, etc.)
• the RLIN system and our accounts are set up for certain defaults and your session will follow those defaults unless you tell it otherwise, e.g. bib formats are searched in BKS, SER, AMC, MDF, VIM, MAP, SCO, REC order (you may select files in some other order, using the three letter codes indicated) - a search will resume through the files if no response is found; if there is a response in a file, you must resume through the files in order to do an exhaustive search
• bibliographic records are divided into bibliographic and holdings segment; the partial display includes a summary of both bib and holdings; the full display starts with the bib and goes to the holdings display; the long display is similar to a catalog card

• the command line must have only the desired command; extra data will confuse the system
• use shift-delete to delete the data to the right of the cursor (for example, to clear the command line)
• use the plus sign to move forward through displays, use the minus sign to back up through a display
• commands may be chained with the slash, e.g. sel fil ser bks/fin tp mnemosyne#

• most command words in RLIN are at least three letters (e.g. fin for find, dis for display, bro for browse; the full word will often work as well)
• searching command includes find or browse followed by index (pn, cp, tp, etc.) and then by value to be searched; phrase searches should be truncated with #, e.g.
  fin pn twain, mark to find the personal name Mark Twain
  fin tp history of the world# to find the title History of the world ...
  fin cp museum of modern art# to find the corporate name phrase Museum of Modern Art ...
  fin cw demining humanitarian to find a corporate name with these words (easier when the phrase starts with common terms like United States. Dept. of State. Office ...)
  
• hyphens in title and corporate phrases are not indexed as spaces, e.g.
  fin cp nelsonatkins museum# to find the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
  
• hyphens in personal names are indexed as spaces, e.g.
  fin pn kirshenblatt gimblett, barbara
  
• number searches include ISBN, ISSN and local call number, e.g.
  fin isbn 3598218141 to find a book with this ISBN
  fin isbn 8806# to find all publications from Einaudi, Turin
  fin issn 0344-6891 (include hyphen)
  fin cal nd623.b8# (include decimal point(s) and truncation symbol)
  
• if a phrase includes a boolean operator (i.e. and, or, not), you need to compensate by quotation marks around phrase or omitting the operator, e.g. to search for Franny and Zooey you could search the following ways:
  fin tp "franny and zooey#"
  fin tp franny#zooey
  
• you may combine searches using "and" (to narrow search) or "or" (to broaden search), e.g.
  fin tp huckleberry finn# and twain, mark (response has to have both this title AND this author)
  fin pn carroll, lewis or dodgson, charles lutwidge (response will include either Lewis Carroll OR Charles Lutwidge Dodgson)
  
• authority files may also be searched using the browse command and hp for heading phrase and an authority file (cannot resume) and a value; the response will start with the search value and continue indefinitely using plus to get to the next sequence, e.g.
  bro naf hp shakespeare
  bro saf hp united states economic conditions
  
• for a full list of the indexes, you can sho indexes (show indexes) and see a display of the indexes and what fields are indexed
  
  

  NOTE: the pn search implicitly truncates some of the forenames, the pe search is for exact personal names and may be useful if you are absolutely certain of the form of a person's name
  
  

• if you get a big response, you can modify your search using the also command, most commonly by date or RLIN library identifier (LI) or publisher name or language but almost any fixed or variable field can be used, e.g.
  als d 1997
  als d from 1995 to 1998
  als d after 1992
  als d before 1850
  als lg eng for works with text in English (based on values in L fixed field and 041 field)
  als cp fr for works published in France (CP is country of publication fixed field)
  als li nyug to see only clusters with NYU holdings
  als li dclc to see only clusters with LC holdings
  als 260 macmillan
  als 245 small things

• if a single cluster is found by your search command, the cluster will be displayed (primary cluster display)
• if more than one cluster is found, you will get a multiple display; the mul display is arranged in reverse chronological order by date of cataloging (not imprint date)
• the default display varies with your location in the process; you can override the default display by naming a particular display
• the NYUG record from a cluster will be displayed in some circumstances unless you request another LI
• the holding libraries are indicated by their LI as well as other clues to the level of the record, including status (c for cataloging and a for acq); cataloging category (the lower the number, the higher the standard with 9110 meaning full-level LC copy; other typical values: 9115 for full-level member copy; 9415 for core-level member copy; 9665 for unknown; 9915 for known non-standard; 9668 for acq records; 9715 for foreign); "DCF:a" for AACR2 if applicable; "pcc" if applicable; microfilm generation if applicable (e.g. "*c*" for service copy); special characters (e.g. CJK, HBR) if applicable; and the USMARC code for the library (NYU's is NNU)
• examples:
  dis nyug will display in partial the NYUG record from the cluster that has been selected (or a single cluster response)
  dis 3 will display in
  primary the 3^rd cluster
  ful 15 nyug will display in full the NYUG record in the 15^th cluster
  par 4 mahg will display in partial the Harvard record in the 4^th cluster
  mul 26 will display the multiple response starting with the 26^th cluster
  

• in RLIN 4, use the printer icon in the task bar to print, as well as the formfeed icon when you have clicked the print icon for the appropriate screens (that is, if you want to print two bib screens and holdings, display bib screen 1, click on print icon, display bib screen 2, click on print icon, display holdings, click on print icon, click on formfeed icon)
• in EWAN telnet, use Print screen from the Edit menu
• in regular telnet, you must copy the text to word processing or email in order to print the record

• logoff, send and, after system has responded, click on unplug icon