PromptCat Enhancements OCLC has begun a pilot project with the Academic Book Center, Yankee Peddler, and three member libraries to enhance the PromptCat service, which currently provides automated copy cataloging for materials on order with vendors. As of early 1997, fourteen vendors had signed agreements with OCLC to participate in the PromptCat service. Vendor-supplied CIP Upgrade Project Yankee Book Peddler became the first batch participant in this project when OCLC loaded the first file of its records on Jan. 7, 1997. Bib Notification OCLC introduced this service in August 1996. This service will be offered to libraries free of charge through June 30, 1997.
Users can choose either a menu or a command interface.
Selection databases are currently R.R. Bowker's Books in Print and WorldCat. Vendor records are standard MARC records, except for a local 938 field that contains vendor specific ordering information. The file includes publications in eleven languages, with emphasis on European Union developments in a variety of fields. Although only keyword searching is supported, several of these indexes are for bound phrases such as author, title, subject, meeting. Any of these records may be used for cataloging through the derive command.