Computer Applications to Make Life Easier

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Computer Applications to Make Life Easier

• Deb Strelka
• Coordinator of Library Processing
• Cofrin Library, UW-Green Bay
• strelkad_at_uwgb.edu

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Save yourself !

• a whole lot of keystrokeswith MacroExpress and
  MarcEdit!

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So what is a macro?

• A mini-program that you create. When you call up
  the macro, it does a specified set of actions.
• Macros are available in many programs (e.g. MS
  Word, OCLC). What makes MacroExpress special is
  that it runs in just about any and all programs,
  and it can switch among programs.

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Why I love MacroExpress and MarcEdit

• It saves a million or so clicks a day, and when I
  have to reach for the mouse a lot it hurts me!
• Much of the work I do can be done faster and more
  accurately using a macro, but I can slow it down
  and monitor the process when I want to.
• I can tackle clean-up projects that I would never
  have the staff to do if I can isolate the records
  I need to change, then use both MEs to have them
  done in a jiffy.

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More of Why I love MacroExpress and MarcEdit

• I can give work to students in the sure knowledge
  that a macro will ensure their accuracy.
• It saved us a bunch of money when we were paying
  OCLC per transaction.
• I love to look out of my office door and watch a
  macro running along, like a player piano, doing
  work that neither I nor any of my staff now has
  to do!

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So Show Me

• Example Connexion
• Example MS Word
• Example Web Voyáge title search
• Example Voyager Cataloging
• Example Library of Congress authority record

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Suppress a record from public view
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Step 2
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Step 3
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Step 4
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So Show Me

• Example Connexion
• Example MS Word
• Example Web Voyáge title search
• Example Voyager Cataloging
• Example Library of Congress authority record

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How Do I Make Macros?

• Easiest record a macro
• Next easiest copy a macro and edit it for a new
  circumstance
• Lite programming required script a macro

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Be Careful

• MacroExpress will record mouse clicks and
  faithfully play them back, but
• What if your students computer screen is a
  different size than yours, or you recorded the
  macro with your screen maximized and now its not
  
• KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS whenever possible!

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Keyboard Shortcuts?

• When you click on the menu choices at the top of
  your computer, the drop down menu may show the
  keyboard equivalents.
• When you click the Alt key, you can use the
  underlined letter to pull down the menus and
  choose the options you want.
• A list of Windows shortcuts at
  http//support.microsoft.com/kb/126449

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Lets create some macros

• Record a macro
• Copy and edit a macro
• Script a macro

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Where do I get this???

• Insight Software Solutions
• http//www.macroexpress.com/
• 39.95 (with price breaks for volume purchases)
• 30-day trial download for free
• Weve saved the cost many times over on authority
  records alone!

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What about MarcEdit?

• A FREE software program for making mass changes
  to catalog records (and more!)
• Terry Reese of Oregon State University
• http//oregonstate.edu/reeset/marcedit/html/index
  .php

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What kinds of things can you do with it?

• Clean-up of authority records from Library of
  Congress or bib records from a vendor
• Z39.50 to your own library for changes to your
  own records
• Pull fields from records to generate reports
• Convert delimited text (e.g., MS Excel data) into
  MARC format

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Questions?

• MacroExpress
• MarcEdit
• Deb Strelka, Cofrin Library, UW-Green Bay
• Thanks!