Tip, July 2004 (Updated November 2012)

Sending Records to Libraries Australia
[rev. November 2012]

The National Library of Australia’s Libraries Australia system can accept non MARC records for loading into the National Bibliographic Database, and it is very easy for DB/TextWorks and CS/TextWorks users to extract records from their library catalogues in an approved format.

First, visit the Libraries Australia Record Import Service page for more information, also following the Bibliographic Non MARC Format link. Then contact the Help Desk (or 1800 026 155) to make arrangements for your non MARC holdings to be added to the database.

Once you are ready to send a batch of data, you will need to have designed a TextWorks form that will enable you to produce a suitable file. Libraries Australia expects the records to look like this:

Notice that some different fields are combined under the same field name in this format – for example, the Name field can contain Author, Corporate Author, Added Entries, etc. The Notes field contains both Notes and Abstract from the original TextWorks record.

To design a form like the one above, open the TextWorks Form Designer, selecting a Blank Form to start with.

Add form boxes with contents as shown in the following example, substituting your field names for those shown here, where these are different. (Make the boxes about 180 mm wide.)

Add punctuation between fields if necessary – e.g. for a subtitle, add some Beginning Text:

Now add a field label for each box (except Name and Notes - see below), again using the Beginning Text setting. Remember to type a space after each field name, and to place quote marks (‘ ’) around any field name that consists of more than one word:

In the Name field add the word Name followed by a space as a Fixed Text item, moving it up above the first actual field name:

Then for each field in the combination box, use the Added Text - Beginning Text setting to place a "Carriage Return" + ";" as Beginning Text:

Repeat the steps above for the notes box that also contains more than one field.

Now select all of the boxes and apply a Separator Text setting consisting of "Carriage Return" + "; " as shown below. This will ensure that multiple entries are correctly listed with “; ” at the beginning of each entry after the first. (Note that there is a space after the semi-colon.)

Also apply a “hanging indent” to all boxes, so that lines of text longer than one box width wrap with a space at the beginning of lines following the first one. To achieve this, set a first line indent of -3.00 mm as shown:

Finally, add two more text boxes, for the material type (Book), then also a $ sign as record separator.

Your form design should now look like this:

Save the form, ticking the options shown in this screen shot:

Your form is now ready to use!

Search for a batch of records that you want to send to Libraries Australia.

View them in the Report Window, selecting your new form.

If your screen looks similar to the sample at the beginning of this page, you are ready to create a file of the records. (If not, use the Form Designer to edit your form until everything works as it should.)

To create the output file, click on File>Write Report to File.
Select Plain Text as the file format.
Enter a suitable filename, selecting a location where you will be able to locate the file when ready to send it to Libraries Australia according to the instructions you will have received.

Thanks to Lisa Wright, Librarian at the Library and Information Service, Wildlife Science Collection, Department of Conservation and Land Management, WA, for providing the initial sample report for this purpose.

Click here if you would like to read our tip on using Libraries Australia records with TextWorks.

Email Maxus if you would like to receive this report design as an exported TextWorks file that you can import into your own catalogue textbase.

This page was updated on 27 November 2012.

Maxus Australia Pty Ltd - Contact us for any further information or other tips.