Sideloading Pros and Cons

Libraries can send all the record data to Marmot Library Network via an FTP account

Modification of eContent Access URLs can now be done in the library’s Pika settings without having to modify the collection’s MARC records. (eg Adding proxy URLs)

If the vendor has an FTP site, Marmot can automatically check the FTP site for new updates (daily, weekly, monthly)

Very simple updates with potentially no work for the library if records can be automatically fetched from the vendor

Do not need to weed things out of the ILS that you no longer have access to

Vendor cover images from MARC can be integrated into Pika display

The format for the eContent collection can be specified

Even though the records are not in the ILS, you can retrieve ownership statistics

• The statistics will be in Pika under Indexing Statistics

• Statistics are kept daily for one month and monthly after that

Sideloaded content can be automatically sent to EBSCO daily (after a separate profile is set up for loading the eContent to EBSCO)

The records do not get sent to Prospector/INN-Reach

• Bib counts are lower which reduces your courier traffic

• It avoids having records that are useless to 90% of the population who uses Prospector

You can have a collection that is specific to a branch or location (e.g. a specific elementary school or library branch)

For consortia, collections that have a uniform offering for any library, a single sideload can be used for all libraries that have subscribed to that collection so that only one library will need to update the records.  This includes collections that have differences in URLs for each library since the URLs can be modified within Pika

Initial set up longer than downloading items directly into the catalog.  

• Have to get initial records

• Get everything set up may take a few weeks

• Testing before it rolls into production

• Some of the delay is waiting for indexes to go through for testing

The records are not in the ILS

• The stats will need to be counted separately for ownership

Records are not exported directly to EBSCO

• If you are looking to have EBSCO be your source of everything eContent, there are separate steps that need to be done with EBSCO

• Need to contact EBSCO about setting up a separate profile

• EBSCO has to be aware of the new URLs for the content in Pika

The records do not get sent to Prospector

• The Alliance would like your entire collection in Prospector, in case your patron-only goes to Prospector, and not their local library catalog