Software and/or materials required

• Sierra

• Internet browser

Project summary/background

Sierra has a URL checking function that reports possibly broken links in bib records. It works only for freely-available online resources (not licensed resources).

This project is to: 1) check whether these links are actually broken and 2) replace the broken ones if possible.

Project instructions

• Open the URLS Reported as Broken spreadsheet https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1zx8g4yVxxLz_Ui79_bh2KIL9sszw43FihErxP1_7m8Y/edit?usp=sharing

• Put your initials in the Initials column by some of the names. This will prevent multiple people from editing the same record at the same time.

• Open the record by searching the bib record # provided.

  • NOTE: You MUST add an a at the end of each number before searching. (The URL checker unhelpfully always reports record numbers without the check digit.)

• Scroll down to find the 856 field. The URL will be in $u. Right click on it and select “Open URL.”

  • This will open the URL in your default browser.

• If the link takes you to the resource described in the bib record, close the record and mark the spreadsheet “not broken” in the Notes/Questions column.

• If the link does not open or takes you to something that is not the described resource, search for a replacement URL.

  • If the resource title is distinctive, try searching all or part of the title in Google. Don’t bother going past the first page of results.

  • You can also try the Internet Archive Wayback Machine: https://archive.org/web/

    • Enter the broken URL in the Wayback Machine. If you get results, navigate back through past iterations of the website to find a working URL.

• If you find a replacement URL, delete the broken URL in the bib record (in 856 40 $u) and paste in the replacement URL in the same spot.

• If you do not find a replacement URL, mark the spreadsheet “not found” in the Notes/Questions column.

• Rinse & repeat!