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Overview

OLE Instance documents are used to identify and describe library resources locally owned/licensed by libraries and as such contain unique information that can not be captured in Bibliographic documents that may be used/shared by multiple libraries. 

OLE Terms and Definitions

1. Instance. This document type includes information traditionally known as holdings and item information. It is a single document type with 2 categories of information (holdings and item).
2. Holdings. Describes the extent of a resource available to the user. In the case of continuing resources holdings data may record the pattern of issuance of a resource and/or a summary statement of volumes held.
3. Item. Describes the smallest unit of a resource that is managed and/or circulated individually.  It provides specific information regarding the physical location when pertinent. 

The OLE Instance schema is loosely based on the MARC Format for Holdings Data (MFHD) and represents core elements that must be included when describing holdings and items.  The schema does not support every MFHD field/subfield but does include additional pieces of information not supported by MFHD. Additionally, the OLE Instance schema has taken some elements traditionally captured with holdings data and moved those to item descriptions.   These include elements for describing the location of items (MFHD 852 field and subfields) as well as information relating to how users may access electronic resources (MFHD 856 field and subfields).  Because the current schema only represents “core” elements, it does allow for the addition of “local” pieces of data via the <extension> element.  

The OLE Instance schema does not dictate how libraries combine items to comprise holdings data.  As with MFHD, libraries may choose to describe multiple copies of a single resource in one OLE Instance or provide separate OLE Instance documents for each copy.  The OLE Instance <separateOrCompositeReport> element will allow libraries to indicate for each OLE Instance document whether or not it is for only one copy or for a consolidation of information about more than one copy of the bibliographic item.