Albin O. Kuhn Library & Gallery - Staff Wiki


Author Details Update Tool

The Author Details Update Tool is a Python script that helps update author information in a spreadsheet
based on data from another file.


Prerequisites:
Before using the tool, ensure you have the following:
Python installed on your system.
Necessary Python library installed (openpyxl).
Installation
These steps are to be done during first time only
Python
Ensure Python is installed in your system.

  1. In Windows search bar, type Command prompt or cmd.

  2. Type python -V
    It will show python version. Ensure it is 3.2 or higher.
     
    Install pip package
    In the command prompt type this-
    openpyxl
    pip install openpyxl

Files Needed

  • Authors, ORCIDs & Collections file: The latest version of Authors, ORCIDs & Collections file.

  • Spreadsheet: An Excel file where the author's details need to be updated.
    Usage Instructions

  • Ensure all necessary dependencies are installed.

Running the Scipt

  1. Download the script: Download the Update_Author_Details.py

  2. Download the latest version of Authors, ORCIDs & Collections file from the wiki page.

  3. Ensure both the excel files are closed before running the script.

  4. Run the Script:
    Double-click the Update_Author_Details.py file to execute the script.
    Alternatively, run the script from the command line using the following command:
    python Update_Author_Details.py

  5. Browse and Select Files:
    Click the "Browse" button next to the "Authors, ORCIDs & Collections file" label to select
    the latest Authors, ORCIDs & Collections file.

  6. Click the "Browse" button next to the "Spreadsheet" label to select the spreadsheet that
    needs to be processed.

  7. Execute Script:
    After selecting the Excel files, click the "Update Authors' details" button.
    The tool will process the files, update the author details in the spreadsheet, and save
    the updated file in the same location.

  8. Script Completion:
    Once the script completes execution, A message box will appear confirming that the
    author details have been added successfully.

  9. View Logs:
    Logs for the script execution are stored in a file named author_updates.log which is in
    the same folder as the script.
    This log file provides information about any errors encountered during the file
    processing such as authors not found in the Authors collection file, and rows where
    errors occurred.

  10. Fill details for authors that are mentioned in the author_updates.log or resolve the issue and run
    the script again depending on the issue encountered.

  11. Check for departments that needs to be added or deleted. For example- if “About UMBC and Its
    People” needs to be added or “UMBC Faculty Collection” needs to be deleted.
    Troubleshooting
    If the script encounters errors or does not produce the expected output, refer to the log file
    (author_updates.log) for detailed error messages. There might be 2 types of issues. Either the author is
    not present in the Authors, ORCIDs & Collections file or there is a mismatch in the author’s name given
    in ‘dc.contributor.author’ column and ‘UMBC authors list’ column.


Albin O. Kuhn Library & Gallery . University of Maryland, Baltimore County . 1000 Hilltop Circle . Baltimore MD 21250
(410) 455-2232. Questions and comments to: Web Services Librarian