Transcript Technical Services Workflows: Trends and Good Practices

OVGTSL 2012
May 3, 2012
Evansville, IN
Technical Services
Workflows: trends and
good practices
David Whitehair
Senior Product Manager
OCLC
[email protected]
www.oclc.org/reports
Who participated?
By library type
Academic
Public
Community college
Law
Medical
Federal Government
School
State Government
State Library
Corporate
Museum
4,168
librarians
48%
31%
Who participated?
By role
n = 3,308
Director/Dean
Manager
Librarian
Other
31%
31%
32%
n = 3,308
Who participated?
By library tenure
n = 3,307
5 years or less
6 to 20 years
More than 20 years
51%
41%
n = 3,307
Priorities
The library:
Use, shape and format
Staying informed
Advice for OCLC
Priorities of public librarians
Ensuring adequate Internet access 36%
Digitization projects 6%
Demonstrating value to funders 34%
Integrating social media 6%
Licensed e-collections/e-books 32%
Succession plans for library staff 6%
Access to new technology 29%
Open-source products 4%
Forming community partnerships 28%
Cloud computing 2%
Tops the list
Missed the cut
n=1,161
Priorities of academic librarians
Licensed e-collections/e-books 51%
Future of higher education and the
library’s role 42%
Succession plans for library staff 7%
Cloud computing 6%
Facilities issues 39%
Integrating social media 6%
Visibility of library’s collection 30%
Data curation 5%
Digitization projects 23%
Open access publishing 5%
Tops the list
Missed the cut
n=1,786
Priorities of community college librarians
Licensed e-collections/e-books 57%
Future of higher education and the
library’s role 45%
Cloud computing 6%
IR discovery and aggregation 2%
Visibility of library’s collection 43%
Deaccessioning print materials 2%
Facilities issues 35%
Open access publishing 1%
Access by mobile devices 32%
Data curation 0%
Tops the list
Missed the cut
n=161
So many priorities…
Trends
• Merge acquisitions and cataloging departments
• Streamline technical services to focus on hidden
collections
• Receive vendor records
• Implement shelf-ready for print materials
• Define “good enough” bibliographic records
• Evaluate patron driven acquisitions
Receiving shelf-ready items
• Shift print to shelf-ready with vendor records
• Checklist for acquisitions staff to complete physical check
of books and processing
• Categories:
• Need additional cataloging
• Need additional physical processing
• Bypass cataloging and processing
• Goal to bypass cataloging as much as possible
E-book cataloging using print book processes
Working with large sets of records
• Get sets of records from vendors
• Have a unique way to retrieve records in set
• Keep timetable for history
• Keep sample edited record for each file to help remember
changes need for next file
• Create a procedure for editing
• Be aware of local system capabilities – indexing, # of
records that can be loaded, etc.
• Use MarcEdit
Good enough cataloging
• Implement a “good enough” record definition
• Re-evaluate local practices
• Impact on duplicate call numbers
• Cross train: cataloging staff help in public services to
better understand how the data is used
Follow a good recipe
Grandma’s
Secret Roast
1. Remove roast from refrigerator.
2. Cut two inches from each side, discard.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
6
UNC Charlotte at the Charleston Conference
• Consultants hired; interviewed
staff; prepared 100 pg report
• Consolidated to one vendor with
shelf-ready & WCP
• Eliminated pre-order searching;
provided vendor ISBNs
• Adopted restrictive gift policy
• Reduced periodical binding,
serial check-in/claiming
• Reduced fund structure from
800 to 200
• Tightened approval plan;
eliminated staff review
• Fast catalog non-shelf-ready
items (copy cataloging without
checking all fields)
• Electronic selection of
notification slips
• 85% monographs processed
without staff intervention
Results…
How to digitize and describe over 3100
photographs and postcards… and still
do everything else!!!
Online Catalogs: What Users and Librarians
Want
End-Users expect online catalogs:
•to look/behave like popular Web
sites
•to have summaries, abstracts,
tables of contents
•to link directly to needed
information
Librarians expect online catalogs:
•to help staff carry out work
responsibilities
April 2009
•to have accurate, structured data
•to exhibit library principles
of organization
http://www.oclc.org/us/en/reports/onlinecatalogs/default.htm
Librarian/Staff Results:
Highlighted Differences
9
End-User Results:
Recommended Enhancements
Recommended enhancements to WorldCat
Total end-user responses
1
4
Source: Online Catalogs study, PDF p. 51
Quilts 001 by Lansing Public Library, Lansing Illinois
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lansinglibrary/456681271/
Warm! by malamantra
http://www.flickr.com/photos/meghanandnick/2141323599/
Ways to bring change and get buy in
• Get ideas from all staff
• Start small, have success, and then do more
• Agree to address corrections as needed (for example, don’t
check all call numbers for uniqueness, but agree to address
any duplicates reported)
• “Pilot” change
• Get input from external source
How will you react to change?
• Keep an open mind
• Assist with organizational change to improve workflows
• Volunteer
• Seek professional development to learn new skills
Morag Boyd, Ohio State University
“Don’t re-do, – re-use”
“They are all special, but in
the same ways”
“You can’t stop the waves,
but you can learn to surf”
--Jon Kabat-Zinn
Surfer 1 9059 by casch52
http://www.flickr.com/photos/casch/220513228/
Thank You!
David Whitehair
Senior Product Manager
OCLC
[email protected]