Transcript Technical Services by the Seat of your Pants: Christine K

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Technical Services by the Seat of
Your Pants
Christine K. Dulaney
Associate Law Librarian for Technical and Metadata Services
American University Law Library
Kurt Carroll
Acting Chief, Collection Services Division
Law Library of Congress
Bess Reynolds
Technical Services Manager
Library & Knowledge Management Dept.
Debevoise & Plimpton LLP
What is Technical Services?
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Acquisitions
Serials
Cataloging
Electronic Resources
Systems
Evolving into more……
Know before you start….
• What is in the library collection?
• What types of resources?
• What types of formats?
Show me the money…
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What is your budget?
What does your budget include and exclude?
When is your fiscal year?
What is the reporting cycle?
What kinds of reports are you expected to
keep?
Information Lifecycle
Ordering /
Renewing
Maintaining
Organizing
Receiving
Paying
ORDERING
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Who is authorized to expend resources?
Is there a process for placing orders?
Expediting orders
What’s the format?
Continuations…the order that keeps
coming
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Common expiration dates
Online or print or both?
From whom to purchase?
Subscription agents and vendors
Databases have wrinkles…
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Negotiating a user’s license
Know your users
Know your access
What about trials?
RECEIVING
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Did you get what you ordered?
How do I keep track?
Claims
Returns
PAYMENTS
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Validate
Anticipate
Financial requirements
Record keeping
ORGANIZING/DESCRIBING (not just
cataloging anymore…)
• Reuse what you can find
• If you must DIY:
– What is needed?
– Develop policies and procedures
– Keep it consistent
– Keep it simple
• Document….document….document
MAINTAINING ACCESS
• Print: Locations, currency
• Electronic resources: link checking, URLs, IP
ranges, version control
• Version control
• Weeding
Back to the beginning…..
RENEWALS
• Are you keeping or cancelling?
• Considerations for renewing:
– Price
– Cost per use
– Usage statistics
– Change in users
– Record the decision
The Abridged Version…
• Process and workflow—Know the issues;
define the actions
• Documentation—It’s all about record-keeping
How to stay informed:
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TSLL
crivblog.com
Autocat—Cataloging
Serialst—Serials
ALA—ALCTS
www.librarytechnology.org (Marshall
Breeding)
• Currentcites.org (Roy Tennant)
Contact information:
Christine Dulaney
[email protected]