Transcript Slide 1
Managing the Myth of Shelf-Ready:
Creating a Tiered Workflow for
Bibliographic Records
Alayne Mundt Sandler, Metadata Librarian
Anne C. Elguindi, Director of Information Delivery Services
American University Library
The Landscape
Merging Acquisitions and Cataloging functions and
workflows
Continuous development of new technologies, schemas, and
materials
Administrative pressures:
Focus on unique content and digital materials
Shelf-ready should go straight to the shelf
Who are we?
American University is an independent coeducational institution
with 12,705 students enrolled in its 57 bachelor’s programs; 52
master’s programs; nine doctoral programs; and a JD program.
The library’s monographic collections include 980,000 books
including 701,518 print books.
The library subscribes to more than 300 databases, 60,000 on-line
periodicals, and 1,000 print periodicals.
Regarding shelf-ready services, we have used Blackwell, Coutts,
and OCLC services for the past two years.
What is Shelf-Ready?
Two sides – Cataloging and Processing
Cataloging options:
Vendor-supplied records
WorldCat Cataloging Partners (WCP) program
Levels of service: Basic, 100%, Customized
Vendor-enhanced WCP records
Processing options:
Vendor-specific, including spine labels, stamps, bookplates, etc.
Challenges of Shelf-Ready
Issues we have had
Record quality – selection process of WCP
Recent unavailability of TOC enhancement of WCP
Processing quality
System-wide failure of WCP
Higher level of service (100% service) disappointing
Data issues – call numbers for spine labels, for example
The realities of outsourcing – it requires management and
quality control
Overview
Physical check of books and Processing
Bibliographic data
Encoding level
Dates
Title/Variant titles
Call numbers
Local cataloging practices and other information
Name adjustments
Three Categories of Books
Books that did not pass the “Copy Cataloging” checklist and
need to be routed to Cataloging for additional work.
Books that bypass cataloging but need additional processing,
such as new spine labels
Books that bypass cataloging and need no additional
processing, which can go straight to Circulation to be shelved
Physical check of books/Processing
Check for spine label/spine label protector
Obvious damage to books
Barcode on book
Bookplate/security strip
Books that are Folio sized, have CD-Roms, multiple volumes
sent directly to cataloging for additional work.
300 field must match preliminary pagination and final page
number
Double check that 852 matches spine label.
Instructions for adding holdings/item record
Encoding Level
Book is sent to Cataloging if record is not
Full level (_)
Full level input by OCLC participants (I)
Core level (4)
Check publication date
Check publication or copyright date on T.P. verso against
three places in cataloging record:
008
Date in 050 and/or 090
260 $c
If date on book doesn’t match in all three places, Receiving
Specialist routes book to Cataloging
Checklist contains screenshots of the date in the 008, T.P.
verso as examples of where to look.
050/090
If both present, check to see if they are identical. If not, send
to Cataloging.
Call number on spine must match call number in holdings
exactly.
Recent challenges– Spine label not always generated from
holdings
245 (Title)
Names in 245 $c must match names in 7xx exactly.
Title on title page must match 245 $a exactly.
Variant spellings
Numbers
Abbreviations
Symbols such as $ or &, and other symbols that do not need
spelled out versions such as exclamation points– checklist
addresses differences in all of these !, @, #, $, %, &, +
If these alternate titles are already in record, no need to route
to Cataloging.
Standard Numbers, 260, 6xx
020 (last four digits)
035 must be preceded by prefix “OCoLC”
260: Name should match title page. Does not need to match
exactly (e.g. Pub. vs. Publisher).
Books missing 6xx fields are forwarded to Cataloging.
Local Practices
National Literatures
Historical local practice to reclassify some national literatures.
Any book in certain call number ranges is forwarded to
Cataloging.
Books lacking 505’s (TOC information)
Books with editor(s) and no 505 field are forwarded to
Cataloging (we add this manually).
Name Adjustments
Check to see if name in 245 matches name in 100 or 700
field.
Books with 720 are forwarded to Cataloging.
Check to see if name in 245 can “lay on top of ” name in 100
or 700 and fit within it without any variations, e.g.:
Can bypass Cataloging
100: Pogge, Thomas Winfried Menko
245: Pogge, Thomas
245: Pogge, Thomas W.
Forwarded to Cataloging for authority work
100: Pogge, Thomas Winfried Menko
245: Pogge, A. Thomas
245: Pogge, Thomas W. M.
245: Pogge, Tom
*(but not Pogge, Thom)
Benefits
Expands boundaries of cataloging knowledge
Can show new personnel the ‘why’ behind good quality control,
and they can see their work as valuable
Almost anyone can do this – it’s a checklist
Opens up time for cataloging unit
This project cut down the number of books that require an in-
depth review by trained Cataloging Specialists by 45%
Speeds up time to the shelf
This project took two weeks off of the time between these
books coming in the door and going on the shelf
Conclusions
Talk with your administrators about the need for good
cataloging – show them concrete examples in your catalog
and discovery layers.
This is our version of “good enough.”
This allows you to take an active and leading role, presenting
administrators with something they want but in a way you
are comfortable doing it.
Thank you!
Any questions?
You can also contact us at [email protected] or
[email protected].