Technical Services Workflows: trends and good practices

1. Technical Services Workflows: trends and good practices OVGTSL 2012 May 3, 2012 Evansville, IN David Whitehair Senior Product Manager OCLC whitehad@oclc.org

2. www.oclc.org/reports

3. Who participated?

4. Who participated? n = 3,308

5. Who participated? n = 3,307

6. The library: Use, shape and format Priorities Staying informed Advice for OCLC

7. Priorities of public librarians Ensuring adequate Internet access 36% Demonstrating value to funders 34% Licensed e-collections/e-books 32% Access to new technology 29% Forming community partnerships 28% Digitization projects 6% Integrating social media 6% Succession plans for library staff 6% Open-source products 4% Cloud computing 2% Tops the list Missed the cut n=1,161

8. Priorities of academic librarians Licensed e-collections/e-books 51% Future of higher education and the library’s role 42% Facilities issues 39% Visibility of library’s collection 30% Digitization projects 23% Succession plans for library staff 7% Cloud computing 6% Integrating social media 6% Data curation 5% Open access publishing 5% Tops the list Missed the cut n=1,786

9. Priorities of community college librarians Licensed e-collections/e-books 57% Future of higher education and the library’s role 45% Visibility of library’s collection 43% Facilities issues 35% Access by mobile devices 32% Cloud computing 6% IR discovery and aggregation 2% Deaccessioning print materials 2% Open access publishing 1% Data curation 0% Tops the list Missed the cut n=161

10. So many priorities…

11. 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

12. 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

13. E-book cataloging using print book processes

14. 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

15. 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

16. Follow a good recipe Grandma’s Secret Roast 6 1. Remove roast from refrigerator. 2. Cut two inches from each side, discard. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

17. UNC Charlotte at the Charleston Conference • Adopted restrictive gift policy • Reduced periodical binding, serial check-in/claiming • Reduced fund structure from 800 to 200 • Fast catalog non-shelf-ready items (copy cataloging without checking all fields) • 85% monographs processed without staff intervention • Consultants hired; interviewed staff; prepared 100 pg report • Consolidated to one vendor with shelf-ready & WCP • Eliminated pre-order searching; provided vendor ISBNs • Tightened approval plan; eliminated staff review • Electronic selection of notification slips

18. Results… • How to digitize and describe over 3100 photographs and postcards… and still do everything else!!!

19. 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 • to have accurate, structured data • to exhibit library principles of organization April 2009 http://www.oclc.org/us/en/reports/onlinecatalogs/default.htm

20. Librarian/Staff Results: Highlighted Differences End-User Results: Recommended Enhancements 9 Recommended enhancements to WorldCatTotal end-user responses 1 4 Source: Online Catalogs study, PDF p. 51

21. Quilts 001 by Lansing Public Library, Lansing Illinois • http://www.flickr.com/photos/lansinglibrary/456681271/

22. Warm! by malamantra • http://www.flickr.com/photos/meghanandnick/2141323599/

23. 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

24. 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

25. Morag Boyd, Ohio State University • “Don’t re-do, – re-use” • “They are all special, but in the same ways”

26. “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/

27. Thank You! David Whitehair Senior Product Manager OCLC whitehad@oclc.org