FYI
----- Forwarded Message ---- From: Ernesto Spinak <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Sun, August 29, 2010 10:25:12 PM Subject: ABCD - Alternative bibliographic processing workflows Versión en español se envió por separado ________________________________ Today we would like to ask for your assistance on a very particular subject, namely: the library cataloguing processing workflow. In general terms, the processing of library materials comprises at least the following actions: Reception, stamping, attribution of accession number, cataloguing, classification, indexing, printing of spine labels, shelving, quality control. The topic which concerns us today is, that in practice libraries do not follow the same paths of action, i.e., they do these operations in different orders. Some libraries classify first and catalog next. Some print bar code labels at the end of the cataloguing process while others start the process by first applying ready-made bar code labels (purchased or printed in-house), and so on. With this message we would like to open a debate on this subject in order to compile some of the variety of strategies followed by libraries out there. The aim is to see if ABCD can be made sufficiently flexible to adapt to the different practices that actually exist, rather than forcing libraries to comply with a rigid workflow. This information will be used in an Expert Workshop to be held in Buenos Aires October 13th-16th this year. Many libraries use a “status” field in their databases, showing the stage of processing that the item currently is in. For example: pre-catalogued, catalogued, indexed, quality controlled. This field has nothing to do with the physical copies, but only with the cataloguing / indexing stage. Once this process is finished, the same status is applied to all copies. As an example, we’ll show the workflow of a hypothetical library XXX: 1. Accession number and pre-cataloguing --> status 0 2. Classifying --> status 1 * Bar code and spine labels printed 3. Ready for lending (goes to shelf) -->status 2 4. Cataloguing and indexing complete -->status 3 5. Quality Controlled -->status 4 (OK, process finished) Another library, let’s say ZZZ, could follow a different workflow, without status control: 1. Applying pre-printed bar code labels with sequential accession numbers 2. Cataloguing and Classification, reading the accession numbers from the labels 3. Printing and applying spine labels 4. Shelving, ready for lending. 5. [no systematic quality control is done] It would therefore be interesting to know: a. Whether quality controls are made during the workflow, or at the end, or not at all (as a formal task); b. When are labels printed – at the beginning, at the end or at any other point in the workflow; c. Whether barcode labels are acquired ready-made or are printed in the library, and in this case if special label printers are used or normal print output from a wordprocessor. d.At what point in the process are books considered ready for use and lending: after labelling, at the end of the whole process, at any other intermediate stage. We will kindly ask you to comment on this subject. You can use the form presented below or express yourself in free form. You decide. Question Comment Does your library have a Status field in the bibliographic database indicating the state of the processing? What codes do you consider? Does the library use bar code labels with accession numbers? If yes, do you print them in-house or obtain them from a vendor? At what point of the workflow are bar code labels printed? (at the beginning, at a particular point in the middle, at the end) Does the library use printed spine labels? If yes, do you print them in-house or obtain them from a vendor? At what point of the workflow are spine labels printed? (at the beginning, at a particular point in the middle, at the end) When is the book/item declared ready for lending? - At the end of the whole processing workflow - Right after accession and provisional registration - At an intermediate stage, for example as soon as it has got a shelf number - Other OK then, friends, please go ahead and tell us about your particular workflow. This is not a survey for preferences, no one is voting on this. We just want to know about as many practices as possible that are used within the ISIS family. Your answers will be reflected somehow in a future release of ABCD. With best regards and thanks for your time Ernesto Spinak thanks to Wenke Adam for the translation -- .^. .^. ( ) ( ) === === =[=]================================[=]= | | Ernesto Spinak | | | | [email protected] | | | | Montevideo, Uruguay | | | | tel/fax (5982) 622-3352 | | | | celular (598) 99612238 | | =[=]================================[=]= === === ( ) ( ) V V [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ -- Towards cyber libraries to support information society in Indonesia. Joining ICS-isis by sending mailto:[email protected] Visit ICS-Portal at http://digilib.binus.ac.id/ics/index.phpYahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ics-isis/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ics-isis/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: [email protected] [email protected] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [email protected] <*> Your use of Yahoo! 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