Location
Chateau Sugarloaf Hill, Chestnut Hill College, Philadelphia PA
Start Date
27-4-2018 2:00 PM
Document Type
Presentation
Description
Campbell Library, the Glassboro Campus branch of Rowan University Libraries houses a physical collection of over 300,000 books and DVDs. Two years ago, Campbell Library conducted the first inventory of this collection in almost two decades. This inventory uncovered approximately 8500 missing items. This discovery lead us to ask the questions: What is our policy on missing items? How long should missing items remain in the catalog? Should missing items be viewable in the OPAC? Can these items be replaced? It was quickly realized that there was no guidance or past policy in regards to reconciling missing items in the catalog. This lead to an ongoing project developed through the collaboration of two departments within Campbell Library, Technical Services and Access Services.
After a discussion between staff from Access and Technical Services, with input from Library Administration and Collection Development, a preliminary plan was developed and a schedule created. The schedule dictates when the collection will be checked for missing items, when the records of missing items will be suppressed or removed from the catalog, and when subject specialist librarians will be notified of items which require replacement.
Once the plan was in place, Technical Services initiated the project by compiling reports of items marked as lost or missing by the LMS or staff. Access Services staff were given the reports and charged with developing and executing workflows for conducting periodic searches for lost or missing items and updating the statuses of items which are found or determined to be still lost. This allowed staff members in Technical Services to generate new lists which were then used to notify subject specialists of items that required replacement.
Upon the completion of the first cycle, approximately 6,300 missing items were deleted from the catalog. This continuous project aims to improve user experience through identifying items that require replacement and ensuring that the OPAC provides the most accurate representation of the collection.
Included in
The 'Missing' Link: A Collaborative Effort to Improve the Accuracy of Our Holdings
Chateau Sugarloaf Hill, Chestnut Hill College, Philadelphia PA
Campbell Library, the Glassboro Campus branch of Rowan University Libraries houses a physical collection of over 300,000 books and DVDs. Two years ago, Campbell Library conducted the first inventory of this collection in almost two decades. This inventory uncovered approximately 8500 missing items. This discovery lead us to ask the questions: What is our policy on missing items? How long should missing items remain in the catalog? Should missing items be viewable in the OPAC? Can these items be replaced? It was quickly realized that there was no guidance or past policy in regards to reconciling missing items in the catalog. This lead to an ongoing project developed through the collaboration of two departments within Campbell Library, Technical Services and Access Services.
After a discussion between staff from Access and Technical Services, with input from Library Administration and Collection Development, a preliminary plan was developed and a schedule created. The schedule dictates when the collection will be checked for missing items, when the records of missing items will be suppressed or removed from the catalog, and when subject specialist librarians will be notified of items which require replacement.
Once the plan was in place, Technical Services initiated the project by compiling reports of items marked as lost or missing by the LMS or staff. Access Services staff were given the reports and charged with developing and executing workflows for conducting periodic searches for lost or missing items and updating the statuses of items which are found or determined to be still lost. This allowed staff members in Technical Services to generate new lists which were then used to notify subject specialists of items that required replacement.
Upon the completion of the first cycle, approximately 6,300 missing items were deleted from the catalog. This continuous project aims to improve user experience through identifying items that require replacement and ensuring that the OPAC provides the most accurate representation of the collection.