Materials Services Division Updates for September 2012

Date: September 13, 2012

The regular meeting being cancelled, the Materials Services Managers provided updates of departmental activities in lieu of minutes.

1. Department Highlights

• In Technical Processing the average daily run for August was 1071 items per day, for a total of 24,637 items to be processed in August.  The average for September so far is 966 items per day. This is several thousand items more than TP’s previous record of nearly 22,000 items in April 2012. The processors are still current on processing all “rush” materials; they are processing non-rush materials from August 28, which is seven working days from the date the run was received. Study guides and dated materials like continuations are also current.
• During August, Technical Processing received a daily average of 53 boxes of materials a day, for a total of 1228 boxes.  The daily average in September so far is 57 boxes.
• Karen Marriott met with Materials Selectors to finalize the materials budget for FY13 on 9/6.  There was a small increase to the materials budget for this fiscal year.  There was still no confirmation as to when Almonte would be open.  Funds are available for Almonte, but are not part of the FY13 materials budget for selectors to add titles to this collection yet.
• Selectors are adding AMP to the remaining libraries and Exts this FY.  Karen mentioned that MLS may look at adding Video Media Players later this fiscal year.
• Average turnaround time for new titles in Cataloging for August was 1 working day; average for the first two months of FY13 is 2 working days.  This includes only time that materials were in Cataloging; it does not include time in Technical Processing.
• Catalogers set a record for the most new titles ever cataloged in a single month by cataloging 2,804 titles in August.
• Continuing their record breaking ways, the Cataloging Technicians printed 25,816 barcode labels in August, the most labels ever printed in a single month.
• In August, the average turnaround time for borrowing materials in ILL was 9 calendar days.  This includes only time from the date requests are sent out from ILL to the date that they are received in ILL; it does not include routing time between MLS libraries and ILL.

2. Technical Processing update – Heidi Johnson

• TP’s new processors, Jennifer Choi and Heather Kolliopoulos, both formerly working at WA, have started in the dept. on September 14, 2012.  It is very nice to finally have full staffing again.
• On August 28, Maintenance moved the processing workstation located in CAT to TP for use of the additional part-time processor. This required some shifting of other workstations and supply shelving in TP. The new arrangement seems to work well;  proper ADA spacing requirements have been maintained.
• TP staff has completed their Hazard Communication safety training for the current quarter.
• TP has received the replacement set of wheels for the transfer table. Lanny from Maintenance installed the new wheels and TP is glad to have it back in use. The set of wheels ordered as future backups are scheduled to ship the end of September.
• The Service Center had a visit on September 11, 2012, from another one of the software vendors Anne Fischer is consulting with about a new ILS system. Big Bin and the automated sorter would require special interfaces with the new ILS system, so vendors want to get a firsthand look at operations in the Service Center.
• A Rose State student named Darlene Smith came to TP on September 6, 2012, to observe the dept.’s receiving and processing of materials. She is taking her LTA course and is working on a bonus project about the processing of library materials. She said she really enjoyed her tour and found it very interesting, not having had any previous “behind the scenes” experience.
• Heidi was impressed with the turnout for the last MSD collection workshop. There were 21 students when Heidi talked to participants about TP’s role in getting materials ordered, received, processed, and sent to MLS customers. She also informed students about the correct procedures to return defective new materials to TP for exchange or refund, and talked about bindery criteria and bindery procedures. Students told Heidi they found the workshop very informative.

3. Materials Selection update – Janet Brooks

• ILS
• MSL staff brainstormed ideas for the new ILS system during their August staff meeting.
• Janet incorporated these ideas into the information she provided Karen to take to the ILS Task Force.
• Library visits
• In August, selectors made an annual visit to CT, BC and BMM and a 6-month collection review of DN.
• Selectors made an annual visit to DC and 6-month visit to ED during September.
• In October they are scheduled to do annual visit to VI and JN and a 6-month visit to MC
• Job Shadowing
• Ruby job shadowed TP, CAT and ILL on August 21.
• Gloria/CH job shadowed Melissa and Marilyn on September 14.
• Southern Oaks
• Janet is scheduled to assist with SO’s move on September 14.
• TP Interviews
• Kim assisted with the TP interviews the week of August 13-20.
• Meetings/Workshops
• Melissa attended an OLA Ethics committee meeting on August 24.
• Ruby gave a presentation for the United Way to the MSL department staff on September 5 and to BE staff on September 13.
• Janet presented the MSL portion of the Introduction to Collection Maintenance Workshop on September 13.

4. Cataloging/Interlibrary Loan update – Pauline Rodriguez-Atkins

• ILL received 902 requests from MLS customers to borrow materials from other libraries in August, forwarded  95% to lending libraries, and filled 80% of the forwarded requests.
• ILL staff evaluated 1,833 requests to lend MLS materials to other libraries in August, and was able to lend 993 materials, for a rate of 54% of requests filled.
• Ruby Soutiere visited CAT and ILL for job shadowing on August 21.  She expressed her appreciation at seeing how much processes for adding materials to the catalog have changed since the move to the Service Center.  She also appreciated learning how ILL requests are handled between MSL and ILL.
• CAT and ILL staff participated in a brainstorming meeting to create descriptions of services offered by each department and how those services may be requested.  Pauline forwarded the results to Planning for use in the Locations area of MyMetroLibrary.
• Pauline taught the Cataloging and Interlibrary Loan sections of the Collection Management workshop on August 28.  Lisa Heinrich, Brandon Johnston, and Alex Hinton attended the workshop on August 28 and September 13.
• ILL is now shipping most loaned materials through UPS if they cannot be shipped through the Trans-Amigos courier service.
• Various vendors have toured the Service Center as part of the selection process for a new ILS.  Pauline guided them through CAT and ILL and provided basic information about how the departments use the ILS.
5. The next managers’ meeting is scheduled for October 25, 2012, 8:00 A.M., at the Service Center.  Janet will chair.