Materials Services Division Minutes for January 2013

Department Highlights

• Average turnaround time for new titles in Cataloging in December was 1 working day; average for the first half of FY13 is 1.29 working days. This includes only time that materials were in Cataloging; it does not include time in Technical Processing.
• In December, the average turnaround time for borrowing materials in ILL was 12 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.
• The average daily run for December was 755 items per day, for a total of 14,354 items in December. The average for January so far is 902 items per day. The processors are still current on processing all “rush” materials; they are processing non-rush materials from January 10, which is from the run 6 working days ago. Study guides and dated materials like continuations are also current.
• During December, TP received a daily average of 42 boxes of materials a day, for a total of 812 boxes. The daily average in January so far is 58 boxes. TP has already received close to 650 boxes this month with January only about halfway over.
• Transfer of materials to Almonte is progressing at a steady pace; new orders also continue to come in. There are currently 217 boxes of AL materials in storage in Maintenance. TP adds 2-4 boxes to this count on a daily basis.
• In December, Materials Selection ordered 2943 titles and 16591 items. So far in the first two weeks of January there have been 1259 titles and 7082 items ordered.
• In December, Materials Selection received 1196 suggestions to purchase titles and regretted 409 suggestions. Most of the suggestions received are for books, with 1012 suggestions for print.
• So far in January, 877 suggestions have been received.

Update on AL Materials Processing - All

• Managers surveyed the boxes of transfers that are in CAT and discussed options for processing.
• Heidi and Pauline will draft a schedule through February of those who can work overtime. Karen will take to Lloyd to see about funding overtime. Building Projects Karen
• Karen mentioned that Staff had the first meeting with Studio Architects to discuss JN’s schematic design.
• There are quite a few submissions for architects on the CH project. A review of the architects is planned for next month.
• No new word on the DC site.
• AL is scheduled to move into its location the week of Jan. 22nd. Latest report showed 12,000 items already processed and ready to shelve.  Clarification of Juvenile Reading Level Criteria Pauline
• Pauline indicated that Cataloging is receiving more requests to reclassify materials between juvenile reading levels than in the past. The requests tend to ask for materials to be moved between EASY and READER, READER and TWEEN, etc. It seems that many of these requests are related to reading levels appearing on the material. Pauline realizes that MSL does not always have access to this information. She would like to find a way for Catalogers to utilize it when cataloging in order to avoid the need to recall materials.
• Janet explained how she decides what level titles are assigned. It is sometimes difficult to determine since the information the publisher or reviewer provides is not
  always complete or consistent.
• Janet will work on a list of series and levels for the Catalogers to use; then she and  Pauline will arrange for Janet to meet with the Catalogers sometime in February.

Cataloging/ILL Updates - Pauline

• 2,347 new titles were cataloged during December. This marks 6 straight months in which more than 2,000 titles have been cataloged. It brings the total for FY13 to
  15,233 titles cataloged, including 3,560 e-media titles.
• 15,608 barcode labels were printed in December, including 1,317 used for reprocessing materials to be added to the Almonte collection. 14,291 labels were printed for materials added to the MLS collections. During the first six months of FY13, 127,993 barcode labels were printed, a 5% increase over the same period last year.
• 9,404 replacement barcode labels have been printed during the first half of FY13, compared to 10,004 printed during all of FY12. The majority of these labels are
  being used for materials transferred to the AL collection.
• During December, the average ratio of copies to titles was 3.25 copies per title, bringing the average for FY13 to 4.69 copies per title.
• ILL received 725 requests from MLS customers to borrow materials from other libraries in December, forwarded 94% to lending libraries, and borrowed 581 items for MLS customers, for a fill rate of 80%.
• ILL staff evaluated 1,225 requests to lend MLS materials to other libraries in December, and was able to lend 558 materials, for a rate of 41% of requests filled.
• Alex Hinton transferred from part-time to full-time ILL Technician, beginning December 24.
• The part-time ILL Technician position was posted on January 8; Pauline hopes to begin review of applications in the near future so that Human Resources may begin testing. The part-time Materials Services Division position in Cataloging was posted at the same time; testing and hiring for both positions may run concurrently.
• ILL temporarily suspended lending MLS materials to other libraries from late December to mid-January, due to a severe staff shortage. Lending is currently going on, but may be suspended again, depending on the hiring process.
• Reliance Label Solutions has replaced one batch of defective labels for barcodes with labels that meet specifications. Once the labels have been tested and determined to work effectively, the remainder of the defective labels will be returned and replaced.
• Pauline has been invited to present a session on ILL to the circulation forum in February.
• Although a number of staff were on AVL during the Christmas-New Year’s period, Cataloging and ILL maintained regular customer service. Pauline applauds all staff who worked and kept operations humming throughout the holidays.

Tech Processing Updates - Heidi

• Baker & Taylor’s and Ingram’s accounts are current.
• Heidi attended the safety committee meeting on Tuesday, January 8, 2013, at DC. Some topics discussed related to adding fire and tornado evacuation procedures as quarterly assignments for safety training and to make some changes to the forms. Staff and supervisors will be notified of these changes before they take effect for the second quarter. The next meeting is scheduled for early March, location yet to be determined.
• Katie Trattner’s baby was born on Dec. 31, 2012. Katie is expected to be out until the last week of February.
• One of the other processors in TP is out due to her husband’s severe illness. Her return date is still to be determined. Kristin and Heidi have been helping with processing materials to prevent the dept. from falling behind.
• Patrick Williams from MTC has notified Heidi that he will look into the weather curtain issue for the sorter room at the Service Center after the AL move has been completed.
• Caroline Dulworth from Pioneer Library System contacted Heidi to conduct a tour of the Service Center. Six staff from the Cataloging and Acquisitions departments visited the facility on Dec. 31, 2012. Their departments are also preparing to move into a different facility. Several Pioneer staff said that seeing our departments gave them all some interesting ideas to consider for improving workflow at their new location.

Materials Selection Updates - Janet

• Library Visits
• Selectors made an annual visit to WA and a 6-month visit to BE during December.
• In January selectors are conducting an annual visit to BI and 6-month visits to CH and NW.
• In February, selectors are scheduled for an annual visit to DN.
• In light of heavier workloads and more demands on time, selectors will no longer conduct scheduled 6-month visits. They will have the option to do additional visits as needed. They will utilize other means to determine if collection goals were met and will report the progress at the annual meetings.
• Meetings
• Janet and Karen met several times during December and January to discuss procedures used for handling withdrawals in the basement. They are working on finalizing procedures.
• Selectors met with Edie and Alexis, new librarians for AL, on Jan. 4th. They reviewed collection maintenance procedures with them and then discussed the best ways to work together. Janet was able to discuss with Edie the demographics of the area, since she worked SO at that location.
• Ruby attended the Adult services meeting on January 9th. She expressed her thanks to Heidi/TP and Randy/SO for making sure material from a vendor was delivered to SO in time for the meeting.
• Janet met with Aaron Bluitt/LO on Jan. 11th. She reviewed collection maintenance processes with him and talked to him about the Extension’s collections.
• Melissa is scheduled for a webinar on Jan. 22nd. It is about collecting music and online music in libraries.
• Janet is scheduled to attend the Children’s Services Retreat on Feb. 6th. They are having a Mother Goose on the Loose workshop that day.

Administration Updates - Karen

• The budget program is now open so managers can begin inputting requests for FY14.
• Karen asked managers to consider the feasibility of adding Playaway Views for FY14. We could consider doing a smaller opening day collection.
• The RFI’s for the new ILS are due back by Feb. 8. The ILS Task Force hopes to have bid packets out within 30 days.
• Jimmy retires in June and then will be on contract with the library.
• The commission has formed a search committee for the next executive director.
• Karen and Diane/DVS are working on procedures for handling artwork in the system, including the artwork presently in the system and art we receive in the future.

Miscellaneous - All

• Heidi asked that staff begin treating defective Playaways as we do any other defective materials.
• If an audio media player was received within the last 5 months and it doesn’t work because of a defect or publisher problem (not customer damage or overuse), please follow these easy and timesaving guidelines to get a free replacement:
1. Withdraw the item through VCirc.
2. Send the player and the case to Heidi/TP. Include a note indicating the problem. (i.e., the pause button doesn't work; it plays up to the point where last left off and won't play any farther; sound is garbled; replaced battery and still doesn't play, etc.)
3. TP will contact the company and obtain a replacement.
4. When the replacement is received, TP will place the new player in the original case and return to the owning library.
• If an audio media player was received longer than 5 months and is damaged, lost or missing, request a regular replacement for the title through the mlsMaterials Replacement function.
• Temp loan the item to the backroom and hold until the replacement copy is received from Cataloging.
  Next meeting scheduled for February 21, 2013, Heidi will chair.