Serials Claims and Unitary Orders

A claim or a unitary order?

When we are missing an issue of a journal, we try to get hold of that issue by either claiming or placing a unitary order. We claim an issue if we should have received it and the serial control record shows that it was never received. If we did receive the issue and it was later lost, we then request a replacement through a unitary order. We pay for the replacement issues.

Checking whether it is a claim or unitary order:

1. In the bibliographic record of the serial in Unicorn, click on the icon to open the serial control record.

2. Go to the “received” tab and look at the listing for your missing issue.

3. If the issue is not listed, it will be a claim. If it is listed, it will be a unitary order.

Claiming or placing a unitary order:

1. For a claim, go the “claiming” tab in the serial control record. The item should be listed. If it is not, print out a copy of the bibliographic record. Write on it: “Please claim [vol.], [no.] [year]. It was never received. Thank you [date]. Give to the Operations Manager. He will sign it and send the printout to Serials Receiving or email the information to the serials person in charge of the part of the alphabet the serial title comes under (see contact list).

2. For a unitary order, go to the “expected” tab in the serial control record. You can tell if a unitary order has already been placed for your issue in the enumeration column. The column will have [vol.] [no.]-UO. If there is no unitary order, check first on the duplicate serial shelf to see if a copy of the missing issue is there. If there is, you can go ahead and bind. If not, go to step 3.

3. Print out a copy of the bibliographic record. Write on it: “Please place a u.o. for [vol.], [no.] [year]. This issue was lost. Thank you [date]”. Give it to the Operations Manager. The OP will sign it and put it in an envelope addressed to Serials Receiving, or email the information to the serials person in charge of the part of the alphabet the serial title comes under (see contact list).

If you are claiming/ordering on receipt of the next issue, you are now finished. If you are in the process of binding, continue to step 4.

4. If you are in the process of binding and the claim/u.o. process has been started, do the following:

a. Bundle the incomplete volume as for binding and hold together with a rubber band.
b. Barcode the last issue of the volume.
c. Create a volume record in Unicorn and enter the barcode.
d. Check the volume out to the Binding hold shelf.
e. Place on the binding hold shelf.