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Stanford University Libraries Redesign Report
Process Change 7
Catalog Maintenance
Process Change 7 Decentralize certain categories of catalog
maintenance.
Assumptions
- Simple record maintenance transactions that affect only local
holdings
can be performed at branch locations.
Activity / Transactions Eliminated
- Catalog record maintenance
- Eliminate duplicate record searches and verification performed
centrally
10,000 transactions
Rather than annotating a record and sending mail to Catalog
Management
Section (CMS) to make the record change, service unit staff are
authorized to
make a limited set of changes. With the service units receiving
shelf-ready
material, there will be even more need to enable service unit staff
to make the
changes which will get the books to the shelves quickly and match
the records
to location and item description. A set of authorized transactions
are
proposed; anything outside that set will be routed to CMS for the
more complex
transaction. The set of allowable transactions will be revisited
over time. A
mechanism for system-wide assistance and proactive quality control,
monitoring,
and feedback is critical for this plan to be implemented
successfully.
Service units will carry out those maintenance transactions that
have
consequences for their own holdings and for which the proportion of
service
unit effort duplicated in central Catalog Management is sufficient
that real
savings will result. Transactions allowed are:
- Transfers to the service unit performing the transaction
- Relinking item records
- Changing sublocations within the specific service unit
- Item record maintenance, including volume enumeration and
chronology
Approximately 35% of the transactions done by CMS are for
relatively simple
changes that could be done in the service unit at the time the
maintenance need
is identified. Simple maintenance transactions involve much central
catalog
management activity that duplicates service unit staff activity
(e.g., calling
up record, verifying need for maintenance transaction).
Simple maintenance transactions involving specific service unit
holdings
that do not require serious problem resolution after they are
reported and that
do not require extensive, specialized training or consultation with
cataloging
staff can be completed at the service unit with less total
expenditure of
effort than reporting to central Catalog Management.
Note, this process change requires no programming investment.
- Document the transactions allowed to service unit staff
- Determine and implement the security levels required for service
unit
maintenance responsibilities
- Establish on-going training and monitoring mechanisms for
service unit
staff
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Last modified:
August 8, 2005 |
