This Administrative Essential covers:
- Technical services
- Library automation
- Selection and acquisition of materials
- Organization and cataloging of library materials
- Circulation of materials
- Interlibrary loan
- Delivery of materials
- Processing and repair of library materials
- Sources of additional information
Technical services
Technical services are the "behind the scenes" activities that a library
undertakes to effectively deliver library services to the public. These services
include the processes and procedures which are necessary to order library
materials, to classify and catalog those materials, to get the materials ready
to put on library shelves. These services also include the activities that are
necessary to control the lending and return of library materials. Other
technical services include the activities related to acquiring materials from
libraries in behalf of your library users and the repair and preservation of
library materials.
Library automation
How technical services are carried out in your library is significantly
impacted by the nature and degree of automation that exists in your library.
Library automation impacts the acquisition, cataloging, circulation, and
interlibrary loan functions of your library. Your library may have a stand alone
automated library system or your library may be part of a shared automated
library system which is administered or coordinated by your public library
system. The specific functions included in the automated system will vary
depending on the vendor and the functions which your library has selected. Only
a few public libraries in Wisconsin do not have any of their library functions
automated. If your library doesn't participate in a shared automated library
system, it is likely that it will consider doing so sometime in the future.
Library automation decisions are among the most important you and your
library board will make. These decisions are often expensive, but they have the
potential for significantly improving library service to your community. The
implementation of a library automation project whether a shared system or a
stand alone system will also be one of the most challenging projects you will
undertake as a library director. Fortunately, your public library system and
DLTCL are able to offer you significant assistance with library automation.
Selection and acquisition of materials
You and your staff will be responsible for selecting library materials to add
to the library's collection. These decisions should be consistent with the
library's collection development policy (see AE 24: Collection Development).
Once you have made your decisions on what to purchase, you will need to order
the items. In most instances this will be through a commercial book and media
jobber. There are several large national library jobbers. These jobbers offer
libraries significant discounts on the retail prices of books and other library
materials. The State of Wisconsin through DLTCL negotiates group discounts for
Wisconsin libraries. Depending on the jobber, the actual ordering process may
occur online using the Internet. If your library belongs to a shared automated
system, the system may have an acquisition module that facilitates the ordering
process.
Although your library will be purchasing most of its materials, many
libraries receive materials as gifts. Many of these materials are not suitable
for adding to the library's collection, and can be placed in one of the
library's book sales. However, it may be worthwhile to add some gifts to the
collection. Many libraries expand their collection of popular paperback books
this way.
Organization of library materials
You will want to organize library materials in your library so that the
library user can easily find what they are looking for when they come to the
library. A key tool for making this possible is the library's catalog of library
materials. Traditionally this catalog has been a card catalog in which
information about a book or other item is printed on a paper index size card. As
libraries have automated, the card catalog has been increasingly replaced by an
online public access catalog.
Whether your library has a physical card catalog or an online catalog, your
library will need to acquire a catalog record for each item that is added to the
library's collection. The catalog record will have complete bibliographic
information on the item. If the record is in electronic format, it will almost
always conform to a universal standard for catalog records called MARC (Machine
Readable Cataloging). Your library can obtain catalog records in several ways.
Some of the major library jobbers will supply catalog records for items in
your order in either printed or electronic format.
If your library participates in a shared automated library system, it will be
relatively simple to just add your library's holding to an existing library
record if the item to be cataloged is already in the shared catalog.
There are also software programs that enable you to capture catalog record
information in MARC format from large catalog databases such as that of the
Library of Congress that are accessible over the Internet.
A key part of the catalog record is the classification system used to arrange
materials on the shelf in your library. The classification system which your
library uses is probably the Dewey Decimal Classification System.
Circulation of materials
A significant part of the business of your library is the circulation or
lending of library materials. Your library's circulation system plays a key role
in making the lending and return of library materials efficient and in
maximizing the use of your library's collection. Circulation is the function
that is usually automated first in a library, and it is likely that it is
automated in your library. If your circulation system is part of a shared
automated library system, you and your staff will receive support from the
owner/coordinator of the shared system. If you have a stand alone system, you
and your staff will be responsible for dealing with any problems relating to
maintaining the system.
If your library's circulation system is not automated, you will need to be
aware of the need to collect circulation statistics in a number of different
categories and to establish reliable procedures for doing this. These statistics
are important in tracking non-resident library use which may be required for
reimbursement.
It is important that your library have in place good policies and procedures
relating to the lending and return of library materials (see AE 15: Policies and
Procedures). Policies need to be established for the loan periods for various
types of materials and on whether fines will or will be not levied for the late
return of materials.
Interlibrary loan
Your library, no matter how large, will not have sufficient resources to meet
all the needs of your library's users. Libraries have traditionally been willing
to share their resources with other libraries through interlibrary loan. In
taking advantage of interlibrary loan in behalf of your library's users it is
important to remember that interlibrary loan is intended to supplement not
replace your library's collection. It should not be abused. Respect the
generosity of other libraries that loan their materials and return them
promptly.
Wisconsin has established regional and statewide networks to facilitate the
sharing of library resources. At the regional level, it is your public library
system that has the primary responsibility for this function. At the state
level, DLTCL has that responsibility. DLTCL also will refer interlibrary loan
requests to libraries in other states.
If your library participates in a shared automated library system,
interlibrary loan between libraries that participate in the system will be
relatively simple. Often the library user will initiate the interlibrary loan
process, and the item will be delivered to your library (see "Delivery of
library materials" below) for pick up by the library user who requested it.
Delivery of materials
One of the benefits your library receives from the public library system
which it participates in is the delivery of materials between libraries within
the system area and within the state. Some public library systems own their own
delivery vehicles and provide staff to operate the delivery system. Other public
library systems contract with another entity to provide this service. Some
library systems may charge for supplementary delivery services.
The delivery systems which operate within a system area are connected to a
statewide delivery service which is operated by the South Central Library System
under contract with Wisconsin's other 16 public library systems and the DLTCL.
Sometimes it may be necessary to use the mail system instead of delivery to
acquire and return materials through interlibrary loan.
You and your library staff need to take proper precautions to insure that
materials sent through the delivery system are properly packaged and handled to
avoid damage to the materials.
Processing and repair of library materials
Your library will need to have in place a procedure for processing new
library materials. Most major library jobbers have an option to purchase
pre-processed library materials, and this is a good option for smaller
libraries.
Those materials in your library that receive a high level of use will
inevitably suffer wear and tear. You will need to make decisions as to whether
to repair or discard such items. If the decision is to repair the item, there
are several major library supply vendors that can provide you with the materials
to repair book and other items in your collection.
Sources of additional information
Administrative Essential 24: Collection Development
Your library system staff:
http://dpi.wi.gov/pld/wisysdir.html
Division for Libraries, Technology, and Community Learning staff:
http://dpi.wi.gov/pld/staff.html
Chapman, Liz. Managing Acquisitions in Library and Information Services.
Third Edition. 2004.
______________________________
Administrative Essential: A Handbook for Wisconsin Public Library Directors was prepared by the Division
for Libraries, Technology & Community Learning. ©Copyright 2008 Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.
Duplication and distribution for not-for-profit purposes permitted with this copyright notice.
For questions about this information, contact John K. DeBacher (608) 266-7270
Last updated on 3/13/2009 1:10:21 PM
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