Survey on unsolicited materials (academic libraries)

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Date: Thu, 31 Oct 2002 16:37:46 -0500
From:  jb9765_at_albany.edu
Subject: Unsolicited materials (Survey)

[EDITOR'S NOTE: PLEASE DO NOT RESPOND TO ACQNET-L; DIRECT YOUR RESPONSES
TO THE SENDER.]

ATTN: Only Academic Libraries please respond! Thanks.

The Acquisitions Services Department at the University at Albany’s
Library is in the process of streamlining their current procedures for
managing unsolicited materials.  We identify unsolicited materials as
materials that come from publishers/vendors that cannot be easily identified
as an existing order, such as a subscription, membership or blanket order.

Conducting this brief, informal survey, and reviewing procedures of
other academic libraries will help in making our process more efficient and
effective.  Please feel free to forward your policy or procedures as an
email attachment.


*****Please respond off the list to: jb9765_at_albany.edu******


Thank you very much in advance.




1. Please provide your best estimate of the volume of unsolicited
materials received per month.

        ____0-10

        ____ 11-20

        ____ 21-30

        ____ 31-40

        ____ 41-50

        ____ 50+




2. Please identify the type received:

           ___ monographs

           ___ periodicals/journals

           ____ serials

           ____ non-print media



3. How much time is spent determining whether the item was sent
because of an order placed by the library?


Monographs ___less than 1hr    ___more than 1hr __more than 3hrs


Periodicals/
Journals  ___less than 1 hr  ___more than 1hr  ___more than 3hrs


Serials   ___less than 1hr   ___more than 1hr  ___more than 3hrs


Non-print media  ___less than 1hr    ___more than 1hr ___more than 3hrs




4. Does your institution have a written policy or procedures for
handling unsolicited materials?

___ yes                                     ___no




5.  Does the policy in place dictate whether an unsolicited item is
kept or discarded?

____kept    ____discarded     ____ both, depending on specific
criteria




6. Does your institution discard the majority or keep the majority
of unsolicited materials as soon as it is determined that an item is not
related to any existing order?

        ___discard                      ____keep





7. If unsolicited materials are kept after the initial determination
that they are not related to any existing order, what is done with them?

____ further reviewed by acquisitions staff for decision on whether to
keep or discard

____ further reviewed by collection development staff for decision on
whether to  keep or discard

____ added to collection without further review

____ other (please explain)






8. Please estimate the amount of staff time spent on unsolicited
materials per month.

        Clerical        _______ hrs

       Paraprofessional _______hrs

       Librarian        ________hrs

       Student employee _______hrs

        Volunteer      _______hrs





9. What type of library do you work in?

        ____ public                    ____private




10. What is the size of your library collection?





11. What is your library’s annual acquisitions budget?



     Jamika Buchanan
     School of Information Science and Policy
     University at Albany, State University of New York
     Albany, NY 12222
     (518) 442-5110

     jb9765_at_albany.edu

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