ACQNET v1n117 (October 17, 1991) URL = http://www.infomotions.com/serials/acqnet/acq-v1n117 ISSN: 1057-5308 *************** ACQNET, Vol. 1, No. 117, October 17, 1991 ========================================= (1) FROM: Christian SUBJECT: Who's new on ACQNET today (36 lines) (2) FROM: Gail Defendorf SUBJECT: IEEE Prepaid Order Plan (21 lines) (3) FROM: Jim Mow SUBJECT: Processing backlogs (19 lines) (4) FROM: Chuck Hamaker SUBJECT: Approval plan processing, approval backlogs (20 lines) (5) FROM: Marsha Clark SUBJECT: Approval plan processing (9 lines) (6) FROM: Pamela Rose SUBJECT: Approval plan processing, approval backlogs (35 lines) (7) FROM: Betty Oktay SUBJECT: CD-ROM products (9 lines) (1) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: October 17, 1991 From: Christian Subject: Who's new on ACQNET today A big crowd once again. Usually it means that ACQNET was mentioned somewhere, but where? Anyhow, welcome to: Jan Kemp Nancy Knipe Head, Acquisitions Department Head of Technical Services Texas Tech University Library Colorado College Library E-mail: YKJHK@TTACS.BITNET E-mail: NKNIPE%CCNODE@VAXF.COLORADO.EDU George Crafts Alice Gormley French-Italian Bibliographer Serials Librarian University of Virginia Library Marquette University Library E-mail: GTC@POE.ACC.VIRGINIA.EDU E-mail: 9592GORMLEYA@VMS.CSD.MU.EDU Marguerite K. McNair Barbara Swetman Customer Applications Manager Serials and Acquisitions Libr. Blackwell North America, Inc. Hamilton College Library E-mail: M.MCNAIR%ALANET@INTERMAIL. E-mail: BSWETMAN@ITSMAIL1.HAMILTON.EDU ISI.EDU Debbie Leggett Steve Johnson Southwest Regional Territory Mgr. Associate Acquisitions Librarian The Faxon Company Clemson University Libraries E-mail: LEGGETT@FAXON.BITNET E-mail: JOHNSON@CLEMSON.CLEMSON.EDU Jeanne Bennink Dolores Grande Head of Resource Control Serials Librarian SUNY - Plattsburgh John Jay College of Criminal Justice E-mail: BENNINJH@SNYPLAVA.BITNET E-mail: DMGJJ@CUNYVM.BITNET Alex Moyer Clarice Luce Collection Development Librarian Interim Head of Acquisitions Southeastern Louisiana Univ. Lib. University of North Texas Libraries E-mail: SLIB1719%ALTAIR@SLU.BITNET E-mail: FC03@UNTVAX.BITNET (2) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 15 Oct 91 08:54 CDT From: Gail Defendorf Subject: IEEE Prepaid Order Plan Last June, one of our bibliographers approached me about changing our current Open Order Plan with IEEE to their Prepaid Order Plan (POP). She had a glossy brochure from them, which promised no finance charges, and a savings of approximately $5,000 (which is something to take note of!). This deal sounded too good to pass up, and we sent off our check. Now we have discovered that IEEE will send no packing slip indicating price of items, which we definitely need for reporting purposes. Worst of all, they consider the POP to have paid for all 1991 publications under one of their option plans--no matter when it is published. We may be feeling the repercussions of this decision for many years! Our Accounting Department has tried to get some accounting of our balance from IEEE, but, so far, IEEE has not responded. My questions are: Has anyone else out there switched to the Prepaid Order Plan, and how have you dealt with not getting any price information? If anyone else has been thinking about taking advantage of this deal from IEEE, in my opinion--DON'T! (3) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 15 Oct 91 10:02:09 CDT From: James Mouw Subject: Processing backlogs This is a partial response to Steve Murden's question regarding backlogs of unprocessed materials. I guess my main question is whether the backlog is growing, shrinking, or staying about the same. If it is growing, that would indicate to me that the staffing level is insufficient to process the incoming materials and that a request for additional staff (or a review of procedures) would be in order. If the backlog is staying about the same, that would indicate that a "historic" backlog is causing items to enter a queue. These backlogs can occur for any of a number of reasons, a temporary staff shortage, a single large purchase, a slowdown during the change from a manual to automated system as staff learned new procedures, etc. If this is the case I would recommend a _temporary_ increase in staffing to get the bubble through the system. This, however, will cause a bubble at the next processing step (probably cataloging), but at least the items will be represented in the catalog with in process records. To my mind, this is an improvement over on-order records or no records at all. (4) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 15 Oct 91 11:40:09 CDT From: Chuck Hamaker Subject: Approval plan processing, approval backlogs Because our use statistics show that approval books are typically off the shelf and checked out within six months of having been added to the collection, they are a really high priority for processing in our libraries. After they are unpacked, they go up for a two week display period for reviewers, then go directly to our DLC copy unit which downloads any OCLC record, creates the O/P/R record and catalogs the book. Right now, most approval books with DLC copy are cataloged within two weeks of coming off the approval review shelf, so turn around time could be as much as six weeks, or as little as five from actual time of receipt. We might want to reduce the review period to speed the process up, and this system is just for automatic receipt books. Notification slip orders are processed in a slightly different manner at the moment. We see 50% circulation of approval books within about 90 days of cataloging. That means they are too important to let sit. (5) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 15 Oct 1991 17:36 EDT From: Marsha Clark Subject: Approval plan processing New York University spent approximately $560,000 to purchase 16,000 books on its approval plan in the 1990/91 fiscal year. Approval books are a very high priority and all receiving and ordering staff (7-8 clerks) split each weekly shipment of books and process the materials ASAP. This helps prevent duplicate orders and gets current materials to the shelves and users quickly. (6) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 17 Oct 1991 09:40 EDT From: Pamela Rose Subject: Approval plan processing, approval backlogs The Health Sciences Library at the State University of New York at Buffalo spends approximately $90-95,000 per year on approval books. We do not pay the invoices on receipt, having a 90 day delay arrangement with our vendor. However, we download or create a record in our NOTIS system within 2 or 3 days of receipt of a shipment. This is our number one priority, as we are a medical library with patrons who want the latest yesterday. We focus our priorities on making the materials accessible at every step of the cataloging process. The approval books are reviewed over a 2 week period by both faculty and in-house bibliographers, then used to update system records and sent on in to Cataloging. The book is automatically cataloged if NLM copy was available (or is now available). If not, the book is placed on a backlog shelf alphabetically by title until either a patron requests the item, or NLM copy becomes available. (Of course, there are titles for which NLM copy will never be available. In those cases we use LC copy). The copy holdings or item record (depending on which was used to check the volume in) is coded so that staff can determine the date the book was sent to Cataloging, and its current status. We have a 1 day turnaround for a patron request for a backloged item. I, too, would like to see everything cataloged immediately. However, I recognize that the catalogers' job is considerably easier if they can use full NLM copy. So, our "compromise" is to provide accessibility from the time of receipt. We usually have several batches of approval books in various stages of processing in Acquisitions. However, with proper coding, we are able to know which books are on which carts. The system is complex and I'll be glad to detail it if any are interested. The processing is done by 1 full-time professional (supervisor), and 2 part- time student assistants in the Acquisitions Department. We also do all the ordering and receiving, and process invoices to send to Accounts Payable. Understandably, we frequently are "behind" in one or another task. But, the approval books are our number one priority. (7) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 15 Oct 91 13:39 EDT From: Betty Oktay Subject: _CD-ROMS in Print_ I am answering my own question concerning CD-ROM. In case anyone else did not already know, Meckler has _CD-ROMS in Print_ in both print and CD-ROM format. I asked for their literature for the 1991 print edition which costs $65.00. It seems to be the source for full-text CD-ROM information that is very widely scattered. Any other ideas? ******* END OF FILE ****** ACQNET, Vol. 1, No. 117 ****** END OF FILE *******