ACQNET v4n015 (March 8, 1994) URL = http://www.infomotions.com/serials/acqnet/acqnet-v4n015 ISSN: 1057-5308 *************** ACQNET, Vol. 4, No. 15, March 8, 1994 ===================================== (1) FROM: Christian SUBJECT: New editor chosen for ACQNET (31 lines) (2) FROM: Kris Murphy SUBJECT: Order forms (27 lines) (3) FROM: Louise Watters SUBJECT: Order forms (31 lines) (4) FROM: Peter Stevens SUBJECT: Order forms (37 lines) (5) FROM: Marylou Hale SUBJECT: Survey on paraprofessional training & cont. ed. (27 lines) (6) FROM: Jeanne-Elizabeth Combs SUBJECT: Meeting announcement: Automated collection assessment (27 lines) (1)------------------------------------------------------------------------ From: Christian Subject: New editor chosen for ACQNET Date: March 8, 1994 I am very pleased to announce that the ACQNET Editorial Board has chosen Eleanor Cook, Head of Serials at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC, to succeed me as editor of ACQNET. I asked Eleanor to let me know what she would like ACQNET readers to know about her. This, only lightly edited, is what she had to say: "I've been involved in technical services work since 1976, when I had my humble beginnings as a pre-order searcher for Janet Flowers at UNC-Chapel Hill. I consider Janet one of my mentors in the field. "I worked as a serials cataloger for eight years; one year at Georgia Institute of Technology and seven at NC State University. I have been Head of Serials at Appalachian State University since 1990 and my role in general acquisitions may increase in the future as our library is being reorganized. Moreover, we are moving to a new serials/ acquisitions control system and I will be heavily involved in its implementation. "I bring to ACQNET a wide variety of experiences and a dedication to continue ACQNET as a useful resource for all types of librarians and suppliers. I am excited and honored to serve in this capacity." The actual date when ACQNET will move to Appalachian State University and Eleanor will take over from me has not been decided yet. We hope to make the transition smooth enough that you will not know when I have stopped and Eleanor has begun. (2)------------------------------------------------------------------------ From: Kris Murphy ( Southern Methodist Univ.) Subject: Order forms Date: Mon, 28 Feb 1994 10:21:44 -0500 This is in reply to Karen Clift's questions on order form revisions. Here at SMU, we are currently receiving order requests electronically, and have been doing so for the past 1-1/2 years. All of the ordering branches use a PC with either R:Base (IBM) or Filemaker Pro (Macintosh) software. The request form is set up in their system and they simply fill in the information requested (title, author, publisher, location, etc.). When they finish their batch of orders, they download them to a 3-1/2" diskette and forward them to me with their attachments. I then upload the information into my PC and check the orders, assign the vendor, etc. and then print them off onto 4" x 6" cards; they are then searched in the usual manner and entered into NOTIS. We still have a supply of the cards printed up for occasional orders, but they are only rarely used. We have found that the standardization has helped our efficiency tremendously. Errors are minimal and information is consistently given to us. Prior to this, we often had pieces of information inadvertently left off and of course saw many different levels of legibility on the cards. Our PC based ordering system allows our branches to have statistical data at their fingertips; they can even design their own reports. Everyone has responded very positively, in spite of the resistance to the change that I first saw. (3)------------------------------------------------------------------------ From: Louise Watters (University of Sydney) Subject: Order forms Date: Mon, 28 Feb 1994 19:07:14 -0500 This is in response to Karen Clift's posting on order form revisions. At the University of Sydney Library, we have an automated acquisitions module. The request forms are still written or typed on 5x3 inches formatted order slips by some of the academic departments (some people are very slow to change!). This Department has kept up with the electronic trend and has devised a formatted disk on WP with the fields matching the previous requirement in the manual form. It does require the acquisitions staff to rekey the bibliographic information into the acquisitions system after having printed out the information from the disk/email. By using the software DBASE IV version 2, the very organised academic departments can manipulate the data for the ordering & claiming maintenance. The ideal situation would be to run the incoming electronic requests irrespective of formats against the library database and have a system designed to have the capability of separating the duplicate requests from requests of unique titles. The acquisitions staff would proceed with the requests in accordance with the library policy. Better still, after the requests had been edited by the staff, their workstations would allow them to manipulate other acquisitions tools eg. BIP as window option on the acquisition screen, and another window option access to email or fax. It is a pleasure to dream!! I feel confident this is not far away. (4)------------------------------------------------------------------------ From: Karen Clift (Univ. of Miami - Ohio) Subject: Order forms (fwd) Date: Tue, 8 Mar 1994 15:33:00 -0500 [The message below is reprinted here with permission. -- C.] ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Mon, 28 Feb 1994 08:54:18 -0800 (PST) From: Peter Stevens (Univ. of Washington) To: kdc@watson.lib.muohio.edu Subject: Order forms Karen, the vast majority of order request forms that we receive from library selectors now are electronic: either on electronic mail or via our Innovative acquisitions system. Because we have BIP mounted on our campus information network, our selectors can e-mail citations from that database to themselves, add fund/location and treatment information and then forward all that information to us in Acquisitions via e-mail. If the record is not on BIP, they can send us a citation set up according to guidelines we sent them. We started out with a template for them to fill out but it turned out to be too long and too much trouble for us. I'll send you a copy of what we sent our selectors. We've just begun training selectors and their staff to submit order requests (and records for gifts they want to add) directly into Innovative acquisitions. We have them set up in the system so that they cannot modify existing catalogued records. Special online Innovative templates help standardize these online requests which receive a special hold status, a dummy vendor, etc. This process speeds up our processing of requests. For both types of orders, we print what is submitted so that we can search our online order and serial files, OCLC and other sources. We are experimenting with split screen processing on Windows in an effort to cut down on the printing load. (5)------------------------------------------------------------------------ From: Marylou Hale (University of Nevada) Subject: Questions from ALCTS task force Date: Mon, 7 Mar 1994 08:31:06 -0500 ALCTS is interested in the continuing education and training needs of paraprofessionals working in library collections and technical services. As a member of the task force, I am gathering that information. Please respond to me directly (mhale@nevada.edu), and, I will summarize for ACQNET and the task force. What is your library doing to promote training and education among the support staff in technical services? What is your state doing to encourage continuing education among paraprofessionals? Who pays if the training isn't free? How can ALCTS help? What are the training needs of the support staff in technical services? If you are a paraprofessional in technical services, do you feel that you are receiving training which allows you to perform your job adequately? Are you lacking any skills which hamper your efforts to perform your job? Thanks in advance. (6)------------------------------------------------------------------------ From: Jeanne-Elizabeth Combs (PALINET) Subject: Collection Assessment Software Date: Fri, 4 Mar 1994 17:41:28 -0500 PALINET will sponsor a full-day seminar exploring the software options available for conducting automated collection assessment. The speakers will include: Howard White, Professor, Drexel University, author of "Brief Tests of Collection Strength" Helen Hughes of AMIGOS, demonstrating Custom Cut CD and other products and Sally Loken of WLN, demonstrating WLN Conspectus software. The intended audience for this Collection Assessment Software Seminar is librarians and library administrators with collection development responsibilities or interest. The seminar will be held in Philadelphia on Wednesday March 23, 1994 at the Federal Reserve Bank. Session will begin at 9:30 and conclude by 3:30. Cost for PALINET members: $80.00 per person, nonmembers $155.00. For additional information, contact Jeanne-Elizabeth Combs, facilitator, Acquisitions User Group, PALINET 215-382-7031, COMBS@SHRSYS.HSLC.ORG. ****** END OF FILE ****** ACQNET, Vol. 4, No. 15 ****** END OF FILE ******