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Executive Summary
Progress toward Goals set for FY06
Other Highlights
Goals for FY07
The MARC Department experienced a busy and successful year in FY06. Staff members were highly productive, processing larger numbers of orders and receipts, while also increasing cataloging production by 27%. The department completed processing the Zuleta Alvarez collection, a large special purchase of approximately 5,000 volumes. Batch loading files of both brief vendor records and full bibliographic records grew as an integral part of the MARC workflow for new receipts. As part of the Technical Services space reorganization, MARC’s central workspace and Convenience Center were consolidated to create a new area for the Preservation Department. MARC also implemented the new Performance Excellence evaluation system, and said goodbye to two members of the department, including the Head of MARC.
The MARC Department kept current with copy cataloging new receipts, and the ratio of titles received to titles cataloged was 1.4:1. Although there was an increase in new receipts in 2005-06, there was an even greater increase in cataloging activity by 27% from the previous year. The increase in receipts was seen primarily in the area of special purchases, which included the Zuleta Alvarez collection. The overall increase in cataloging in the MARC Department was due in part to a significant increase in Africana cataloging. Titles received that were not cataloged upon receipt by the MARC Department included those without adequate bibliographic copy, as well as formats not cataloged by MARC.
In FY05, the MARC Department experienced a backlog of Africana special purchase materials waiting for processing and received special help from the Catalog Department to catch up on that assignment. In order to prevent another backlog in FY06, MARC Africana catalogers gave high priority to Africana special purchases and successfully remained current with receiving and cataloging these materials. By following an organized schedule, there has been an average of only two to three book trucks waiting in the Africana Library for processing. At one point during the summer, the MARC Africana catalogers accomplished processing all of the available materials so that there were no special purchases in the Africana Library waiting to be received and cataloged. The MARC Africana catalogers, Kathleen Brown, Badara Diakhate, Reinessa Neuhalfen, Stacey Schroeder, and Molly Zolnay, have done an admirable job of prioritizing their assignments and the needs of the Africana Library.
One area of cataloging new receipts that showed a need for extra attention was art cataloging. The number of new receipts waiting to be cataloged by MARC grew during the year as the two art catalogers worked to keep up with their other cataloging and acquisitions assignments. Due to this accumulation of art receipts, a third staff person was added to the MARC art cataloging team in the spring. During the summer, the art catalogers took advantage of their decreased acquisitions duties and cataloged the waiting art titles so that MARC could start the new fiscal year with a clean slate. With increased funds available to the Head of the Art Collection in FY07, MARC expects there to be more titles ordered and received this year. The department will pay close attention to the new art receipts to determine if an additional art cataloger should be trained in MARC.
The MARC Department completed processing the monographs from the Zuleta Alvarez collection, a large purchase from Argentina of about 5,000 volumes. MARC processed about 3,200 titles, copy cataloging or entering provisional records if copy was not available. Due to the older nature of much of the bibliographic copy and the heavy use of the library’s special classification scheme for Latin American literature, some of these items were particularly time consuming to catalog. The MARC staff did an excellent job of prioritizing and working through this large collection. A particular thank-you goes to Raul Nino, who processed 1,295 titles, about 40% of the collection. Duplicates and other volumes not kept for NUL were donated to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, as arranged by the AUL for Collection Management.
The MARC supervisors and staff responded positively to the new Performance Excellence evaluation system. Supervisors worked together to set measurable objectives for staff that reflected their assignments, while remaining flexible from quarter to quarter to meet the changing needs of the department. To provide clear expectations, Rebecca Routh developed the Assignments and Production Target (APT) document, which outlines each staff member’s assignments and includes a customized cataloging production target. This document can be changed throughout the year as assignments are added or removed. MARC staff adjusted very well to the APT document and to the quarterly reviews as part of the evaluation system. The ease with which the new system was implemented is thanks in large part to Rebecca Routh’s clear direction for creating measurable objectives and the APT document.
The workflow for processing hard-to-find out of print orders was updated to support the selectors and to use MARC resources more efficiently. After examining different options and soliciting feedback from the selectors, MARC set up a system in which hard-to-find out of print titles are submitted to vendors as long-term order requests. The system makes use of wishlists available from online vendors that allow MARC to inform the vendor of a desired title, and the vendor to notify MARC if that title becomes available. This was determined to be the most effective solution because selectors do not re-submit orders, vendors can fill an order when a title becomes available, and MARC staff are not repeatedly searching for an item they are unlikely to find.
This goal has not yet been achieved, in part due to the departure of the department head. A systematic method for resolving open orders is still needed, and MARC plans to examine its options for this during the new fiscal year.
The MARC Department underwent significant staffing changes in FY06. Richard Rose, an LA2 hired in August 2005, was a welcome addition to the management team, and he assumed supervision of the two LA1’s in MARC. He also successfully completed all of his acquisitions and cataloging training to take on a variety of processing duties. MARC saw two other members leave in 2006. Rebecca Routh, Head of the MARC Department, left for a cataloging position at the University of Iowa in May 2006. Martha Smith, an LA1, retired at the end of August. Catherine Grove, the Assistant Head, assumed the role of Acting Head of the MARC Department in June 2006.
MARC was significantly involved with and affected by the first phase of a Technical Services space reorganization to create new space for the Preservation Department and its Kirtas scanner operation. The staff workspaces in the central area of MARC were reorganized in order to move the Convenience Center for approval receipts into that area. MARC staff helpfully volunteered to move shelving and furniture, and staff adapted quickly to the new arrangement.
The gifts coordinator, Jessica Bartlett, processed and organized over 10,000 books in FY06 in preparation for the book sale in November 2006. A large withdrawal project in the library has provided a significant portion of materials headed to the book sale.
The creation of authority records increased from 1,425 local series, name, and conference headings created by MARC staff in FY05 to 2,217 created in FY06. Some of this increase was likely due to cataloging older materials from the Zuleta Alvarez collection and from the gifts backlog. Although much of that material had bibliographic copy, it also often lacked authority work. MARC plans to observe closely how many authority records are created in FY07, particularly series authority records, to understand the impact of the Library of Congress’s decision to stop tracing and creating authority records for series.
The batch loading of bibliographic records continued to grow as a central aspect of the work of the MARC Department. The number of full bibliographic records loaded increased by 23%, and the number of brief vendor records increased by 12%. Loading batches of bibliographic records has helped save time because staff do not need to search for bibliographic records or create purchase orders. The latest vendor added to this workflow was Aux Amateurs de Livres. Currently, two MARC staff members are responsible for loading the electronic files, and one staff member resolves errors and discrepancies that occur within the Voyager cataloging and acquisitions systems. Managing files and batches of records is becoming a standard part of the MARC workflow, and will continue to increase, lessening the need to search and import records on an individual basis.
As a department with a tradition of adopting changes to achieve better
efficiency and functionality, the MARC Department is prepared for and
willing to meet new challenges facing the library. With this in mind,
the MARC Department plans to work toward the following goals:
1. Implement ordering through EDI to major foreign vendors, submitting
orders more quickly and decreasing the response time from vendors.
2. Expand training of staff to specialized areas to prevent the
accumulation of new receipts, particularly for the Art and Africana collections.
3. Develop a plan to resolve open order reports.
4. Coordinate with Collection Management and John Blosser to create
an organized training orientation for new selectors.
Content Questions? Contact c-grove@northwestern.edu
Technical questions? Contact j-bartlett@northwestern.edu
Last updated: 01/24/08
