SHELF READY SUMMARY REPORT
April-December, 1996
Shelf Ready Tapeload | Processing the Shelf-ready Items | Collection Management Response | Returns Analysis | Vendors' Processing Charges | Reporting Holdings to OCLC | Recent Work Flow Changes
Shelf Ready Tapeloads The first Yankee Book Peddler LC MARC tape load into LUIS via FCLA took place on May 7, 1996. Before that tape load, we received several shipments of books representing several weeks of approval and firm order deliveries that included processing (Selin call number labels on spine; tattle tape; bar code; property stamp; location stamp), but no LC MARC records. FCLA loaded records for about a week to catch up the shipments that arrived shelf ready from mid-April. The LC MARC record from YBP carries the four letter OCLC codes for locations in an 049 field and the bar code is in its subfield "l" (Multi-volume titles list additional subfield "l's" and multi-copies have multiple LC MARC records).
After that first FTP load, we established a regular loading schedule with YBP and usually can expect the records to be captured on Monday afternoon. FCLA programmed a retrieval facility that goes out and picks up the records automatically. Once the records are captured, FCLA sends an email message to Michele Crump and Nancy Williams to inform them that the tape has loaded. The email message details how many records loaded successfully and how many failed. When approval titles were received shelf ready, bibliographic records for titles with LC copy or CIP copy loaded into LUIS as new entries. Order records were built on these records during the invoice posting payment process. Firm order titles received shelf-ready continue to load as overlays by matching ISBN's on provisional bibliographic records input as electronic order requests. Approximately 80 to 85 percent of the domestic books received have LC or CIP copy with usable call numbers.
Nancy (Suzanne Kiker took over this process in December, 1996) reviews the report NERDC produces detailing each record in the YBP file that fails to load; with this report she is able to analyze why an approval book title did not load as a new record (all approval books should not have an order record in LUIS before receipt) or why a firm order title did not successfully overlay an existing level 9 LUIS provisional record with order attached. In the case of YBP, firm orders are derived from electronic order requests, slip orders, or claims against the approval plan -- each of these categories requires that the Monographs Unit input a LUIS order record and place an order directly to YBP using their on-line system, Folio. When a YBP supplied approval record matches an ISBN in LUIS, the record will not overlay and can indicate a duplicate order problem. Reasons for load failures are: ISBN on the level 9 record is missing or incorrect; different titles have been assigned the same ISBN by the publisher; the level 9 record has an ISBN for a different format (paper or hard copy, but not both).
Blackwell North America titles are all firm orders and require LUIS order records after an order is placed directly to BNA through their on-line system NTO. The load program for BNA matches title to record using the NOTIS key number as input in the order record in a 981 field in LUIS and in the fund field in NTO. If the key number is input incorrectly an overlay will not occur. The BNA titles are older publications, often esoteric in nature, so that LC copy is available for about only 30% of the material received.
For control and post cataloging authority work, FCLA creates 035 entries in each record loaded from the vendor tapes to permit access with the "no=" command. FCLA creates two separate indexes with YBP and BNA loads to accommodate for CIP ((FU)YBPCIP19960701 or (FU)BNACIP19960724) and LC copy ((FU)YBP19960701 or (FU)BNA19960724) records. The 035 indicates the vendor name and the date the record was loaded into LUIS. Nancy Williams and other staff use this index to pull up the titles later to run CLARR software against the records to ensure correct authority access and also to confirm that the Monographs Unit staff have added an order record and processed payment for the item.
When no LC copy is available, the firm order books arrive with processing that consists of only the following: barcode; tattletape; property and location stamps. Titles received that do not have LC copy are searched on OCLC and if shared copy is located with LC type call numbers and meeting other criteria, cataloging is completed by paraprofessionals in the Central Bibliographic Services Section. Material without LC or CIP copy or with shared copy but no call number or shared copy with a series or conference entry are distributed to Contributed Cataloging Section staff. Processing the Shelf-ready Items
The Distributed Copy Cataloging Unit in CBS Section perform a variety of tasks that expedite the cataloging process of approval material and firm order material (domestic and foreign) with and without shelf ready handling. Of the material received in that unit, 85% has LC or CIP copy; 10% has shared copy with call numbers (GCAT), and 5% is original. Four LTA's devote their time to a variety of cataloging and database clean-up tasks: 35% to completing the cataloging on shared copy that has a usable call number; 35% to LC or CIP copy cataloging (CIP books require additional processing to correct the variations that may have occurred during the publication mock-up and actual publication. The most common problems requiring close scrutiny and correction during processing are: publisher changes the title upon publication; pagination is missing from the 300 field; date of publication does not match date in fixed field (affects date in LUIS index); missing series statements; or no series statement appears on piece; or is a series UF analyzes and requires call number label change and/or serial check-in); 20% to RUSH processing, authority review (CLARR), BNA FTP record clean-up (all BNA titles load with MAIN as the location -- and keying bar codes on the item records, all of which adds processing time to the procedures regardless of whether the material has copy or not); 10% development. The SrLTA devotes 90% of her time performing a number of tasks that lend support to the processing load in the Unit: back up to SrLTA Supervisor; train students; process shared (GCAT) cataloging material; CLARR; complete processing of "Adds"; OCLC searching; rushes; 10% development. The SrLTA Supervisor devotes 50% of her time performing supervisory duties and trouble shooting for the unit; 30% receiving and distributing material; 10% statistics reporting, problem solving, meetings, etc.; and 10% development.
Most of the material received in this unit is successfully processed within one week except for RUSH titles which are processed within 36 hours. .75 FTE student employees support the unit's activities by performing OCLC searching for material received without cataloging copy. Receiving the material shelf ready frees the Distributed Copy Cataloging Unit staff to perform more challenging cataloging tasks such as completing the cataloging on the titles with GCAT level copy.
The Processing Unit in the Preservation Department has also benefited from the shelf ready project because the processing of domestic firm order and approval plan monographs dropped 30% to 40% when this material arrived shelf ready. Now that only domestic firm orders from YBP and BNA come with shelf ready handling, the Processing Unit has seen an increase (10% to 15%) in material that requires call number labeling. Even with this recent work load fluctuation, the overall decrease in end processing is significant enough for staff in this area to contribute more time to preservation, scanning, and digitizing projects.
On the whole Collection Managers, Selectors, and Owning Location staff seemed pleased with the reduction in processing time that made the material quickly accessible to patrons. During April through September when the elevator was unavailable, selectors voiced complaints about not having the option to return shelf ready approval material when it was not suitable for the collection. For this six month period, Pam Cenzer worked with collection managers and Bob Nardini of YBP to correct profile problems and decrease the receipt of such undesirable material as much as possible. YBP agreed to accept returns for material that was sent in vendor error such as title duplicates, material completely outside agreed upon profiles, or books received damaged. In turn, the Monographs Unit agreed to confirm these returns before shipping material back to YBP for refunds. Collection Management Response
Once the elevator became available for use in September, collection managers reviewed the non-return policy adopted for approvals received shelf ready. Because the budget remains tight, collection managers requested that we discontinue receiving approval titles shelf ready so that unwanted titles could be returned to YBP. An analysis of approval material received from July 1995 through September 1996 shows the overall return rate for material received during that time was around 2%; 16,686 items received with a total of 416 items returned. From April 1996-September 1996 when shelf ready processing of approval books and domestic firm orders was in place, approval titles return rate remained low because of the non-return policy adopted for shelf ready material receipts; 4,606 items received and 72 items returned for a 2% return rate. Returns Analysis
During this period, selectors were asked to annotate book slips with "RETURN" and note on the back of the slip reasons why they would not have purchased the item if they had the option to return the title. Monographs Unit staff collected the slips and sent them to Pam Cenzer who used the information on the slips to pin point profile problems and to make YBP aware of shipment errors. If the annotated "preferred return" slips represented actual returns for the months April through September (138 "preferred returns" added to the 72 actual returns equal an overall 210 returns) the return rate showed an increase to around 5% and the overall return rate for 1995/96 fiscal year-September 1996 (138 "preferred returns" added to the 416 total actual returns = 554 returns) remained at 3%.
The average cost of the "preferred return" books was $43.00 per item. The LC classification ranges in which a number of designated returns were identified are N; PN; PR; PS; QA, representing 41% of the total "preferred return" titles. Within the 41%, 8% represented class N; 11% represented class QA; and 22% represented classifications PN, PR, PS.
With this report, we have received a total of 5,951 items from YBP processed (not all pieces were fully processed, depending on copy and call number availability). YBP charges a flat rate of $2.08 per item processed -- can include tattle tape; barcode; property and location stamp; call number label. The total processing charges through October 10, 1996 for YBP are $12,378.08. Vendors' Processing Charges
BNA receipts are considerably less than YBP receipts so the charges incurred for shelf ready processing are lower. Only 833 items from BNA received shelf ready processing -- includes same services, but BNA charges per service so the price per item ranges from $.95 to $1.55. Through January 9, 1997, the total charges for shelf ready processing of BNA material was $915.48.
At this time we have not loaded the MARC records University of Florida has received from YBP or BNA shelf ready projects. We have delayed this transaction because the costs to load the records with dedicated access to OCLC would have increased SOLINET monthly charges. We have eliminated all the dedicated lines in the Resource Services Department and are now using Internet access on PC's to search OCLC. We expect to load the YBP and BNA title files to set UF holdings in OCLC some time in the Spring of 1997. Reporting Holdings to OCLC
As of March 3, 1997, the University of Florida consolidated the domestic firm orders with the approval plan vendor. The Monographs Unit and the Distributed Copy Cataloging Unit conducted a brief comparative study of 75 domestic firm orders from YBP and BNA to compare fulfillment rate and speed for current domestic titles. Both vendors services compared favorably and the decision to centralize domestic firm orders with YBP does not reflect dissatisfaction with service received from BNA. We believe this consolidation will simplify domestic order processing and refine ordering work flow with the Monographs Unit's use of a single vendor's bibliographic system (GOBI). Recent Work Flow Changes
Prepared by: Michele Crump
Last updated: March 10, 1997
