Acquisitions Technical Services work order in Collection Services

Scope

This procedure outlines how the Collection Services Division is using the Acquisitions Technical Services work order in Alma for items that are being sent to Metadata Services for cataloging or record maintenance. However, this work order is set up for the Library and may be used by departments outside of Collection Services.

Required Alma roles
  • Physical Inventory Operator or Physical Inventory Operator Limited
    • Tasks: Editing item records.
  • Receiving Operator Limited
    • Scope: Doe Library - MAIN Acquisitions Department
    • Tasks: Receiving items, scanning items into department, viewing items in the work order, adding notes to the work order, viewing notes in the work order, scanning items out of department.

Contents

Overview

A work order is an internal library request to route physical materials to a specific department for internal processing. A work order sends an item to a department (marking it as not available on the shelf), where it can be managed according to internal statuses.

The Acquisitions Technical Services work order is defined at the library level rather than the institution level. For the Collection Services Division, it has the following characteristics:

  • Code: AcqWorkOrder
  • Process Type: Acquisition technical services
  • Statuses:
    • Copy Cataloging: Use for items being sent to Metadata Services that require copy or original cataloging.
    • Maintenance: Use for items being sent to Metadata Services that require record maintenance.
    • Physical Processing: Use for serials being sent to processing for labels.
    • Serials Cataloging: Use for serials being sent to Metadata Services that require cataloging or record maintenance.
    • Temp Storage: Not used in Collection Services.
  • Work Time/Expiration Date: 360 days

When an item is added to the Acquisitions Technical Services work order, it will display in UC Library Search as "In process of Acquisition technical services". The work order status will usually remain unchanged while the item is in the work order. Once the work is complete, the item will be scanned out of the department and will display in UC Library Search as "In transit".

Adding items to the work order

There are five ways items can be added to the Acquisitions Technical Services work order: as part of the receiving process, when editing an item record, scanning items into the department, in batch, and from a physical items search.

Part of the receiving process – “Keep in Department”

When an item is received, the process type automatically changes to Transit. To override this default behavior, the item can be added to the Acquisitions Technical Services work order.

When receiving items that will be sent to Metadata Services for cataloging, do the following:

  1. Ensure your location is set to Doe Library - MAIN Acquisitions Department.
  2. On the Receive New Material page (Acquisitions > Receive), check Keep in Department and select Copy Cataloging from the drop-down menu.
  3. Select the item(s) you want to receive and click Receive.

NOTE: When receiving items that will not be sent to Metadata Services, including all shelf-ready materials, be sure to uncheck Keep in Department.

Editing item record

When an item is being cataloged, it should be in the Acquisitions Technical Services work order for the appropriate department so it displays in UC Library Search as "In process".

When editing an item record, verify that the item is in the Acquisitions Technical Services work order or add it to the work order by doing the following:

  1. In the Permanent location field, select the correct location, if incorrect, and click Save.
  2. In the Process type field, select Acquisitions technical services.
  3. In the At field, verify that the appropriate acquisitions department is selected.
    • For MAIN items, it should be MAIN Acquisitions Department.
    • For Subject Specialty Libraries (SSLs), it should correspond with the library (e.g., BIOS Acquisitions Department, ENVI Acquisitions Department, etc.).

NOTE: When an item is added to the Acquisitions Technical Services work order using this method, the work order status will be blank.

Scanning items into the department

Items with UC Berkeley barcodes and Alma item records can be added to the Acquisitions Technical Services work order by scanning them into the work order department.

To scan items into the work order department, do the following:

  1. Ensure your location is set to the work order department (e.g., Doe Library - MAIN Acquisitions Department).
  2. Select Fulfillment > Scan In Items.
  3. On the Scan In Items page, enter the following:
    1. Automatically print slip: No
    2. Set Status To:
      • For items requiring copy or original cataloging, select Copy Cataloging.
      • For items requiring record maintenance, select Maintenance.
    3. Done: No
    4. Scan item barcode: Scan in the item’s barcode and click OK (if not automatic)
  4. The item's Request/Process Type changes to Acquisitions technical services.

Viewing items in the work order

To view items in the Acquisitions Technical Services work order, do the following:

  1. Ensure your location is set to Doe Library - MAIN Acquisitions Department.
  2. Select Fulfillment > Manage In Process Items.

From the In Process Items page, it is possible to change the work order status or mark the work order as Done for selected items; however, the preferred practice is to use Scan In Items.

Notes in the work order

Notes can be added in the work order to provide information for library staff.

Adding notes to the work order

To add a note to an item already in the Acquisitions Technical Services work order, do the following:

  1. Ensure your location is set to Doe Library - MAIN Acquisitions Department.
  2. Select Fulfillment > Manage In Process Items.
  3. From the In Process Items screen, in the row for the item, select ... > Edit.
  4. Under Notes, click Add Note.
  5. Enter your note.
  6. Click Add.

Viewing notes in the work order

To view a note for an item in the Acquisitions Technical Services work order, do the following:

  1. Ensure your location is set to Doe Library - MAIN Acquisitions Department.
  2. Select Fulfillment > Manage In Process Items.
  3. From the In Process Items screen, find the row for the item.
  4. To view the first note, hover over the green check mark in the Notes column.
  5. To view all notes, select ... > Edit.

Monitoring resource requests

When an item is added to the Acquisitions Technical Services work order, a request is created in Alma. The Resource Request Monitoring page provides additional information about the request, such as the creator, as well as all active and completed requests on the item.

To view active or completed requests on an item, do one of the following:

  1. From the In Process Items page (Fulfillment > Manage In Process Items), click on the link in the Requests column, or
  2. Perform a simple search:
    1. Select Requests as the search type from the drop-down list.
    2. Select the field on which to search in the second drop-down list.
    3. Enter the search string in the text box.

For additional information, see Resource Request Monitoring.

Marking items in work order as Done

When an item is added to a work order, only staff in the work order department are able to update the status and mark the work order as Done. There are several ways items in the Acquisitions Technical Services work order can be marked as Done, including scanning items out of the department.

Scanning items out of department

Items with the work order department Doe Library - MAIN Acquisitions Department must be scanned out of the department before they are moved to Preservation or Access Services.

When all items on a book truck have been processed and are ready to leave the department, scan them out of the department:

  1. Ensure your location is set to the work order department (i.e., Doe Library - MAIN Acquisitions Department).
  2. Select Fulfillment > Scan In Items.
  3. On the Scan In Items page, enter the following:
    1. Automatically print slip: No
    2. Set Status To: Copy Cataloging
    3. Done: Yes
    4. Scan item barcode: Scan in the item’s barcode and click OK (if not automatic)
  4. The item's Request/Process Type changes to Transit for Reshelving.

NOTE: Subject Specialty Library (SSL) items should not be scanned out of the department. They should be placed in the appropriate bin and sent to the SSL still in the Acquisitions Technical Services work order. Staff at the SSL will scan out the item when the work is complete at their location.

Resources

By abaron on 08-02-2024

Tags

Cataloging, Collection maintenance, Metadata Services (MdS), Physical processing, Procedure, Receiving (Acq. function), Work order