Inventory Overview
All Acquisitions staff will spend a minimum of 1 hr./week working on the inventory project. Acquisitions students will search inventory as often as the workflow permits. The Acquisitions Supervisor will create and print a master list from which we will search for each item in the stacks. As discrepancies are found, the items are pulled and notations made on the master list.
Acquisitions staff will update and fix any items in Alma they have pulled while searching.
Items pulled by student assistants will be updated by any Acquisitions staff member as time permits.
Statistics for inventory will be kept and recorded on the monthly statistics sheets.
Procedure for Searching the Stacks
1. Working from the master list, check each book on the shelf for the following:
A. Correct call #. Pull book if there is any discrepancy. (Ignore copy #'s)
B. Title - must match title page exactly -- otherwise, pull book.
2. If there is a book on the shelf that is not on the list -- pull it!
3. When pulling books that need fixing, place the appropriate slip in the book (i.e., Call#, Not On List, Title, etc.) If necessary, use a blank slip and write your own brief explanation of why you pulled the book.
4. Check off each book on the list as you verify it. If you cannot find the book, write "N/F" next to it on the list.
5. Straighten each shelf as you finish.
6. When done......
A. Place completed sheets in the "Inventory Completed Searches" box, face down.
B. Place any books you pulled on the "Inventory Project" cart.
C. Record the call #'s you've searched in the "Inventory Project" notebook.
Inventory — Updating Records
Working with the books:
1. Search Alma by barcode. If a records shows up:
A. Check to see if the item was cataloged recently (these will not show up on the master list).
B. Check the "Last Updated" date. If the date is recent and not the same as the checked out/in date, it probably means the record has been changed during inventory earlier.
C. Check the bibliographic record to see if the call # matches the item record and book. Send the book to processing if it needs a new label (w/ a note indicating new label needed).
D. Check the list to see if the item was actually on the list and NF (not found). If so, the book was misplaced on the shelf. Change the NF notation to a check mark on the list. (Important!)
2. If no record shows up by barcode, check by title and catalog if needed, **Unless the item is a duplicate.**
Be sure to also check our holdings in OCLC, and update them as needed. Remember to give OCLC update statistics to the Head of Cataloging at the end of the month.
3. If the item is a duplicate:
A. Check the record in Alma. If the item record has a "created" date less than or equal to 01-01-2006 AND "TOT CHKOUT" = 0, give the book to the withdrawals technician to withdraw. Otherwise, go ahead and catalog.
Working with the Master List: (Not founds)
In Alma, check the following:
1. Check the record by barcode to see if the item is checked out, missing, lost, recently checked in, or recently cataloged.
2. Check for duplicate records with same barcode. Delete one of the item records.
3. Check the bibliographic record to see if the call# doesn't match the item record or book.
4. If you can't find any reason for the item being missing, keep the "NF" notation on the list.
PLEASE WRITE DOWN all changes made to the records or books on the inventory master list. Record all statistics.
When finished updating the books and master list, put the list pages on the student work table for them to write out the search cards. Place the updated and completed books on the cart marked "Ready to take to Circ". Place the books needing new labels or label protectors on the student work table w/ a note indicating what the book needs.
S. Bannister and J. Ward 9/2011