Rethinking Staff Resources in the E-Serials Environment

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Rethinking Staff Resources in the E-Serials
Environment
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Gloria Guzi Acquisitions Serials Librarian
July 12, 2009
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Welcome to the Cleveland Public Library
The Cleveland Public Library, as a large public
library in an urban setting, serves an incredibly
diverse population with materials, programs and a
24/7 online reference service.

• One of the largest public library collections
• 2,257,497 total unique titles
• 3,421,910 books
• 274,597 bound periodicals
• 4,644,278 microforms
• 1,381,795 photographs / pictures
• 815,454 government documents
• 346,333 sound recordings / videos / DVDs / sheet
  music
• 178,556 maps

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Welcome to the Cleveland Public Library

• Diverse age population
• Children
• Teens
• Adulthood
• Seniors
• Multiple Cultures and Languages
• Foreign Literature Department
• Popular print magazines collected in 28 languages
  (All materials collected in 45 languages)
• Materials are all circulating materials
• Each print subscription circulates approximately
  20 times in a given year

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Welcome to the Cleveland Public Library

• Multiple locations city-wide
• Main Library
• Houses world-class research collections and rare
  books
• Popular Library, circulating collection of
  popular materials
• Foreign Language and Literature Department,
  circulating collection
• Houses one of the largest Chess libraries in the
  world
• Public Administration Library located in City
  Hall
• 28 neighborhood branches that serve their
  respective communities
• Leisure reading rooms at local universities
• Case Western Reserve University
• Cleveland State University

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Welcome to the Cleveland Public Library

• Mobile Services
• Assisted Living and Skilled Nursing Facilities
• On the Road to Reading literacy van
• Statewide Initiatives Resource Sharing
• CLEVNET Library Consortium (30 Library Systems)
• Ohio Library for the Blind and Physically
  Disabled
• Serves the entire state of Ohio
• Mail delivery service to its patrons
• KnowItNow, 24/7 Virtual Reference Library
• Students from middle school to graduate school
• Patrons whose professional needs require the use
  of our resources
• Patrons who have trivia questions

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Serials Holdings
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• What We Stopped Doing With Print

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What We Stopped Doing with Print

• Disabled Update MARC Holdings Function
• Check-in performed at remote site
• Check-in Clerk Basic level of computer skills in
  a unionized setting
• Former ILS DRA had few parameters for pattern
  set-up

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What We Stopped Doing with Print

• Disabled Update MARC Holdings Function
  (continued)
• Inaccurate check-in not always caught and
  corrected
• DRA summary statements needed manual editing
• Quality control was strictly the job of the
  Acquisitions Serials Librarian

Result ? Correcting check-in, editing
consolidated summary statements redoing
patterns became a full-time job
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What We Stopped Doing with Print

• Stopped Updating MARC holdings with migration to
  SIRSI
• 2003 Migration to new ILS SIRSI Unicorn (now
  SIRSIDynix Symphony)
• Migration to SIRSI showed the true extent of the
  problem when the summary statements migrated over
  as MARC holdings updates
• Two things were decided
• Keep the local, non-formatted union listing
• Disable the function to update MARC holdings

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Record with MARC Holdings Display
Display of MARC Holdings (migrated from DRA)
We disabled the function to update MARC holdings
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What We Stopped Doing with Print

• Stopped Updating MARC holdings with migration to
  SIRSI
• Effects on Public Service were mixed
• Negative effects
• Disservice to patrons public service staff when
  patrons cannot view received issues
• Patrons must be instructed to click Title
  details to see latest issue received
• Patrons must rely on reference assistance in
  staff mode to check display of received issues
• Staff must check the shelves when titles change
  or cease in order to edit the holdings

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Public Display Title Details
Most recent issue received
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Staff Mode Display Control Check-In
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What We Stopped Doing with Print

• Stopped Updating MARC holdings with migration to
  SIRSI
• Effects on Public Service were mixed (cont.)
• Positive effects
• Patrons staff are not frustrated by incorrect
  check-in
• Serials staff is not inundated with corrections
  to be made in both check-in and MARC holdings
• The display is straightforward, uncluttered and
  clean

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Archive Held in Print
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Archive Held in Microfilm
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Archive Held in Digital Format
MARC holdings display less significant
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What We Stopped Doing with Print

• Stopped Updating MARC holdings with migration to
  SIRSIDynix Unicorn
• In what case would we ever update MARC holdings?
• Check-in must take place in the same location in
  which titles are housed
• Check-in clerical staff must be authorized to
  edit serials controls and MARC records.

Position of check-in clerk would need to be
upgraded
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• Reallocation of Tasks
• Branch Claiming

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Reallocation of Tasks Branch Claiming

• Claiming of branch periodicals reallocated to
  branches.
• Previous process (prior to 2003)
• In-house written claim forms
• Vendor written claim forms
• E-mail
• Telephone calls
• Problems
• Duplication of effort
• Labor intensive process
• Claims received too late to be resolved
• Subscription extensions were more common than
  fulfillment

Centralized claiming for branches was far too
slow.
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Reallocation of Tasks Branch Claiming

• Solution
• Moved branch subscriptions to a different vendor
• Wolper Subscription Services, a vendor with a
  web-based system (client centered)
• Allows multi-location access to all subscription
  activities
• Each branch accesses its own titles
• Claiming requires just a few clicks
• Type in pertinent data into appropriate fields
• Hit submit
• Branches can check back for timely status updates

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Reallocation of Tasks Branch Claiming

• Benefits
• Work is now done by the branches
• Permits different authorization levels (Serials
  vs. Branches)
• Serials section maintains control over renewals
• Branches maintain control over claims
• No delay in claiming popular magazines
• Replacements received in a meaningful time frame

Serials Section involvement is confined to
renewals and non-start subscriptions
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Reallocation of Tasks Branch Claiming

• Learning Curve
• Training
• One two-hour session at branch monthly meeting
• Step by step manual for branch claiming
• Follow-up
• Occasional calls for help for approximately 60
  days

The difference in the work day of the entire
serials staff was noticed immediately
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• Reallocation of Tasks
• Acquisitions - Serials Librarian

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Acquisitions - Serials Librarian
Reallocation of Tasks

• Up to 1995
• Bibliographic work
• Title changes
• Original cataloging
• Copy cataloging
• Union listing
• Serials Control
• Supervised / monitored check-in
• Corrected inaccurate check-in
• Modified all information of each Serial Control

• 1996 to Present
• Bibliographic work
• Title changes
• Copy cataloging
• Union listing
• Serials Control
• Supervised / monitored check-in
• Corrected inaccurate check-in
• Modified all information of each Serial Control

Tasks reallocated to Acquisitions Asst.
Original cataloging reallocated to Catalog Dept.
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Serials Organization Chart
Acq - Ser Librarian
Acq - Ser Librarian
1 Acquisitions Assistant - Serials
2 TS Assoc.
1 TS Senior Clerk
3 TS Clerks
1993 thru 1995
1 TS Assoc.
1 TS Senior Clerk
1 TS Clerk
1 Serials Clerk
1 TS Clerk
1996 thru present
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Acquisitions - Serials Librarian
Chair of Serials Committee

• 1996 to 2005
• Chair of Serials Electronic Resources Committee
• Inquired about Hardware, Software
  Web-Specifications
• Negotiated prices
• Negotiated license agreements
• Clearing house for all information that that
  needed to be exchanged among between Vendor,
  Automation, Subject Dept. Head, Head of Main
  Library, Collection Mgr.
• Gathered usage statistics as needed
• Chaired task force to select an electronic
  journals management system

• Up to 1995
• Chair of Serials Committee
• Gathered Subject Department Request Forms
• Reviewed Request Forms
• Researched collection for duplication
• Presented each title
• Meeting report sent to Main Departments and all
  Committee members
• Selecting and contacting vendors

Added Tasks.
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Serials and Electronic Resources Committee
Membership

• Serials and Electronic Resources Committee (SERC)
  Members (1996-2005)
• Acquisitions-Serials Librarian, Chairperson
• Main Library Administrator
• Collection Manager (Branches and Youth Services)
• 1 Branch Manager (alternated annually)
• 1 Subject Department Head (alternated monthly)
• Web Applications Specialist (as needed)

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SERC Monthly Meeting Resource
Approval / Cancellation

• Serials and Electronic Resources Committee (SERC)
  Monthly Meetings
• Print
• Microform
• CDs / DVDs
• Electronic Serials

Average time for each meeting 3 hours Average
number of titles approved 20 to 30
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Limitations of SERC

• Committee makeup was the same since its
  establishment in the 1980s
• Request form used was designed for print
  resources
• Lacked sufficient input from subject departments
• Lacked a member to coordinate training
• Chairperson was the lowest ranking member of SERC
• No authority to insist on completeness during the
  submittal process
• Acquisitions - Serials librarian reported to Main
  Library Administrator on Electronic resource
  issues
• Bypassed Acquisitions Manager and Technical
  Services Administrator

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Opportunities for Improvement

• Team approach was needed
• Should not rely on one person (Acquisitions -
  Serials Librarian) to do all the background work
• Subject department librarians needed to become as
  adept in selecting electronic resources as they
  were in selecting print / film / CD / DVD
  resources

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Opportunities for Improvement

• Public services librarians needed training
• Terminology of E-serials
• Simultaneous usage
• Access activation
• Full understanding of E-serials cycle
• Trials gt Price negotiations gt Licensing gt
  Approval
• Skills in making initial inquiries
• Learn about and use e-serials review publications
  (Charleston Advisor)

Subject department librarians, branch librarians
technical services librarians were not at the
same level in discussing E-serials.
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Where we are today

• SERC split into two committees (same members on
  each)
• Electronic Resources Committee (ERC) Serials /
  Continuations Committee
• General Reference Manager Chair of ERC
• Periodicals Center Librarian Chair of Serials /
  Continuations Committee
• Main Library Administrator
• Collection Manager (Branches and Youth Services)
• 1 Branch Manager (alternates annually)
• 4 Subject Department Liaisons
• Acquisitions Manager
• Acquisitions - Serials Librarian
• Web Applications Specialist (ERC only)
• Training Specialist (ERC only)

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Where we are today Task Reallocation

• Tasks reallocated from Acquisitions Serials
  Librarian to Liaisons and to Collection Manager
  (Branches)
• Contact vendor and initiate price negotiations
• Gather and review DB request forms
• Present database request at ERC meeting
• Request database trial
• ERC chair has authority to assign tasks to
  committee members

Acquisitions - Serials Librarian still has
responsibility for price license negotiations,
informing vendor of terms, conditions database
parameters. Works with Web Applications
Specialist to add to CPL A-Z list of DBs. Enables
tracking in Serials Solutions
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Where we are today The Learning Curve

• Organizational meetings to explain new roles
• Subject Department Liaisons
• Needed time to adjust to the new electronic
  request form, added work load and negotiations
  with vendor.
• Is digital archive available? Is it secure?
• Can digital archive be purchased?
• Pricing structure?
• IP access available?

The database request form was the thing that
changed everything.
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Fewer Committee Meetings

• 12 SERC monthly meetings reduced to
  4 quarterly meeting of the ERC and
  1 annual meeting of the Serials / Continuations
  Committee

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Learning from Experience

• Cultivate a sense of detachment from the sacred
• Go beyond old paradigms and turf protection
• Get past the win lose situation ? what is
  ultimately best for the patron
• Include as broad a group as necessary to handle
  electronic serials
• Provide opportunities for ongoing training
• Rely on and trust your staff
• Dont be afraid to try new things

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• THANK
• YOU

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