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PERSONNEL

In 2009 supervision of Nicole Artanowicz and Barbara Shipman, Acquisitions and Serials clerks, was given to Shawn Lombardo. Barbara Shipman left in May for her maternity leave. Subsequently, she resigned from her position to take a part-time Reference/Instruction librarian position at Kresge Library.

In August, 2008 Shirley Paquette, part-time cataloging clerk, was reassigned to the full time University Archives position.

STATISTICS

In 2008/09 we added 19,001 pieces of material to the database and withdrew 16,564. These numbers include all formats. Jocelyn Baldwin, documents clerk, has processed 892 shipping lists, which included 2,391 paper, 6,509 microfiche and 76 CD documents, in addition to deleting 3,800 older records that we no longer have or indeed have never received. She has also processed five disposal lists of older documents. With Bill Cramer she is working on deselecting some item numbers in order to reduce the amount of paper documents that we receive. Jocelyn has created/edited over 5,280 electronic links and she continues to report duplicate records in the OCLC database to OCLC. Barcoding of the documents collection continues.

In addition to all this she oversaw the move of the collection from the second to the first floor compact shelves.

Serials added 11 new periodicals and withdrew 63 in addition to handling 9,751 pieces of mail. We sent 1,471 serials and 767 books to bindery.

We repaired 724 books.

The complete statistics sheet is appended.

ACQUISITIONS/SERIALS

Nicole cross-trained Jerri Swinehart and Barb Shipman on the acquisitions system. The timing of the cross-training, which we do for all jobs, was critical since Nicole was going to be out for surgery. It enabled Jerri to order rush books during that period.

The major news with serials is the creation of the new and improved current journals area. Barb S. and Pat Johnson did a wonderful job of creating an organized, attractive and comfortable area with lovely shelves and soft seating, which certainly seems to be used. Pat Johnson shifted the serials collection from 4 th floor south to 4 th floor east and she continues with the journals shelf audit comparing our OPAC holdings with what we actually have. In the process she has also identified unrecorded title changes, binding problems along with a myriad of other problems. The project has turned out to be much bigger than previously estimated.

CATALOGING

While in the shifting mood Geoff Johnson moved the Michigan documents collection from one end of the second floor to other. In the process we shelf-read and barcoded the entire collection. Geoff has also added 1500 gift notes to materials purchased with gift funds that had somehow fallen through the cracks.

Jerri continues to add contents notes and added entries to music CDs as time allows. She has also taken over the cataloging of continuations previously done by Shirley Paquette. Jerri continues to add/modify/correct e-journal records in Serials Solution.

Barb McDowall took over the responsibility for students, physical processing and book repairs from Shirley.

Cataloging has spent a great deal of time this past year withdrawing materials and changing locations occasioned by the weeding of the Reference collection, various call number ranges and the withdrawal of 415 VHS tapes. Since the Library of Congress has seen fit to make the JX schedule obsolete, the books left after weeding are being reclassed to their appropriate numbers. So far 412 books have been reclassed. Almost all of these required a cataloger since LC has not reclassed the older ones and since they have created two very murky schedules (JZ & KZ) that most of them must be reclassed to. Also, Oakland theses are increasing in number at a frightening pace. Database maintenance is also increasing due in part to LC frenziedly adding death dates to headings, which they have not done in 20+ years as well as changing subject headings to more user friendly terminology or direct order, e.g., Art, Buddhist to Buddhist art.

We have given control of our ebook collections to Serials Solutions. Records were extracted for these collections and replaced with SS records. There were probably several thousand temporary records included in the load. To say that they are stub records is to praise them unduly. These records have resulted in headings conflicts that at this point we ignore, because SS will send full records at some point, which will overlay the stubs. In July we received a measly 200 or so records.

In the interests of cost cutting and in consultation with all and sundry, we have changed our policy on binding paperback books from bind all to binding selectively. This may increase book repairs, which only the future can tell, but I don’t think that it will be drastic, if it happens at all.

All in all it has been an eventful year for Technical Services given the various moves across the library, the personnel changes along with the regular work, but I think that we have prevailed.

Submitted by

Ann Pogany