Processing Library Materials. I. Acquisition of library materials using purchase orders

Transcription

1 Processing Library Materials This is a three-part document consisting of: 1. Acquisition of library materials using purchase orders 2. Shipping materials from the library to Bib Services for processing 3. Receiving processed materials at the library I. Acquisition of library materials using purchase orders A. BIB Purchase Orders vs. Building/School Purchase Orders Ensure that all library and office personnel are fully aware of the differences between a building/school purchase order and a BIB purchase order. A BIB purchase order indicates by default that the library materials are shipped directly to Bibliographic Services. The three-letter code BIB is entered in the requisition origin space in the upper right hand corner of the Request for Purchase Order form, and those letters become part of the actual purchase order number. BIB purchase orders imply that all associated receiving functions are the responsibility of the Bibliographic Services Receiving Clerk: handling claims and returns; approving invoices for payment. The Receiving Clerk is not authorized to perform these functions for a building/school purchase order. When a library generates a building/school purchase order, it then assumes responsibility for all of the receiving functions. Once a purchase order is generated in the system as a building/school purchase order, it may not be changed to a BIB purchase order. There are some kinds of purchases that require generating a building/school purchase order, rather than a BIB. Subscriptions (such as for magazines, class sets, ongoing multi-volume sets, serials or annuals), should be ordered on a building/school purchase order. These kinds of materials require check-in and management at the library. Currently, Bibliographic Services has no means of managing the receipt of such items. Large encyclopedia sets (e.g., Britannica, World Book) are also more appropriately ordered on building/school purchase orders. The reason is that the processing of such standard sets can be accomplished easily through district mail. (See instructions in section II. D.) Any material which will not be cataloged should not be ordered on a BIB purchase order. 1

2 B. Outline of the normal cycle in creating BIB purchase orders Elsewhere in the On-line Bib Services manual, are examples of Purchase Order Requisition forms (check for REPRODUCIBLE Purchase Order Form Requests. ) The first one is an older form, while the second one is what is now generated by the Lawson bookkeeping program. Actual purchase orders are usually facilitated by the bookkeeper or office manager in each school. (If you are interested, online entry of purchase orders is taught by Purchasing Department staff, and a training manual is available.) The majority of purchase orders written for the acquisition of library materials are generated as SC (service contract) orders. This is because most requests are for many titles, which can only be handled by issuing an accompanying list of titles along with the purchase order document. In these cases, the Request for Purchase Order form is either hand-written legibly or typed, along with a separate list of titles. The prices that are listed should be the list price with the discount noted at the end of the list and subtracted from the total. Purchasing reviews the request, and, if approved, creates the purchase order and encumbers the funds. In the case of a purchase order which is written for 8 or fewer titles, the titles may be listed on the actual Request for Purchase Order form, and the purchase order is entered electronically by school personnel. These purchase orders should be done as SC (Service Contracts) documents. Prices listed should be the discounted prices. If created as BIB purchase orders, Bibliographic Services should be the ship-to address. The library is responsible for having a copy of the Request for Purchase Order form and the list of titles (if done separately) forwarded to Bibliographic Services. If the purchase order number is known, it is recorded on the form and the list. Bibliographic Services cannot begin to receive materials ordered without the copies of the form and any accompanying lists of titles. Shipments of materials from the vendors arrive at Bibliographic Services. When all required documentation is gathered, the Receiving Clerk begins to receive the materials, rectifying errors as necessary. The vendor sends invoices to Accounts Payable. These are forwarded to Bibliographic Services for approval. They are returned to Accounts Payable approved for payment only when all associated problems are resolved by the Receiving Clerk. Accounts Payable issues payment and funds are dispersed from the school s account. Invoices for each shipment are sent to the Receiving Clerk who forwards copies to Accounts Payable, the office manager or bookkeeper, and the librarian. The library is responsible for noting backorders and cancelled titles. If, for example, the invoice is unduly delayed by replacement problems, the Receiving Clerk may send a copy of the packing list as a courtesy to inform the library of the shipment. 2

3 When all shipments for a given purchase order are received, the Receiving Clerk requests Purchasing to close the purchase order, and any unused funds are unencumbered from the library s budget. The library is also informed of the closing and the final cost of the purchase order. Bibliographic Services retains all associated paperwork relating to the purchase order in its files. The files are stored in the department for five years. C. General advice on ordering materials It is advisable to avoid ordering titles which are not yet published. Delays in publishing can hold a purchase order open for a significant amount of time. This issue cannot be stressed strongly enough. It is much better to order individual titles from sets and pay the higher price than to order the whole set with some titles having projected publication dates in the future. Always make an allowance for shipping and handling charges when generating a purchase order. Occasionally a vendor will incompletely fill an order in an effort not to exceed the dollar amount, so that shipping charges may be assessed. A few vendors guarantee that shipping and handling charges are free. There are some vendors which charge exorbitant shipping charges, adding significantly to the total cost of the order. Other vendors make an excessive number of shipments on one purchase order, having the same effect of adding large shipping charges to the total cost. Try to be aware of these situations and limit the shipments, or else make allowances in the total dollar amount of the purchase order. It is possible to request that an order only be shipped at the time that it is complete. Consider the typical fill rate of the vendor and whether or not the vendor processes backorders. This affects shipping charges as well as the length of time that the purchase order is held open. For advice on vendor performance, contact the Receiving Clerk at Bibliographic Services. At the close of the traditional school year many libraries have funds remaining in their budget, or may receive grant money, or may generate orders for the next fiscal year. Problems that may arise become difficult to resolve when the librarian is not available during the summer. In cases where a BIB purchase order is expected to generate a shipment during July or August, it is strongly recommended that a local phone number for the librarian be provided to the Receiving Clerk. Otherwise shipments with problems may be left until the library reopens before they can be received and processed. Some vendors may offer free bibliographic records and/or free processing. Neither of these options will be used in this district. 3

4 D. Comments or descriptions that can be used on purchase orders Blanket (SC) -- A blanket purchase order is one which is generated for a particular dollar amount. The library can then order on an ongoing basis with the vendor until the dollar amount is reached. The difficulty with this setup is that someone must keep track of the amount expended against the purchase order. It is difficult for Bibliographic Services to manage this, as items are often received and property-stamped before the invoice from Accounts Payable is sent to the department. (The exception to this is Junior Library Guild materials which are handled by the Receiving Clerk at Bib Services.) Confirm This comment can be used for ordering materials by phone, fax, or online. The school office personnel should contact Purchasing to obtain a purchase order number. The librarian may then contact the vendor directly to request the materials. The vendor must be informed of the purchase order number and the ship-to and billing addresses, as it will not receive a paper copy of the purchase order document from the District. The purchase order is entered into the system as a confirming order. The issuance of the confirming purchase order enables the District to approve invoices for payment for the materials. A copy of the purchase order and the titles ordered must be forwarded to Bibliographic Services for receiving purposes. There can be problems with confirming orders. For one, if the purchase order is mistakenly generated as something other than a confirming order, a purchase order document will be forwarded to the vendor, and the vendor may ship the order twice. On the other hand, some vendors will not ship until they have a copy of the official purchase order document, in which case the library may have to forward a photocopy or fax of the document. Other vendors will handle this situation very efficiently and provide quick service. Phone orders can lead to miscommunications. A vendor may indicate that certain titles are not available, but later they appear as unexpected backorders. Problems also arise when the SOLD TO, SHIP TO, and BILL TO addresses are not clearly nor correctly specified, especially on hand-written order forms and faxes. All BIB orders should be shipped to Bibliographic Services and billed to Accounts Payable. (Refer to the addresses provided below.) Building/school purchase orders should be sold to, shipped to and billed to the school. Online orders can work well, if all information is provided correctly. First pick and cancel This is an order which includes a large list of titles. The vendor is asked to fill only those titles which it has immediately in stock. Advantages are a quick order fulfillment and the elimination of backorders. Only one shipment is expected. An order of this type allows quick closing of the purchase order, freeing-up funds for orders with other vendors. However, if the total cost of all the titles listed exceeds the purchase order amount, occasionally there can be problems in exceeding the dollar amount of the purchase order. 4

5 Prepay Orders should be prepaid only when absolutely required by the vendor. This kind of order is usually not recommended for BIB purchase orders, but is very appropriate for subscriptions. Sometimes it is difficult to make any adjustments on prepaid orders if there are shortages, errors, or damaged materials. E. General procedures to follow in creating BIB purchase orders 1. How to fill out the purchase order requisition form. Elsewhere in the On-line Bib Services manual, are examples of Purchase Order Requisition forms (check for REPRODUCIBLE Purchase Order Form Requests. ) The first one is an older form, while the second one is what is now generated by the Lawson bookkeeping program. Actual purchase orders are usually facilitated by the bookkeeper or office manager in each school. (If you are interested, online entry of purchase orders is taught by Purchasing Department staff, and a training manual is available.) 2. Paperwork required by Bibliographic Services Complete paperwork must be forwarded to Bibliographic Services before receiving can begin. The receiving clerk requires a copy of the purchase order requisition form AND an alphabetized copy of the list of titles ordered by your library. (The list you send in may differ from the vendor s copy.) This allows the receiving clerk to compare your requests with the actual books/materials sent from the vendor. Complete, illustrated directions are given elsewhere in the On-line Bib Services Manual, under How to create a TITLE LIST. A REPRODUCIBLE Title list form is also located elsewhere on the On-line Bib Services Manual. Bibliographic Services must also receive a copy of the purchase order document from the Library in order to complete the necessary documentation. The list should be sorted alphabetically by title for Bibliographic Services needs. Ensure that the articles a, an, and the are not included at the beginning of the title. In cases of potential confusion, clarify titles with author or publisher. If ISBN s are used, double-check their accuracy, as the vendor will fill by ISBN, not title. Verify quantities. Indicate special processing designations such as REF, PROF, etc. List all titles within a series. If free materials are to be shipped as a bonus with the order, a description of them should appear somewhere on the list of titles. 5

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7 F. Approval of invoices and closing of the BIB purchase order Sometimes replacement books from BIB purchase orders are mistakenly sent to the library, rather than to Bibliographic Services. If the library fails to notify Bibliographic Services of the shipment, the invoice cannot be approved for payment, nor can the purchase order be closed. G. Important addresses and phone numbers: Shipping address for BIB orders, only: Bibliographic Services East Briarwood Avenue Centennial, Colorado Billing address: Cherry Creek Schools Accounts Payable 4850 South Yosemite Street Greenwood Village, Colorado Receiving clerk at Bibliographic Services (Dolly Gates) voice: fax:

8 II. Shipping materials from the library to Bibliographic Services for processing Materials that are acquired at the library through methods other than the generation of a BIB purchase order, may be shipped through district mail to Bibliographic Services for processing. These materials have been referred to as Directs, and are items that have been received and examined at the school prior to shipment to Bibliographic Services. Following the guidelines listed below will ensure the most efficient service. A. Physical preparation of the materials for shipment Use good judgement in what is sent in for processing. Do not send items which you do not wish to display in the catalog. Please do not affix pockets or labels or apply property stamps in places that cover information necessary for processing. This includes title pages and their versos, back covers, and any other area carrying bibliographic information. Also, ISBN barcodes should not be covered, as they are often scanned for searching the database. Whenever possible, send AV materials for processing ASAP after receiving them at the school, with all accompanying materials, containers, guides, software, etc., included. These additional objects are often necessary for finding/creating a bibliographic record. If it is not possible to send AV item for processing until the end of the school year, please SAVE all accompanying materials, and then include them with the item when it is forwarded. AV items which are sent without accompanying materials sometimes must be returned to the library without processing. If an AV material is damaged or lost, and just the accompanying book remains, the book should no longer be cataloged as an AV material. In such cases, the book must be sent in for recataloging. The old item barcode (which had been used for the cassette and book set) must be charged to the Discard User. If the barcode was on the book and not a media bag, then affix a new barcode over the old one before sending the book in for re-cataloging. 8

9 B. Creating the list of titles shipped for processing Complete, illustrated directions are given elsewhere in the On-line Bib Services Manual, under How to create a TITLE LIST. A REPRODUCIBLE Title list form is also located elsewhere on the On-line Bib Services Manual. Include a list of the titles (in alphabetical order) for all materials in each box, or for a designated group of boxes forwarded for processing. If the list is for more than one box, put a note on the labels of all the boxes which specifies which box has the list. Indicate on the list any special designations for the materials (e.g., REF, PROF, AV, COLO ) and the name of the school, date, and the person who prepared the list. Retain a copy of the list at the library, and make sure it bears the date that the materials were forwarded to Bibliographic Services. C. Boxing the materials for shipment Use the REPRODUCIBLE Shipping Labels, located elsewhere in the On-line Bib Services Manual, or labels which are similar in format. The label should include the name of the school, the date, and the number of boxes in that shipment (e.g., Box 1 of 3). The shipping address should be: Bibliographic Services, SARC. This information ensures that the materials hold a place in the processing queue, and may also be located, should it become necessary to have materials pulled from the queue. For a title or two, you may choose to use a District mailing bag. Sometimes there are special circumstances that require rush processing of materials. An example of a valid reason for requesting priority could be a situation in which materials are needed for a particular class or project. Ensure that boxes of materials which have a request for rush processing have the word RUSH written on ALL FIVE SIDES OF THE BOX. It is also advisable to call or the Receiving Clerk to alert her about the shipment. D. Encyclopedia sets and multiple reference copies For processing of standard multivolume encyclopedia sets which have been received at the school (e.g., World Book), make a photocopy of the title and verso page of the first volume. Generate a list of the volumes in the set indicating the barcode number which has been affixed to each volume. Compose the list in ascending order by volume number. Indicate if the set is to be processed as REFERENCE, and if spine labels are needed. Forward all of this information to the Manager of Bibliographic Services through district mail. 9

10 E. Items which have been circulated on Brief Title records (UN-CAT s) Libraries can forward materials which warrant full cataloging which have previously been circulated on Brief Title records ( shadowed items with a location of UN-CAT). Please leave the barcodes on the materials, and note on the list of titles that the items are currently on BT records. Make sure that the items are not charged to ANY user in Unicorn before sending them for processing. It is advisable to discharge all items that are on Brief Title records these shadowed records will be deleted at Bib Services before the new item records are created. Further instructions are also available in the On-line Bib Services Manual under, How to send UN-CATS for PROCESSING. 10

11 III. Receiving processed materials at the library A. Receipt of boxes of newly processed materials from the district courier Before opening a box from Bibliographic Services, record the box number and letter and the date received on a list. Keep this list in the library as an ongoing record of shipments of processed materials. This is extremely useful for tracking lost shipments and in correcting errors and other processing problems. Upon opening the box, check all materials for the correct property stamp. If any materials are stamped for another school, check them against your own list of titles which had been sent for processing, to determine if they do belong to the other school. Bibliographic Services sets the current location (on Workflows) for newly shipped items as INTRANSIT. It is necessary to check-in each item when the materials arrive at the library, before shelving the item. The item s current location will revert to STACKS. Please note any discrepancies or problems with the check-in or location of the items. If the location is wrong for an item record, it can be changed using the Edit Copies wizard in Symphony. However, it may first be necessary to request staff members at the incorrect location to discharge the item, if Workflows is indicating that the item is INTRANSIT to that location. B. Reporting of processing errors or problems Notify the Manager of Bibliographic Services by phone or if there are several problems with the materials in the shipment. Mention the box number in which the materials arrived. Keep in mind that materials are not necessarily returned in the same order as they were sent for processing. Bibliographic Services clerks process first all materials that are duplicates of existing materials already described in the database. The items which require that a new bibliographic record be entered into the database are set aside on a transfer truck which then is held for cataloging. These transfer items are typically returned at a later date, depending upon the extent of the cataloging backlog. Overall, about three quarters of the materials processed during the year have pre-existing bibliographic matches in the database. For elementary schools, about one quarter of the materials require cataloging. For middle and high schools, there is a higher percentage of materials which are new to the database. 11

12 C. Requesting the return of unprocessed materials Special circumstances may require that a return is necessary for specific materials which are in the processing queue at Bibliographic Services. In this situation, call the Receiving Clerk with your request. Matters will be greatly expedited if it is possible to indicate when the materials were sent for processing directly from the library, or if they were ordered on a BIB purchase order. This information will expedite the location of the items. 12