Acquisitions with Sirsi Workflows

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1 University of Toronto, Faculty of Information Acquisitions with Sirsi Workflows Instructor: Elisa Sze Librarian, Collections & Public Services Coordinator January 2013 Table of Contents Workshop Description... 1 What is an integrated library system (ILS)?... 1 Acquisitions with Workflows... 3 Placing Orders in Workflows... 4 Acquisitions-Specific Work Flow... 5 Exercises... 6 Further Reading... 6 Related ischool Courses... 6 Workshop Description This workshop provides an overview of the acquisitions module in Workflows, the staff client used with the SirsiDynix Symphony integrated library system. In this workshop, participants will: Look at the funds, vendors, orders, and invoice wizards of the acquisitions module Understand the relationship between cataloguing and acquisitions staff work flows Understand the relationship between acquisitions records in the staff client and users' display in the online publicly accessible catalogue (OPAC) This workshop is designed to complement, but not replace, courses on collection development, cataloguing, or the management of technical services. For a list of related ischool courses, see the last section of this handout. What is an integrated library system (ILS)? An ILS is an automated management tool for tracking collection budget spending, orders, vendors, inventory, and the movement of items in a collection among library users. The ILS communicates relevant information to public interfaces so that users can find out what is available where, as well as manage their account. SirsiDynix Symphony is a proprietary ILS used by major institutions including the University of Toronto Libraries (UTL) and the Toronto Public Library. Workflows is the staff client that provides access to the databases behind the SirsiDynix Symphony system. 1

2 $ Figure 1. Brief on-order information in Workflows, and the same information in the OPAC. Figure 2. Technical services workflow, from selection to preparation for circulation. In addition to selection, collection developers may be responsible for budgeting, policy making, liaison work, reference, collection evaluation, weeding, licensing, and management of staff. While some selection may be outsourced through approval plans, staff is still needed to evaluate vendor selections, adjust approval plan profiles, negotiate contracts, set budget priorities, and liaise with administrators and users. Collection Developers Acquisitions Staff Acquisitions Staff $ $ Select a work to add to the collection. Search online to find out if, and how, the work can be purchased. Place the order. ILS ILS Receive and load the order. While libraries may choose to adopt shelf-ready programs as a means of handling their cataloguing backlogs, staff is still needed to assess the quality of the output vis-à-vis local needs. Acquisitions Staff Cataloguers and Processing Staff Provide bibliographic description and access. Prepare item for public use. ILS University of Toronto, Faculty of Information, Information Services Page 2

3 Acquisitions with Workflows The Workflows desktop. A menu of modules run across the screen. Tasks for the selected modules are organized in a column of boxes down the left side of the screen. Active windows open onto the right side of the screen. Menu boxes on the left side of the screen can be expanded to reveal the tasks available to the staff user. Most acquisitions tasks in Workflows are based around a bibliographic record. Figure 3. Acquisitions desktop in Workflows Common Tasks Funds Vendors Orders Invoices University of Toronto, Faculty of Information, Information Services Page 3

4 Figure 4. Most acquisitions tasks in Workflows are built around a bibliographic record. Placing Orders in Workflows Properties must be set for all Acquisitions wizards prior to use. All orders begin with a bibliographic record. If the bibliographic record is unavailable: Import one; OR Create a mini-bibliographic record for the database Purchase orders are then added to the relevant bibliographic record. Beware: do not break links between purchase orders and bibliographic records, or you will have floating orders that are meaningless to staff and public users. Each library is authorized to display, add, modify, and delete its own funds, purchase orders, vendors, and invoices. Never modify or delete other library s records! To determine what kind of purchase order to create for a particular work, see Figure 5. University of Toronto, Faculty of Information, Information Services Page 4

5 Figure 5. Purchase orders: decision-making process I want to order a work. I need to create a purchase order for it. Is there a bibliographic record for it in Sirsi? Yes No Add purchase order to the record. Is a good bibliographic record available to import? Basic order / Dated order / Recurring order Yes Import record. Add purchase order to it. No Do not import. Create a brief record instead. Basic order / Dated order / Recurring order Basic order / Dated order / Recurring order A basic order (firm order) applies to one work purchased through one vendor. Use Add basic order for any items that are purchased in discrete units. A dated order applies to serially available works (e.g., journals with regularly issued numbers). Use Add dated order for most publications that require a subscription. A recurring order is a standing order or blanket order. Use Add recurring order for continually published works that the library has committed to ordering, but which are paid for as their parts are issued (i.e., not paid as part of a subscription). Acquisitions Specific Work Flow Orders are recorded in the ILS as purchase orders. Orders have to be sent out to vendors/subscription agents. (Workflows enables staff to do this either manually or through batch reports, so long as vendor files are complete.) University of Toronto, Faculty of Information, Information Services Page 5

6 Staff should periodically check on the status of orders, and follow up on claims as necessary. (Workflows enables staff to set automatic claim dates, and to run reports monitoring POs that are coming up to their claim date.) When orders are received: o Staff must check the items against the POs, ensuring that the correct items have been delivered. (Workflows will not check this; it is up to the staff member to catch any errors!) o Staff must indicate in the ILS that the items have arrived, and arrange for payment of the invoices as necessary. o Communication with the supervisor and/or vendors/subscription agents may be necessary in certain situations. o Staff may need to relay applicable communication regarding the work to cataloguing/processing/course reserve/reference and liaison staff Invoice payments: o Some libraries may have their ILS automatically linked to their financial accounting system. Workflows may be set up to do this. However, we do not use this feature of Workflows at the Inforum. At the end of each fiscal year: o Open orders are copied into the next fiscal year, then closed from the fiscal year that is ending, through a series of batch reports. Exercises Refer to the Exercises handout for step-by-step instructions. Further Reading Evans, G. E., Intner, S., and Weihs, J. R. (2011). Introduction to technical services, 8 th ed. Greenwood, CO: Libraries Unlimited. (Inforum Stacks: B655I8) Intner, S. and Johnson, P. (2008). Fundamentals of technical services management. Chicago: American Library Association. *Note: This is a slim volume, but provides an excellent overview of the technical services workflow. (Inforum Stacks: I61F) Related ischool Courses Note: Course offerings vary from year to year INF 2127 Collection Development, Evaluation, and Management INF 2128 Serials Management INF 2145 Creation and Organization of Bibliographic Records INF 2153 Technical Services: Organization and Administration University of Toronto, Faculty of Information, Information Services Page 6

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