Processing+Books

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https://sites.google.com/a/flagstaffacademy.org/lmc/policies/book-processing 2) Once books are purchased the vendor sends the Librarian and electronic file containing the bibliographic information required to set up a record in the circulation software (Machine Readable Code/MARC record). Additionally, all the books will arrive with bar codes, spine labels, and reinforced, if necessary. 3) When the books arrive the Librarian will check to make sure all the materials have arrived in god shape, validate the packing list, and scan each book to make sure the record for that book is indeed in the system and accurate. Books are stamped and placed into the collection for check out. It takes about 5 minutes to get a book into the collection from a library book vendor versus 20 minutes or more for materials acquired by donation or via book fair credits.
 * Book Processing**
 * There are two ways the LMC acquires books: 1) Purchased from a Library Book Vendor 2) Donations or purchased with book fair credits **Books purchased from a Library Book Vendor** **//(preferred method)//** 1) The Librarian works with library book vendors to locate materials that meet LMC [|Selection Criteria]. Some of the vendors we work with include Follett, Mackin (the only Core Knowledge approved vendor), Gumdrop, PermaBound, and others. We prefer to acquire our books from these sources for the following reasons:
 * Their inventories are vast and more inline with Core Knowledge curriculum needs
 * They offer discounts
 * We can select from different binding options including hardcover (publisher cover), reinforced library binding, and reinforced paperback
 * All their materials come with guarantees on the shelf-life--ranges from a 5-year to lifetime guarantee depending on vendor
 * All will provide cataloging, e.g., some charge a nominal fee for this service while others do it for free
 * Their staffs are comprised of former librarians so we can call on their expertise to help with the time consuming tasks of preparing book lists for purchase
 * Many offer free shipping

**__Donated or purchased with book fair credits__** **//(not accepting any donations at this time)//** If the book is donated or comes from a source that does not offer processing then the LMC staff must process the materials. Unprocessed materials can take up to 20 minutes per item to catalog and prepare for shelving, e.g., get them into the collection for check out. Additionally, these materials also require significant man hours and other resources including labels, label protectors, and laminate or book jacket covers. 1) All books, regardless of whether they are donated or purchased with book fair credits, e.g., Scholastic, must meet [|Selection Criteria]. Those materials that fail to meet Selection Criteria will be rejected. 2) Materials that meet Selection Criteria, accepted by the Librarian for inclusion in the collection, will then enter the processing stream and a bibliographic will be created, the MARC record. This is done by looking up their ISBN, title, author, editor, illustrator, etc., in other libraries catalogs or library book vendors databases, e.g., MARC Source (Follett's MARC record database), Library of Congress, or other public or school libraries that make their catalogs public. We search for a record that matches the ISBN, e.g., author, copyright, physical description, etc. Sometimes we cannot make an exact match so we have to use multiple search criteria to locate a record. This searching process can take anywhere from 3 min. to 10 min. depending on the quality of the records we find. We must review all potential matches to find the best match because ultimately it is this data our circulation software uses to create a record that the patron will see about this item. Remember the old days, we used to have a card catalog, we would look up a book and then read the card to determine its content, reading level, physical description, Dewey class (fiction or non-fiction), call number, etc.? Well, this still happens today but the record is electronic and it goes into the catalog database that contains all the bibliographic records for all LMC materials. Patrons search this database to locate materials of interest. Therefore, we must make sure the bibliographic record is "tagged" correctly so that when a patron searches on a topic they find this resource, as well as any other associated topics where this resource has applicability. For example, a book on Labrador Retrievers will not only appear under this title but also appear under a search on dogs, puppies, pets, breeds of dogs, etc. 3) Once we locate a good MARC record we download that into the circulation software and complete the other information fields required to complete the bibliographic record including vendor, what specific funds were used to acquire the item, date it was added to the collection, copy ID, call number, etc. Keep in mind that cataloging is an art and a science, people spend years learning the nuances of cataloging. While some parent volunteers assist with this process it requires Librarian supervision. 4) The next step is to stamp the book with a Flagstaff Academy mark, print bar codes and spine labels. This is done typically in batches. It's more efficient to do 30 books at a time vs. one here and one there. The reason for this is that once you start processing you must issue unique copy IDs to every book, it's easier to work in groups of 10 sequential numbers at time, less confusion. The entire process really requires a lot of concentration and it's best to have little or no interruptions while processing. 5) After bar code and spine labels are printed they are matched with the right book and then handed off to volunteers for reinforcement. Reinforcement is also time consuming because we must custom fit a laminate cover to every paperback book. This helps extend the books shelf-life and protects the bar code and spine label form wearing out, e.g., rubbing off/tearing off. Unfortunately, most donated materials and book fair books (books purchased through book fair credits) are not made for library use. They are not library bound, they do not use high quality paper, they are not reinforced or protected from the use (and abuse) library books routinely experience. Their shelf-life is one (1) year at best. The paper yellows within 9 months, the cover begins to pull away from the pages, and the glue that holds the pages together begins to dry and degrade. This is also true for many hardcover books, if they were not bound for library use they also require reinforcement and will have a short shelf-life. The additional cost of creating MARC records, printing bar code and spine labels, purchasing laminate, and the man hours to get these materials into the collection is significant. 6) After all this, we can finally add the book to the collection for check out. ||