Sometimes items are returned to the desk or found by staff to be damaged or missing important information. When this happens, staff must determine where to send the items for the issues to be resolved. Please refer to the following guide to determine where an item must be sent, and how to process it for correction.
DETERMINE PROCESSING NEEDS
TECHNICAL SERVICES
Barcode issues
missing, does not scan, falling off. do not look up the barcode in alma.
just put note indicating “missing barcode” in the item and leave it on a truck.
Note: Education Curriculum and GovDoc's, have atypical or no barcodes, do not send to Tech Services for this reason
Label issues
missing, torn, faded, unreadable, error
DVD/CDs
test the disc. if it doesn’t work, the item needs to be removed from the
catalog. fill out work order (examples below).
DVD/CD cases
cracked, not shutting, disc holder broken, missing labels/barcode
PRESERVATION
Damaged items
ripped, missing pages, water damage, insect damage, dirty,
stained, cover missing. if book is badly soiled, such as with
liquids or sticky substances, place in preservation bag and then
in the freezer, indicate to preservation department that item
is in the freezer so that they can retrieve it.
NOTHING LOOKS WRONG
If you cannot determine what is wrong with an item, the item may have been put on the damaged shelf mistakenly. In these cases, return the item in Alma to make sure statuses are cleared and place the item in preshelving.
If you are unsure if an item is missing a barcode or is supposed to be barcode-less, or about anything else please leave the item for another staff member to look over.
PROCESSING WORK ORDERS
Once it is determined whether an item needs to be sent to Technical Services or Preservation, the next step is to fill out a work order for the item. This step is done through Alma and changes the item status so that patrons and other staff members do not mistakenly request the item before its issues are corrected.
- Search the barcode in Alma by 'Physical Items'. If item does not have barcode, skip to step 4. Please do not attempt to search/match it by call number or title. This sometimes leads to accidental mislabeling.
- Click on “Work Order”. If it isn’t one of the two buttons displayed, you can find it under the “…” button. If you want, you can adjust which two options are displayed by clicking the gear icon at the top of the page.
- Select the Process Type (Technical Services or Preservation). Managing Department should auto-fill, but if it doesn’t, just select the option that matches the Process Type. Add note detailing the issues if necessary. Include the word "Replacement" if processing a replacement copy. Make sure the “Do not pick from shelf” button is filled so that the item does not print out an additional slip. Click “Submit”. Note: If it needs things for both preservation and tech services, send to tech services first. There is no sense in fixing the item if it is going to be withdrawn.
Return the item in Alma. A transfer slip will print. Any added notes will appear at the top of the transfer slip. Notes can also be handwritten on the transfer slips if needed.
Technical Services: Put it in a bin and use the zip ties to indicate that it is to go to Tech Services.
- Tech Services delivery colors are purple and white. Mail boxes headed to Tech Services should be zip tied closed with purple and white zip ties.
- Exception: Items headed to Tech Services from ULIB should be placed on a truck to be wheeled down.
- Tech Services delivery colors are purple and white. Mail boxes headed to Tech Services should be zip tied closed with purple and white zip ties.
Preservation: Put the item in the mailing bin to Preservation.
- Preservation delivery colors are purple and orange. Mail boxes headed to Preservation should be zip tied closed with purple and orange zip ties.
- Preservation delivery colors are purple and orange. Mail boxes headed to Preservation should be zip tied closed with purple and orange zip ties.
PROCESSING EQUIPMENT
Sometimes equipment will comes back damaged as well. Different equipment have different requirements:
Headphones: Replaced by Circ department. First, test to make sure the headphones are broken (plug them in and try listening to something if there is no obvious damage to the headphones). If not broken, return to where headphones are kept. If the the headphones are broken, take new headphones from the supply closet. Try to remove the old headphone barcode and neatly paste it onto the new headphones (it might be necessary to print out a new copy of the barcode, seen below). Place the working headphones in the circulation area. The broken headphones can be thrown away.
Laptops: Tech Services (Systems). Leave a sticky note on the laptop instructing other staff/students to not check it out. Create a Ticket on LibHelp for systems and a Work Order in Alma. Tech Services will remove it from the laptop cabinet.
Laptop chargers: Replaced by Circ department. First, test the charger to make sure it is actually broken. If it is in fact damaged, remove the barcode from the charger. Get a replacement charger of the same kind; test it to make sure it works. Use orange or purple colored tape around the cord (close to, but not right next to the middle “block” of the new charger). Write the charger number on the block with Sharpie (silver ink on black plastic, red ink on silver plastic). Print out new barcode using the Printing Barcodes file in Caesar. Use library tape to tape the barcode on to the new charger and put it out at the Circ desk. There should be one charger for each laptop in the charging station, plus one extra charger of each type in the cabinets behind the Circ desk. The old chargers should be passed on to Jeff to take to Systems for disposal.
