[LM_NET] Inefficiency - I need help!

[sarah <sarah.ludwig@GMAIL.COM>]

I'm entering my third year, and in getting ready for next year--doing all of
my purchasing, etc.--I am reminded of how horribly inefficient our library
is! I am the only librarian here, and I have one full-time assistant, as
well as two part-timers who work at night. I need advice on how to make our
technical services run more smoothly. Here's how we do things currently
(this is pretty much the system that was set up by my predecessor):

-Order books from Baker and Taylor.

-When books arrive, give them an accession number, check against the catalog
in case of duplicate order, go to our local union catalog and print out
record with Dewey number.

-I catalog the book based upon the Dewey number on the catalog print-out.

-Book goes back to the assistant, who goes back into the union catalog,
copies the MARC record, and pastes it into our cataloging program. She then
adds my call number and the accession number. She takes the material number
that the program gives us and prints out a bar code, which she attaches to
the book.

-She then covers the book, puts on a custom-made spine label (they're
color-coordinated and printed out on colored--and very expensive--label
tape), stamps the book with the name of our library, double-checks
everything in the catalog, and shelves the book.

-We file the catalog sheet in our accession binders in order to keep a paper
shelf list, after writing the call number, accession number, and material
number on it.

As a result of this long list of tasks, books sit waiting to be processed
for AGES...

Could you please tell me how you handle book orders and processing? I never
studied school library management in grad school and I feel like I am
missing a huge piece of information.

Thanks!

Sarah Ludwig
Director of Library Services
WMA
Wilbraham, MA
sarah.ludwig@wmanet.org

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