ACQNET v2n024 (February 20, 1992) URL = http://hegel.lib.ncsu.edu/serials/stacks/acqnet/acq-v2n024 ISSN: 1057-5308 *************** ACQNET, Vol. 2, No. 24, February 20, 1992 ========================================= (1) FROM: Christian SUBJECT: Who's new on ACQNET today (23 lines) (2) FROM: Martin Cohen SUBJECT: Firm order claiming (39 lines) (3) FROM: Anne McKee SUBJECT: CBS News transcripts, Burrelle (34 lines) (4) FROM: Donna Signori SUBJECT: Private offices for technical services staff (15 lines) (5) FROM: Beth Jacoby SUBJECT: Private offices for technical services staff (25 lines) (6) FROM: Pamela Rose SUBJECT: Private offices for technical services staff (18 lines) (1) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: February 20, 1992 From: Christian Subject: Who's new on ACQNET today Lori K. Atkins Jim Stickman Student Head, Serials Division Texas Christian University University of Washington Libraries E-mail: ATKINS@TCUCVMS.BITNET E-mail: STICKMAN@U.WASHINGTON.EDU Michael Hernandez Stanley Wilder Head of Acquisitions Asst. Dir. for Administrative Services UCLA Engr. & Math Sciences Libr. Louisiana State University Libraries E-mail: ECZ5MJH@MVS.OAC.UCLA.EDU E-mail: NOTSJW@LSUVM.BITNET Audrey Vanderhoof Roberta Winjum Acquisitions Librarian Head of Serials Texas Christian University Libr. Univ. of Missouri - Columbia Library E-mail: VANDERHOOF@TCUCVMS.BITNET E-mail: ELWINJUM@UMCVMB.MISSOURI.EDU Lynne F. Murphy Rosina Tammany Serials Librarian Head, Monographic Acquisitions McGill University Libraries Eastern Michigan University Library E-mail: MURPHY@LIB1.LAN.MCGILL.CA E-mail: LIB_TAMMANY@EMUNIX.EMICH.EDU (2) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tuesday, 18 February 1992, 09:58:25 EST From: Martin Cohen Subject: Claiming I read with interest the messages from Caleb Hanson and Marsha Hamilton about claiming, because McGill is suffering from the same malaise (not to mention others) with these functions. Perhaps learning about other people's approaches will help. McGill is a NOTIS shop. Going back into the days of manual acquisitions and claiming, we had a separate section for claims, consisting of one high-level position (in essence, a bibliographic searcher with added skills) and one clerical at a low level. Shortly after the advent of NOTIS, the higher-level staff member was transferred out of the department, and claims transferred into the searching unit (with the clerk expected to handle claims and to go to the head searcher for help). It didn't work (this was just before my arrival on the scene, so I don't know all the ins and outs). As a very ad hoc solution - not all the reasons were fully justifiable - claims got transferred to our accounting section. The problem here is that the searching unit loses control over the re-order process. We've also succeeded in developing horrendous backlogs, and can no longer do what OSU is doing - eyeballing rushes and prepayments within a short cycle, the others within the normal ones. Incidentally, our claims person also should be inputting vendor reports and following up delinquent orders by 'phoning or faxing - so we need a full-time person. Moreover, that full-time person shouldn't (I think) be a low-level clerical. Questions: (1) Would other NOTIS libraries be willing to share their organizational models for claims with me - to whom does the function report, how many bodies, what level, etc.? (2) Has ANYONE been able to stay fully up to date with all the aspects of claims? I mean stay - a situation where backlogs only exist in the case of some sort of force majeure. Help, thoughts, suggestions would be very welcome. Many thanks. (3) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 19 Feb 92 10:56:18 EST From: Anne McKee Subject: Burrelle I might have the answer that Greg Flanagan requested concerning CBS Transcripts on Fiche and Burrelle. We were interested in obtaining information on taping news shows, etc. and Jackie Freeman at Vanderbilt University suggested we call Burrelle's in New York. There are actually 2 parts to Burrelles -- a database and the taping service. The taping service is over a year old and rather unique. They tape and store for 31 days news shows from CBS, NBC, ABC CNN and PBS and any other 170 cities within the U.S. An institution then contracts with Burrelle and will be provided TAPED verbatim transcripts of any broadcast that might fit the institutions's parameters (i.e. if we wanted them to tape Phoenix's stations and give us a transcript for every news show that mentioned ASU-West). Or they will do one-time orders (i.e. everything on CBS concerning the Jeffrey Dalmer Case within the last 31 days.) The service is pricey. If an institution has a standing order with them, it would be $101 a month plus $1.13 per two words of transcript. The minimum charge is $10 and the maximum is $84. A minimum charge on a one time order would begin at approx. $40 plus the cost of the transcript. There are a few things to keep in mind. They only keep the broadcasts for 31 days and it's only for specific subjects rather than "all news on ABC in the past 31 days." Burrelle also offers an online Data Base for news broadcasts and you can request information concerning this service. I have misplaced the telephone number but they are in New York City and the contact person is Don Fielding. When I talked with them in August they did not have plans to issue microfiche. This may have changed, since it's been 6 months, but I rather doubt it. If anyone is still interested in this service after reading this-I'll try and track the phone number down! (4) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 19 Feb 92 11:07:24 PST From: Donna Signori Subject: Private offices for technical services staff In the Technical Services area of the library (Acquisitions, Serials Process- ing, and Cataloguing) we provide separate offices for the more senior level of support staff. However, these are not traditional offices with solid walls and a door, they are more like cubicles with 5 foot panel walls which include basic office furniture (desk, chair, shelving, and room for a booktruck). These "offices" used to be used by librarians. They afford a certain amount of room apart, away from foot traffic, bumping and some of the usual noise and chatter so occupants can concentrate on cataloguing, invoice concerns and high level searching. I think that this is certainly reasonable for those who are doing cataloguing, but may not be necessary for the other two categories. (5) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 20 Feb 92 09:37 EST From: Beth Jacoby Subject: Private offices As an acquisitions librarian who has no private office, I am very much in favor of private offices for supervisors, whether they be acquisitions, cataloging, or other. In addition to having a place to privately counsel staff under one's supervision, private offices allow for greater concentration when writing procedures, writing confidential performance evaluations on one's computer (now anyone can walk up to my area and see what's on my computer screen before I have time to dim it), and just plain thinking and planning, which doesn't happen often enough. I end up having to do most of this work at home, or staying late at work until all my staff have left for the day. I always been envious of my colleagues who do have private offices. My colleague in Serials does have a private office. She keeps her door open 99% of the time, and told me that her having an office (which she shares with her assistant) has not seemed to inhibit either her staff or the bibliographers from interacting with her. I think bibliographers who want to interact with their colleagues will do so whether there are private offices or not. Like- wise, bibliographers who prefer to do business by inter-library or campus mail or e-mail will do so whether the acquisitions librarian has a private office or not. Please do plan to have private offices for your supervisors! (6) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 20 Feb 1992 13:51 EST From: Pamela Rose Subject: Private offices for technical services staff In regard to the issue of private offices vs. "warehouse" space, I advise you to fight for the privacy. It seems to me that humans have so little control over much of their lives, especially in the working arena, that private space, at a premium in most work environments, is critical to promoting morale and efficiency in organizing and implementing whatever you do. Our central technical services here (my library has its own autonomous unit) differs drastically from our workspace. They have a huge warehouse with partitioned spaces, while we have small group workspaces and private offices with windows. I don't find the private space a hindrance to interaction at all. I frequently travel through other areas in pursuit of my duties, and converse briefly with most everyone in the course of a day. In contrast, if I am holed up in my office, but need to interact, an intercom call may do the trick. I don't think you need to be pushed together to communicate, in fact, it may be counterpro- ductive. ******* END OF FILE ****** ACQNET, Vol. 2, No. 24 ****** END OF FILE *******