I am very pleased with the progress the department has made in getting your materials out the door in a timely fashion.  There are more items entering the building this time of year due to publishers releasing more titles and fiscal years ending. Even with increased volume we are working to get materials on your shelves within 5 working days.
For important details of the current status of technical services and our plans to continue to improve these services please continue reading.
Where we are
Workflow chart: Diane Mayo helped create a workflow chart for the department. The chart shows the path an item takes from ordering to delivery to your library. Along the way, there are “Errors.” “Errors” range from “Wrong item sent” by the vendor to an on order item record missing. Each “Error” requires troubleshooting and can slow down the flow of getting the item to your library.  Please check out the Workflow Chart .
Time driven data: Using the workflow chart, the department is now measuring how long it takes to do each task. When we are finished we will know how long it takes to get the items to your library. With the baseline data we will be able to infer how many volumes we can handle in a given year. We will also be able to make changes in our workflow and compare the times to see if the changes are beneficial. Gathering the data will continue through the end of the year.
Here is an example of a new title arriving in a timely fashion:
Stephen King’s Lisey’s Story hit the bookstore shelves on Tuesday October 24, 2006.  Many libraries ordered this title in August or September. Our vendor shipped most books on October 13th, they arrived at SALS on October 17th and were received in Polaris on October 19th. These books were put in the delivery on October 24th.Â
Backlog: The requests for audiovisual records and materials sent to SALS for cataloging and/or processing are backlogged.  As more staff time is available, the work will be distributed to more staff.
Where we are going
Catblog: A new blog is being designed to have a place for all things to do with cataloging and the MVLS/SALS bibliographic database. This will be a forum to discuss issues that arise and a place for documents and forms to be housed electronically.Â
Standardizing cataloging: A new document is being created to help the staff and the member libraries determine when a new record should be requested and created. Staff at MVLS, SALS and SCPL are working to make the criteria for record creation user-friendly.
Vendor performance data: Once SALS knows how long it takes the staff to get materials out the door, we will begin to evaluate our vendors. Measurements will include: the time it takes from order to delivery, which vendors offers the best services for our needs (price, discounts, processing fees, time to ship, among others.)
Automated ordering: I am in the process of investigating several vendor’s electronic ordering systems that will integrate with Polaris. The goal is to have libraries create carts on a website and import purchase orders and bibliographic records in one step. Â
Purchasing bibliographic records:Â The goal is to have the best record in the catalog without searching and entering data to save library and SALS’ staff time.
Workflow changes: Diane Mayo recommended that the Technical Services Department should touch materials less often; tasks need to be streamlined. Early next year, the Technical Services staff will be trained to do the entire workflow process. Each staff member will start with opening materials for receiving, cataloging and processing and end with re-packaging materials to send back to your library.  You will be informed of our progress.
If you have any questions regarding the contents of this post please do not hesitate to call, comment or email: jferriss@sals.edu .
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