YRL Member Library
YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL YRL Member Library Procedures Manual © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL TABLE OF CONTENTS: INTRODUCTION TO YRL What do I do as a Newly Appointed Librarian? What is Yellowhead Regional Library? What is TRAC? Yellowhead Regional Library Mission Statement Yellowhead Regional Library History YRL Headquarters Staff Contacts & Organizational Chart Yellowhead Regional Library Member Public Libraries YRL Participating Municipalities Who Does What? Definitions and Abbreviations Resources for Library Managers What is a friends group? Public libraries in schools - facts & tips for success LIBRARY POLICIES The Alberta Libraries Act The Libraries Regulation Required Policies Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy (FOIP) Occupational Health and Safety Revenue Canada Additional Recommended Policies © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Table of Contents 1 of 7 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL SERVICES Alberta Municipal Affairs, Public Library Services Branch Programs offered Annual report statistics Conferences Book Allotment Accounts and Reports Explanation of the Fund columns Special notes Communicating with YRL Toll free telephone Regular telephone Fax Email YRL Website Listservs Consulting with YRL staff Client Services Technology Services Desktop and network support Helpdesk GoToAssist Training and consulting services Colibri Machine Disc Repair Service (DVDs and CDs) FAQs E-Resources Online databases © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Table of Contents 2 of 7 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL Overdrive Online Catalogue: TRACpac ChiliFresh Professional Collection Programming in Your Library TD Summer Reading Club (SRC) Teen Reading Club Other programs Local library programming Benefits of programming Programming ideas Public Libraries Council YRL Public Librarians Council Executive Committee Reference Questions (AAQ) Dealing with reference questions in your library Statistics Reference question tracking form sample Special Collections Aboriginal kits World Language Books Storytime kits Free Supplies TRAC/TAL Card Visunet Who can use the Visunet service? Materials available through Visunet VisuCAT © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Table of Contents 3 of 7 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL What this service means for your library YRL Website COLLECTION MANAGEMENT Collection Development Collection development policy Selecting materials Donations Procedures Collection Development Resources Yellowhead Regional Library Selection and review tools Intellectual Freedom in Collection Management Complaints about Library Materials Request for reconsideration of library material Shelving Library Materials Understanding the Dewey Decimal System Best Practices for shelving Collections Serials Cataloguing YRL cataloguing standards Assigning age and reading level Polaris item records Changing Statuses Explanation of statuses Withdrawn/Missing/Bindery/Unavailable Lost materials © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Table of Contents 4 of 7 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL Damaged items Weeding Why weed? Who is responsible for weeding? How often should we weed? Weeding policies How to weed What to do with weeded books MAIL AND DELIVERY SERVICES Handling Mail Email Regular mail Interlibrary loan mail Van Run Delivery YRL delivery of Interlibrary Loans For TRAC member libraries For libraries outside of TRAC Date due flags Shipping procedures ILL inclusions list for nodes and associates as of September 2009 Government courier locations for interlibrary loan delivery RESOURCE SHARING - HOLD REQUESTS Placing a hold Holds requests in TRACpac Requesting an item in TRACpac © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Table of Contents 5 of 7 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL Letting a patron cancel or suspend an unfilled hold in TRACpac Holds requests @ TAL Online In-Transit Procedures Hold Request Terminology COLLECTION INVENTORY Why do inventory? Recommended inventory schedule Inventory planning steps TECHNOLOGY IN LIBRARIES Polaris What number to call for help? Computer troubleshooting tips Basic printer troubleshooting Wireless guest access Internet access Public access to the Internet Statement of intent Conditions Procedures Schedule A: Sample user procedure Schedule B: Sample public access to the Internet user agreement YRL helpdesk Technology plan Technology recommendations for purchase © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Table of Contents 6 of 7 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL Desktop & Administrative Support Services – Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) Core competencies for Technology (APLEN) Community Access Program (CAP) WELCOMING NEW PATRONS Library Cards TRAC background Conditions What to do if a patron presents a TRAC card from another library What to do is a patron presents a TAL card What to do if a patron presents a library card from another library TAL cards – participating libraries Patron codes Renewing memberships APPENDICES: PIM User Manual Simply Reports Guide VDX Manual Overdrive Manual *Note: Polaris Client training materials can be found @ www.yrl.ab.ca* © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Table of Contents 7 of 7 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL INTRODUCTION TO YRL What do I do as a Newly Appointed Librarian? What is Yellowhead Regional Library? What is TRAC? Yellowhead Regional Library Mission Statement Yellowhead Regional Library History YRL Headquarters Staff Contacts & Organizational Chart Yellowhead Regional Library Member Public Libraries YRL Participating Municipalities Who Does What? Definitions and Abbreviations Resources for Library Managers What is a friends group? Public libraries in schools - facts & tips for success © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 1 1 of 19 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL WHAT DO I DO AS A NEWLY APPOINTED LIBRARIAN? Welcome to Yellowhead Regional Library! You’re hired! Start here: Obtain relevant information on the history of your community's involvement with Yellowhead Regional Library (YRL). Visit the YRL website www.yrl.ab.ca to see what the system has to offer you and your patrons. YRL has an annual half-day orientation workshop for all new library staff at YRL Headquarters in midSeptember. Please call the Administrative Associate to register. Phone YRL headquarters and introduce yourself to the Administrative Associate who can schedule an orientation visit from a Client Services Librarian. Familiarize yourself with the procedures manual. Write down questions to ask the Client Services Librarian(s) over the phone or when he/she visits or when you come to headquarters. Familiarize yourself with your own library’s services and collections. Write down all your questions and don’t be afraid to ask them. YRL is here to help you in any way we can. Review your library’s Plan of Service and take note of when it expires. Ask your board any questions you have about the document’s development or contents. A new plan of service is required every five (5) years. Contact YRL headquarters if your plan has expired or is expiring soon. A current Plan of Service is a mandatory requirement for public libraries in Alberta. As you become more familiar with library policies and procedures … … welcome and help everyone who comes to the library. • Be sensitive to the needs of all the people in your community, whether they are teenagers, seniors, immigrants, unemployed workers, children, homemakers or anyone else. • People who only use the Internet are just as important as the people who only read books. … learn how to take and to fill patron requests for books from other libraries. • Check your local library materials first for any reader requests. • Always suggest that the patron put a hold on any item they want to borrow which is not available at your local library. • Handle interlibrary loans/requests/holds from your patrons and requests/holds sent to your library within 24 hours. • Remember, the role of the library is service: a library is useless if the books remain on the shelves. … establish and maintain ongoing communication with YRL headquarters. • Inform headquarters of any changes in staff, hours, location, phone or email address. • Please send headquarters a copy of your most recent: 9 Plan of Service 9 Technology Plan © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 1 2 of 19 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL 9 Annual Report 9 Policies • Review your allotment reports. • Send requests for TRAC/TAL cards, patron barcodes, plastic covers, and bookmarks to headquarters. • YRL is here to serve your staff and library’s needs. Please contact us with your questions. … operate the library under the guidelines established by your local board. • Establish and maintain ongoing communication with your library board members. • Report on your local library at every regular board meeting. • Know the difference between board responsibilities and library manager responsibilities. SEE The Handbook: Alberta Library Trustees Association. Edmonton: Alberta Library Trustees Association, 2003. It is also available at: http://www.librarytrustees.ab.ca/Default.aspx?pageId=190867 … maintain accurate and relevant usage statistics of library use. • Complete the annual report for the Alberta Municipal Affairs, Public Library Services Branch. Send a copy to YRL headquarters, keep a copy for your board file, and send the original to the Libraries Branch. • Communicate statistics to your board and community regularly. … be aware of and knowledgeable about YRL services: 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 TRAC/TAL Card Facilitation of interlibrary loans Online catalogue: www.TRACpac.ab.ca Integrated Library system: Polaris YRL’s website: www.yrl.ab.ca Online databases Available on YRL & TRACpac websites Weekly van deliveries Ordering, processing, cataloguing and delivery of library materials Support and training for a variety of library management and training needs Computer and network support for members on the YRL network Allotment for purchasing library materials Summer reading clubs for children and teens Conferences and workshops Virtual reference : Ask a Question Special collections: Storytime kits, World Language Books (multilingual resources), Aboriginal kits … tips for success Maintain a well-organized and attractive library. Aim to be informed about community, provincial, national, and global topics as well as library issues. Attend all Public Libraries’ Council meetings, held three times per year at YRL. Contact the Public Library Council Executive who is the liaison for your library. For more information, refer to the YRL website at www.yrl.ab.ca © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 1 3 of 19 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL Join professional associations such as the Library Association of Alberta (LAA). SEE the LAA website at: http://www.laa.ca for information and membership rates and to register online. Attend workshops and conferences to further your own professional development, such as YRL workshops and conferences. Establish a good rapport with businesses and the newspaper in your town. 9 Contribute regularly to a column for library news in the local newspaper. 9 Maintain a high library profile in the community so businesses will use your resources and support you when you need it. 9 Public relations and community awareness are good tools for overcoming tough times for your library. 9 Seek to collaborate with other agencies/organizations/groups in your community. • Plan and oversee the summer reading program, including supervising summer staff each year and applying for STEP grants to fund them. • Promote the online teen (summer) reading club, TeenRC: www.teenrc.ca • Every year, review the periodicals (magazines) you are ordering to determine if they are meeting your customers' needs and reorder more appropriate titles or cancel subscriptions. • Email and mail is the vital link among member libraries and between member libraries and YRL headquarters. Please handle all email and mail promptly and respond to any deadlines or questions mentioned in correspondence. • Weed on a regular basis to maintain a collection that is current and attractive; keep the collection up-to-date and the library materials in good repair. Keep shelves dust free. Weeding is a service offered by YRL Client Services Librarians. Please contact them if you need assistance. • Perform an inventory every three to five years. For assistance, contact someone the Client Services Associate or Librarian. • Display best sellers and new books prominently in your library. • If you need help with any of your job responsibilities, call a Client Services Librarian. • Refer to books and other resources that provide you with in-depth information and ideas on library services and programs. • Don't forget to have fun while doing your job! © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 1 4 of 19 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL WHAT IS YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY? Yellowhead Regional Library (YRL) is one of seven cooperative library systems operating in the province of Alberta. YRL is headquartered in Spruce Grove, Alberta, and provides services to public and school libraries within 27,342 square mile boundary on a membership basis. Funding is provided by member municipalities, member school boards and the Province of Alberta. YRL is incorporated under the Alberta Libraries Act and is governed by a Board. The YRL Board consists of one member for each jurisdiction, either school board or municipality. YRL is the only library system where school boards rather than individual schools are members. ALBERTA’S SEVEN REGIONAL LIBRARY SYSTEMS 1. Peace Library System * Website: www.peacelibrarysystem.ab.ca Phone: 1-800-422-6875 2. Yellowhead Regional Library * Website: www.yrl.ab.ca Phone: 1- 877-962-2003 3. Parkland Regional Library Website: www.prl.ab.ca Phone: 1-800-567-9024 4. Marigold Regional Library * Website: www.marigold.ab.ca Phone: 1-800-332-1077 5. Chinook Arch Regional Library System Website: www.chinookarch.ca Phone: 1-403-380-1500 6. Shortgrass Library System Website: www.shortgrass-lib.ab.ca/ Phone: 1-403- 529-0550 7. Northern Lights Library System * Website: www.nlls.ab.ca Phone: 1-800-561-0387 * Indicates TRAC members © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 1 5 of 19 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL WHAT IS TRAC? The Regional Automation Consortium YRL is one of the founding members of TRAC (The Regional Automation Consortium). TRAC is a partnership of four regional library systems in Alberta: Marigold Library System, Northern Lights Library System, Peace Library System, Yellowhead Regional Library, and their member libraries. The four system headquarters plus their member public libraries jointly share an integrated library software system called Polaris, which YRL operates under an ongoing contract. © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 1 6 of 19 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY MISSION STATEMENT Yellowhead Regional Library (YRL) provides materials and services to public and school libraries, and other organizations to assist them in meeting the informational, educational, cultural and recreational needs of their communities. YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY HISTORY Yellowhead Regional Library was founded in 1971 by the Counties of Barrhead, Lac Ste. Anne, Leduc, Parkland and Wetaskiwin to provide library services to the school and public libraries in those areas. From the start, intellectual freedom has been a YRL core value. In 1974 library services offered by YRL expanded to include interlibrary loans. During the 1980s YRL grew steadily. The decade was highlighted by a provincial capital grant made in December 1988 of $1,461,500.00 to fund a new building for the YRL headquarters. Significant change came during the 1990s. The new headquarters building was officially opened on November 23, 1990. During this decade funding issues for libraries posed ongoing challenges. Additionally, in the mid 1990s when school boards were amalgamated and regionalized, YRL’s governing structure no longer complied with the Libraries Act. Thus restructuring became necessary. Partway through this process - in 1996 -YRL celebrated its 25th anniversary. After eighteen months of discussions, presentations and meetings, the members signed a new membership agreement in June, 1998. Under this model each school board and each municipality became an independent member of YRL and each had a seat at the board table. This is YRL’s current governance model. In 1999, The Regional Automation consortium (TRAC) was formed by an agreement between Marigold Library System, Northern Lights Library System and YRL. The servers used to house the jointly purchased Dynix Integrated Library Software (ILS) system were housed and managed at YRL headquarters. 2004 was a year of notable change and growth. In the spring, Peace Library System joined TRAC and their records were successfully merged into the TRAC Dynix database. This brought four of the seven regional libraries in Alberta into the same consortium. Later that year, on September 18, the Town of Devon joined YRL. This signaled a system completion for YRL in that all municipalities with a library board within the Yellowhead geographic area had joined YRL. Another major milestone at YRL and in TRAC was the migration to the new Polaris ILS. Owing to the age of the Dynix ILS and changes to its vendor company, TRAC directors decided to replace it. After thorough research and implementation processes, Polaris ILS went live for all TRAC libraries on January 8, 2009. During 2009, YRL administration and its Board went through a governance review as part of a plan to address concerns raised by member municipalities. At the conclusion of this review, YRL had a new governance structure with a new executive committee structure that receives input from the Public Libraries Council on YRL Services. Current statistics on YRL membership can be found on the YRL website. Please go to www.yrl.ab.ca and click on the About Us tab. Click on Board and go to the Orientation page which features the Public and School Libraries Fact Sheets. © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 1 7 of 19 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL YRL HEADQUARTERS STAFF CONTACTS & ORGANIZATIONAL CHART A current copy of YRL’s staff contacts and organizational chart is located on the YRL website. This page is updated each time staff changes occur at YRL headquarters and you can bookmark this page for easy reference. © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 1 8 of 19 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY MEMBER PUBLIC LIBRARIES AABM ALBERTA BEACH MUNICIPAL LIBRARY AAF ALDER FLATS PUBLIC LIBRARY ABEAM BIBLIOTEQUE DE BEAUMONT ABARR BARRHEAD PUBLIC LIBRARY ABRC BLUE RIDGE PUBLIC LIBRARY ADUF DUFFIELD PUBLIC LIBRARY ABRM BRETON MUNICIPAL LIBRARY AENT ENTWISTLE PUBLIC LIBRARY ACALM CALMAR PUBLIC LIBRARY AEV EVANSBURG & DISTRICT MUNICIPAL LIBRARY ADAR DARWELL PUBLIC LIBRARY AFAW (FAWCETT) M. ALICE FROSE LIBRARY AD DEVON PUBLIC LIBRARY AFA FORT ASSINIBOINE PUBLIC LIBRARY ADV DRAYTON VALLEY MUNICIPAL LIBRARY AGC GRANDE CACHE MUNICIPAL LIBRARY ADVR DRAYTON VALLEY ROTARY BRANCH AJA JARVIE PUBLIC LIBRARY AED EDSON & DISTRICT PUBLIC LIBRARY AKEC KEEPHILLS PUBLIC LIBRARY AH HINTON MUNICIPAL LIBRARY AN NEERLANDIA PUBLIC LIBRARY AJ JASPER MUNICIPAL LIBRARY ANS NEW SAREPTA PUBLIC LIBRARY ALE LEDUC PUBLIC LIBRARY ANJGG (NITON JUNCTION) GREEN GROVE PUBLIC LIBRARY AMA MAYERTHORPE PUBLIC LIBRARY ASANS SANGUDO PUBLIC LIBRARY AMI MILLET PUBLIC LIBRARY ATO TOMAHAWK PUBLIC LIBRARY AO ONOWAY PUBLIC LIBRARY AWI WINFIELD PUBLIC LIBRARY ALAAC PIGEON LAKE PUBLIC LIBRARY (Formerly Lakedell) ARV RICH VALLEY PUBLIC LIBRARY ASB SEBA BEACH PUBLIC LIBRARY ASG SPRUCE GROVE PUBLIC LIBRARY ASH SWAN HILLS PUBLIC LIBRARY ASP STONY PLAIN PUBLIC LIBRARY A TM THORSBY MUNICIPAL LIBRARY AWM WABAMUN PUBLIC LIBRARY AWA WARBURG PUBLIC LIBRARY AWES WESTLOCK MUNICIPAL LIBRARY AW WETASKIWIN PUBLIC LIBRARY AWH WHITECOURT & DISTRICT PUBLIC LIBRARY AWILD WILDWOOD PUBLIC LIBRARY © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 1 9 of 19 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL YRL PARTICIPATING MUNICIPALITIES AS OF MARCH 2010 Jurisdiction Alberta Beach Village Barrhead County No. 11 Barrhead Town Beaumont Town Brazeau County Breton Village Calmar Town Crystal Springs S.V. Devon Town Drayton Valley Town Edson Town Grande Cache Town Grandview S.V. Hinton Town Jasper Town Kapasiwin S.V. Lac Ste. Anne County Lakeview S.V. Leduc City Leduc County Ma-Me-O Beach S.V. Mayerthorpe Town Millet Town New Sarepta Village Norris Beach S.V. Onoway Town Parkland County Poplar Bay S.V. Seba Beach S.V. Silver Beach S.V. YRL invoices member municipalities two times per year. The first invoice requires that ½ of the membership levy be paid in January and the second half of the member ship levy be paid in July. This membership levy fee helps to provide some of the funding that allows YRL to operate. Additional funding is also received from the Provincial Government as an annual operating grant based on the population served by YRL. The membership levy for YRL member municipalities is based on the current population of that municipality multiplied by the current rate. In 2010, for example, the rate is $4.30 per capita, so a municipality of 1000 population would be invoiced $4300.00. Current populations are taken from the Alberta Municipal Affairs Official Population Lists: http://www.municipalaffairs.gov.ab.ca/mc_official_populations.cfm These populations are updated each fall by this government department. If you need to update your municipality’s population, check these lists. Silver Sands S.V. Southview S.V. Spring Lake Village Spruce Grove City Stony Plain Town Sunset Point S.V. Swan Hills Town Thorsby Village Val Quentin S.V. Wabamun Village Warburg Village Westlock County Westlock Town Wetaskiwin City Wetaskiwin County No. 10 Whitecourt Town Woodlands County Yellowhead County Yellowstone S.V © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 1 10 of 19 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL WHO DOES WHAT? The Municipal Council Appoints the representative and alternate to the YRL board and communicates changes in appointments to YRL. Pays levies to YRL Signs agreement with YRL Pays the provincial grant to the local library board Maintains and develops the local library through the local library board Is kept informed about YRL 9 Initiates political action through the MLA and Provincial Government and 9 Other local government/s The Municipal Library Board Hires the library manager Is aware of differences between job descriptions of board members and the library manager Is responsible for the local library Sets goals and develops a plan of action that arises from the plan of service Holds regular meetings Applies for the Annual Provincial Operating grant early each year Prepares and circulates the Annual Report Conducts a community needs assessment and plan of service every five years, and sends it to the Libraries Branch. Prepares and circulates library policies Raises funds for the local library Engages in public relations and community awareness on behalf of the local library Keeps informed about the local library as well as wider library issues Provides information to YRL regarding: 9 minutes of board meetings that relate to YRL 9 local library staff or board changes Joins library associations such as the Alberta Library Trustees Association (ALTA) and Canadian Library Trustees Association (CLTA) Initiates political action at all levels of government Needs—identifies what the local library requires in terms of information services, supplies and assistance Suggestions for local library boards: 9 Use the RITE line (310-0000) to speak to MLAs 9 Invite councilors and candidates running for office to your board meetings 9 Include your library’s success stories in your Annual Report © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 1 11 of 19 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL The Local Librarian Operates the library under the guidelines established by the board Reports to the library board at every regular meeting Communicates with YRL regarding: 9 Statistics: annually 9 Changes: in hours, routines, staff, location or phone number/fax/e-mail/website 9 Needs: for information, services, supplies and assistance Engages in public relations and community awareness on behalf of the library Continues to be informed about news and developments from YRL as well as in the larger library community Joins professional associations such as the Library Association of Alberta (LAA) Attends workshops in order to keep current with the library world and to grow professional skills and abilities Suggestions for Staff and Local Board: Identify local talent available in your community or the surrounding area and sponsor programs such as concerts, local dramas, author readings, or craft exhibitions. Engage in public relations and community awareness Collaborate with local organizations that provide services in your community, such as Family and Community Support Services or local health organizations. Look for creative ways to reach out to your community. Start a job list for volunteers. Ask people to perform a single job, but have a list available of work to be done. Yellowhead Regional Library Board Member Represents the board of Yellowhead Regional Library and promotes YRL Is an avid user and supporter of libraries and advocates for them Engages in public relations and community awareness Manages YRL through establishing goals and policies for the system Attends YRL Board meetings or has a knowledgeable alternate attend Is a member of the local library board Reports regularly to local board Reports to Council after each YRL Board meeting Communicates to YRL regarding local needs and concerns and local "political conditions" Continues to expand knowledge of libraries by professional development: Keeps informed about regional, provincial, and national library issues by attending conferences Uses the "buddy" system: keeps in touch with other board members and shares information Engages in advocacy: initiates political action through contacts with the area MLA, the local council and municipal administrators. Makes YRL aware of local library needs and requirements in terms of information, services, supplies or assistance. Suggestion to YRL Board Members: Write articles for library periodicals and newsletters Takes initiative as a regional board member to write, act and do. © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 1 12 of 19 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL DEFINITIONS AND ABBREVIATIONS AALT Alberta Association of Library Technicians www.aalt.org AAQ Ask A Question www.askaquestion.ab.ca Cooperative reference service venture among libraries in Alberta AFA Alberta Foundation for the Arts www.affta.ab.ca ALC Alberta Library Conference www.albertalibraryconference.com Annual provincial conference held in Jasper, AB ALTA Alberta Library Trustees Association www.librarytrustees.ab.ca AMA Alberta Municipal Affairs www.municipalaffairs.gov.ab.ca Ministry under which the Libraries Branch operates APLEN Alberta Public Library Electronic Network www.thealbertalibrary.ab.ca/aplen.html Provides opportunities for libraries to increase their capacity for electronic services to the public CACL Canadian Association of Children’s Librarians Division of CLA CAP Community Access Program A national initiative through Industry Canada to support connectivity to electronic resources for Canadians CAPL Canadian Association of Public Libraries Division of CLA CARLS Chinook Arch Regional Library System www.chinookarch.ca CASL Canadian Association of School Libraries Division of CLA CASLIS Canadian Association of Special Libraries and Information Services Division of CLA CPL Calgary Public Library www.calgarypubliclibrary.com EPL Edmonton Public Library www.epl.ca FCSS Family and Community Support Services FOIP Freedom of Information and Protection http://foip.alberta.ca FTE Full time equivalent (used in relation to staff) © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 1 13 of 19 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL ILL Interlibrary loan LAA Library Association of Alberta www.laa.ca LOA Library Operations Assistant program MARC Machine Readable Cataloguing Data MLS Marigold Library System www.marigold.ab.ca NLLS Northern Lights Library System www.nlls.ab.ca NFB National Film Board www.nfb.ca Non-Resident As per the document “An Agreement By and Between the Parties comprising the Yellowhead Regional Library", non-resident means all persons not residing in a municipality that participates in the Yellowhead Regional library. Conversely, a resident means all persons residing in a municipality, improvement district or special area which participates.” OPAC Online Public Access Catalogue PRL Parkland Regional Library www.prl.ab.ca PLS Peace Library System www.peacelibrarysystem.ab.ca POS Plan of Service An outline of the actions required to meet goals and fulfill objectives; specifies who is responsible and deadlines; usually covers five years. RSS Resource Sharing System The RSS used in Alberta for interlibrary loan is VDX SLS Shortgrass Library System www.shortgrass-lib.ab.ca TAL The Alberta Library www.thealbertalibrary.ab.ca TAL Online The Alberta Library Online Catalogue www.talonline.ca TRAC The Regional Automation Consortium Marigold, Northern Lights, Peace, and Yellowhead TRACpac TRAC’s public access catalogue www.tracpac.ab.ca YRL Yellowhead Regional Library www.yrl.ab.ca © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 1 14 of 19 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL RESOURCES FOR LIBRARY MANAGERS The following books are useful sources of information for both new and experienced library managers. They are available for interlibrary loan through TRAC. Accounting Smith, G. Stevenson. Managerial Accounting for Libraries and other Not-for-Profit Organizations. Chicago: American Library Association, 2002. Fundraising Douglass, Alexander G. Essential Principles for Fundraising Success: An Answer Manual for the Everyday Challenges of Raising Money. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2005. Gerding, Stephanie K. and Pamela H. Mackellar. Grants for Libraries: a How-to-Do-It Manual. NT: Neal-Schuman, 2006. Library Management Carson, Paula Phillips, Kerry David Carson and Joyce Schouest Philips. The Library Manager’s Deskbook: 102 Expert Solutions to 101 Common Dilemmas. Chicago: American Library Association, 1995. Giesecke, Joan. Practical Strategies for Library Managers. Chicago: American Library Association, 2001. Gordon, Rachel Singer. The Accidental Library Manager. Medford, NJ: Information Today Inc., 2005. Landau, Herbert B. The Small Public Library Survival Guide: Thriving on Less. Chicago: American Library Association, 2008. Reed, Sally Gardner. Small Libraries: A Handbook for Successful Management. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, 2002. Seiss, Judith A. The New OPL Sourcebook: A Guide for Solo and Small Libraries. Medford, NJ: Information Today Inc., 2006. Nelson, Sandra. Strategic Planning for Results. Chicago: American Library Association, 2008. Nelson, Sandra. Implementing for Results: Your Strategic Plan in Action. Chicago: ALA, 2010. Technology Plan Matthews, Joseph R. Technology Planning: Preparing and Updating a Library Technical Plan. Westport, Conn: Libraries Unlimited, 2004. © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 1 15 of 19 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL WHAT IS A FRIENDS GROUP? Friends of Libraries are non-profit charitable groups formed to support public libraries in their communities. A Friends Group is made up of individuals who care about their local library and support it by engaging in some or all of the following activities: • Fundraising • Advocacy • Volunteering • Programming/Special events • Community support • Public awareness • Partnership with community groups • Literacy promotion To form a Friends Group you will need a reliable core group of people who have the time to spend planning and organizing the necessary details to help your Friends group succeed. More Information • For more information on this topic, The Friends of Canadian Libraries have an excellent website for Canadian Friends groups at: http://www.accessola.com/focal/assoc.html • Friends of Libraries USA provides a listserv and other useful information on this topic at: www.folusa.org • A useful book available for ILL from TRAC is: Mcnaughton, Dorothy. How to Form Your Friends of the Library Group. Sault Ste. Marie, ON: Friends of Canadian Libraries, 2007. © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 1 16 of 19 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL PUBLIC LIBRARIES HOUSED IN SCHOOLS A public library housed in a school presents everyone involved with the challenge of bringing together two segments of the community with very different goals and reasons for being. There are positive and negative aspects to the arrangement which need to be appreciated to create a successful library operation. The goal of this section is to help you understand the nature of these challenges. Yellowhead Regional Library has 16 public libraries housed in schools. All share the same physical space except for one location, where the public library and the school library are in separate rooms in the same building. In 6 locations, both the public and school libraries are members of YRL. In 8 locations, only the public library is a member of YRL (and the school is not). Library spaces are staffed differently as well. In some cases the same person serves both the school and the public libraries. In others, there is a library manager for the school library and another for the public library. Memorandum of Agreement In order to ensure cooperation, understanding, coordinated risk management, staff training, ongoing operating requirements and issues that arise, a signed agreement between the school division and the public library board must be made. If your library already has an agreement (contract), locate it and keep it available should issues arise. If there is no agreement in place, the Alberta Libraries Regulation requires your library board to put one in place. Alberta’s public libraries are administered under the Alberta Libraries Act. The Libraries Regulation, under the authority of The Libraries Act states: A municipal board shall not operate a library housed in a school unless the municipal board enters into an agreement with the school authority that sets out the responsibilities of the employees of the municipal board and the school authority for the operation of the library, including the responsibilities of the employees and volunteers of both, the municipal board has its own bank account and signing officers, none of whom are employees of the school authority, and the library is open to the public outside of the hours during which the school is in operation for regular classes, including being open during evening or weekend or both, and during the summer. For assistance with issues relating to public libraries housed in schools, please contact Client Services at YRL. © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 1 17 of 19 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL Paths to a Successful Public Library Housed in a School* 1. Agreement (Contract). It is essential that there be a comprehensive contract between two governing bodies spelling out the nature of the relationship. It is crucial that the authority of the principal vs. the library board be set out, specifying which of the two is ultimately in charge, and how conflicts will be resolved. 2. Policies. Joint policies that set out loan periods, fines, overdue materials, internet usage and challenged materials need to be put into place. Policies should not treat students differently from the general public. 3. Access. The library must be accessible to its users. This includes a separate entrance from regular school entrances, for the protection of students and benefit of library patrons. There needs to be adequate signage and handicapped-accessible access to the library and washrooms. 4. Personnel. There needs to be clear definition of who the employer is – the school board or the public library board. Staff must be trained to meet the needs of both client groups. 5. Hours of opening. The school library should be open during school hours. The public should have access during these times, but also when the school is not open, such as weekends, evenings and during the summer. Another consideration is security of the school during hours the school is closed. People should not be able to wander around the school after hours. 6. Collection Development. The school library’s primary function is to support curriculum. Thus the collection must be able to meet that need, but may not meet public library needs. Public library materials may not be considered appropriate for the school. This has implications for the way the space is arranged. 7. Evaluation. Continuous evaluation is necessary to ensure that the goals and objectives of both the school and the public library are continually met. This will go a long way toward an effective collaboration. * Taken from Position Paper on School Housed Public Libraries. Library Association of Alberta. April, 1994. © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 1 18 of 19 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL Differences between School and Public Libraries SCHOOL LIBRARIES Goals * Serve instructional and curricular needs of students and teachers. PUBLIC LIBRARIES * Serve recreational reading, general information & cultural needs of the entire community. * Teach students research skills Library Materials * Supports the curriculum of each grade in the school to facilitate the teaching & learning process. * Emphasis on information, reference materials & young people’s literature to motivate a taste for reading. Library Usage * Since attendance at school is required and students use the library as part of class. There is usually little need to attract users. * Usage is usually in class groups by students in the school. Library Facilities/Space * The average school library is seldom larger than a classroom. * Need for class-size or more seating capacity. Personnel * Located near the center of the school. * Staff is usually not formally trained. * Staff is solely concerned with the educational, curricular and reading needs of the school population and teacher requirements. Programs General * Facilitate learning & self-education from preschoolers to seniors. * Aimed at all ages, levels and tastes to meet a wide variety of informational, cultural, educational, recreational and research needs for the entire community. * Book collection is broad in scope covering a wide range of subjects for all ages. * Usage is voluntary and informal, therefore there is a greater need to promote the public library. *Serves the varied interests of all ages and backgrounds. School-age children are only one part of the community. * Wide range of space size. * Located in visible, central area of town with easy access and parking. * Contains more space for materials, more collections and less seating than the school library. * Ideally staffed with professional librarians (depending on population) and staff. * Staff is concerned with meeting the needs of the community at large. * Aimed at teaching students to use information, develop critical thinking skills and love reading. * Aimed at recreation, enjoyment, & creative use of leisure time. Library = resource centre Library = community centre. © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 1 19 of 19 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL LIBRARY POLICIES The Alberta Libraries Act The Libraries Regulation Required Policies Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy (FOIP) Occupational Health and Safety Revenue Canada Additional Recommended Policies © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 2 1 of 3 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL POLICY LIST FOR PUBLIC LIBRARY BOARDS IN ALBERTA Public library service in Alberta is defined by legislation from the Department of Municipal Affairs. The Libraries Act is the law. The Act allows the Minister to set Library Regulation to guide or direct how the law is operated. The Libraries Act sets out a governance structure that enables the public library board to communicate and effectively manage a public library service. The library community and the Public Libraries Section of the Province of Alberta have identified specific areas of policy that are required by a library board. The ten areas of policy that a library board must put into place according to the legislation are listed below. Policies are living documents that can change depending on circumstance and community. Library policies are the responsibility of each individual library board which regularly reviews and updates them. Policies must comply with all legislation that affects them. The Alberta Libraries Act: http://www.qp.gov.ab.ca/documents/acts/L11.cfm The Libraries Regulation: http://www.qp.gov.ab.ca/documents/regs/1998_141.cfm Required Policies from The Alberta Libraries Act (Alberta) from section 7 of The Libraries Regulation: 1. Confidentiality of user records, except where disclosure is required by law. SEE FOIP on next page. 2. Orientation and continuing education of board members and staff, including expenses for attendance at library meetings, conference workshops/courses and for memberships in library associations 3. Finance, including designation of expenses for which board members and staff will be reimbursed, the form in which expenses shall be claimed and the appointment of signing officers for the board 4. Personnel, including job descriptions and performance appraisals for employees and volunteers, qualifications for staff positions, working hours, conditions of employment and grievance procedure. In addition to these requirements, we recommend including statements regarding personnel on: a. Breaks, overtime, weekends b. Leaves for vacation, sickness, jury duty, etc. c. Staff evaluation, probation, promotion, termination, retirement d. Fringe benefits, staff privileges e. Conduct and attitude *Also SEE Alberta Employment Standards at http://employment.alberta.ca 5. Collection development: selection, acquisition, purchase and disposition of library resources, including a policy respecting gifts and donations. We recommend including a statement which affirms the Canadian Library Association’s Statement on Intellectual Freedom: http://www.cla.ca/about/intfreed.htm, establishes provisions for children’s access to material, and includes procedures for dealing with patron complaints and challenged books 6. Resource sharing: http://www.municipalaffairs.alberta.ca/documents/lcvss/Provincial_Resource_Sharing_Policy.pdf 7. Library service to people unable to use conventional print resources. http://www.thealbertalibrary.ab.ca/services/visunet.html 8. Terms and conditions under which library members may borrow library materials 9. Library hours 10. Terms for use of space managed by board but not normally used for library purposes (e.g. meeting room) © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 2 2 of 3 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy (FOIP) (Alberta) The library board must appoint a FOIP officer (usually the library manager). 1. Personal information banks (PIB): http://foip.alberta.ca/resources/publications/pibguide.cfm 2. Records retention. More information is available at: http://foip.alberta.ca/ Occupational Health and Safety (Alberta) • The board must do a hazard assessment of the worksite. • The library must have a First Aid kit on-site that meets Alberta’s guidelines for what is required; it can be self-made or purchased. • One staff member must be trained in First Aid. • The library must hold fire drills twice per year. • More information is available from OH&S website: http://www.whs.gov.ab.ca on the following: 1. Workplace violence and harassment: http://employment.alberta.ca/documents/WHS/WHS-PUB_vah001.pdf 2. Staff working alone: http://employment.alberta.ca/documents/WHS/WHS-PUB_workingalone.pdf 3. Disaster recovery plan 4. Staff training to train other staff about OH&S and access to proper documents & safety guidelines Revenue Canada (Canada) 1. Copyright 2. Applicable tax law (only if have a Friends group or other body with charity or society status) Additional Recommended Policies 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Internet and public access computer use Maintenance and use of the library’s own website Unattended children Library objectives and services offered Where applicable: cooperation with other libraries (e.g. not members of the system) Public relations, marketing, advocacy, and communications Policy on policies: establishing, reviewing, revising policies Contact The Public Libraries Section of Municipal Affairs website has made available a variety of policy samples at: http://municipalaffairs.gov.ab.ca/mc_public_library_policy_examples.cfm For further information about public library policies, please contact the Client Services Department at YRL. © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 2 3 of 3 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL SERVICES Alberta Municipal Affairs, Public Library Services Branch Programs offered Annual report statistics Conferences Book Allotment Accounts and Reports Explanation of the Fund columns Special notes Communicating with YRL Toll free telephone Regular telephone Fax Email YRL Website Listservs Consulting with YRL staff Client Services Technology Services Desktop and network support Helpdesk GoToAssist Training and consulting services Colibri Machine Disc Repair Service (DVDs and CDs) FAQs Online Catalogue: TRACpac E-Resources Online databases OverDrive Professional Collection Programming in Your Library © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 3 1 of 31 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL TD Summer Reading Club (SRC) Teen Reading Club Other programs Local library programming Benefits of programming Programming ideas Public Libraries Council YRL Public Librarians Council Executive Committee Reference Questions (AAQ) Dealing with reference questions in your library Statistics Reference question tracking form sample Special Collections Aboriginal kits World Language Books Storytime kits Free Supplies TRAC/TAL Card Visunet Who can use the Visunet service? Materials available through Visunet VisuCAT What this service means for your library YRL Website © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 3 2 of 31 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL ALBERTA MUNICIPAL AFFAIRS PUBLIC LIBRARY SERVICES BRANCH The Libraries Branch is part of Alberta Municipal Affairs. The Branch promotes high quality of library and information service accessible to all Albertans through: • • • • • The support and monitoring of library legislation * The development of public libraries and library systems The encouragement of cooperation between all types of libraries. The provision of specialized consultation The support of equitable library service to all Albertans * Library legislation in Alberta is governed by the Libraries Act and Regulation. Full text of the Libraries Act (Chapter L-11) is available at: http://www.qp.alberta.ca/574.cfm?page=L11.cfm&leg_type=Acts&isbncln=9780779726363 Full text of the Libraries Regulation (Alberta Regulation 141/98) is available at: http://www.qp.alberta.ca/574.cfm?page=1998_141.cfm&leg_type=Regs&isbncln=9780779732661 Programs Financial Assistance: • • • • annual operating grants to public library boards annual operating grants to library systems one time establishment grants to library systems funding for initiatives that research, develop and promote public library service Consulting Services: • • • to library boards and municipal councils on provision of public library service to individual libraries to assist with specific concerns to councils, recreation boards, booksellers, publishers, education and community agencies of all types interested in library service Library System Development: • • consulting services to library boards and municipal councils wishing to join systems partnership and co-operation building among libraries and systems to provide quality library service Networking and Resource Sharing/Information Services: • • • facilitating on-going resource sharing initiatives coordinating the provincial Alberta interlibrary loan agreement support for the Alberta Public Library Electronic Network (APLEN) through The Alberta Library (TAL) to provide a telecommunications network linking all public libraries to a resource sharing network and to the internet. Continuing Education: • • orientation of new trustees regional and provincial workshops in conjunction with library systems, agencies and institutions Contact: Public Library Services Branch Alberta Municipal Affairs 803 Standard Life Centre 10405 Jasper Avenue Edmonton Alberta T5J 4R7 Telephone: 780 - 427 - 4871 Fax: 780 - 415 - 8594 Dial the RITE Line at 310-0000 anywhere in Alberta to call toll free. E-MAIL: [email protected] © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 3 3 of 31 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL ANNUAL REPORT STATISTICS The Libraries Branch of the Alberta Municipal Affairs Department requires each library to record collection and circulation statistics on their annual report form. These figures, and others from the annual report, are used to show the government what libraries do. There is a Polaris report that libraries can run that provides the statistics requested on the annual report form. An Annual Report Workshop is also held at YRL annually to assist you with completing your annual report. Contact information for Libraries Branch: Alberta Municipal Affairs Public Library Services Branch 803, Standard Life Centre 10405 Jasper Avenue Edmonton, AB T5J 4R7 Fax: 780-415-8594 Email: [email protected] The Libraries Branch consultant for YRL member libraries is: Kerry Anderson Phone: 780-644-5487 Email: [email protected] CONFERENCES Yellowhead Regional Library holds conferences for both school and public libraries. This is a professional development opportunity provided to all Yellowhead Regional Library Member Library Staff. Built upon a new theme every year, the sessions are enlightening and contain practical applications for easy implementation in your library setting. The cost for the conference is kept at a minimum for all participants. A registration brochure is sent out early on so that you can choose your sessions. As well as the sessions, there is an exhibit area where you can meet book vendors and view/discuss library related products. Librarians and interested board members are encouraged to attend. For more information on conferences, please contact the Client Services Department. Please see the Events Calendar on our website at www.yrl.ab.ca © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 3 4 of 31 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL BOOK ALLOTMENT ACCOUNTS & REPORTS Every January, YRL member libraries receive book allotment funds for library resources for the current fiscal year. These funds are administered by the Bibliographic Services department, which has the resources to order, receive, catalogue, process and ship library materials to our member libraries. The bulk purchasing power and centralized cataloguing/processing of these items frees up money and staff time for our member libraries to use in other areas. Items purchased with this budget are the property of your local library. The allotment for public libraries (as of 2010) is $.50 per capita. There are 4 types of book purchasing accounts: • Regular Book Allotment • Outside Purchases Reimbursement (since 2010) • Purchase Additional Allotment funds • Non-Allotment purchases or Bill Direct Accounts Regular Book Allotment Each library is encouraged to spend the allotment funds throughout the year. Funds may be spent on library resources of formats including: hardcover books, paperback books, reference books, CD ROMS, audio books on CD ROM, DVDs, and kits. Funds may not be spent for textbooks and/or other types of library supplies such as posters etc. Using publishers’ lists provided to the library from Acquisitions at headquarters, (for example United Library Services (ULS) Hot lists or Paperbacks Bestsellers), as well as other selection tools, member libraries create their orders and send them directly to HQ for processing. The libraries can also set up standing orders for series, large print, etc. through the Acquisitions section of Bibliographic Services. Outside Purchases Reimbursement Member public libraries are able to get reimbursement for library materials purchased outside of YRL Acquisitions from their allotment account. Information on this process and the required form are available on the YRL website at www.yrl.ab.ca Purchase Additional Allotment Funds Member libraries may also deposit extra funds for library materials purchasing with YRL headquarters by sending in a cheque with the funds designated to purchase additional allotment funds. A receipt for the funds is issued upon request. If member libraries do not spend all their allotment funds, these funds will be rolled over into the upcoming fiscal year. Non-Allotment Accounts or Bill Direct Accounts Member libraries may also be invoiced by YRL for library materials purchased through YRL headquarters. Libraries frequently use this option when they have finished their allotment for the fiscal year and/or for internal accounting purposes, do not want to purchase additional allotment funds. When a member library orders library material through YRL acquisitions, YRL will pay initially for the material ordered and then YRL will invoice the library for the materials upon delivery. Member libraries need to set up this option with YRL acquisitions. © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 3 5 of 31 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL Reports To keep track of the various allotment accounts, the member libraries can find the current fund balance in Polaris. Each member library in YRL has one allotment account. Some member libraries will have additional accounts such as a bill-direct account or an additional allotment account as required by the library and set-up by YRL. Fund reports in Polaris provide “real-time” status of the funds activity. It will change each time an item is ordered, received, credited, etc. Directions to find fund balances are available by contacting the Bibliographic Services Manager. Explanation of the Fund columns: Name: Begins with the national library code and additional information such as A (additional allotment account) or 7 as a Bill-Direct Account, e.g. ASGYA is an additional allotment account; ASGY7 is a bill direct account where-in Yellowhead places orders for your library and then invoices your library for the expended funds Alternative Name: Provides a more complete description of the account & its purpose Fund Type: Describes the type of fund, for YRL purposes all funds are regular Status: Indicates that the fund is useable and should have a status of OPEN during the current fiscal year Total allocated: Indicates the budget balance in the specific account, when funds are transferred within or out of the account, this budget balance changes Encumbered: Refers to the purchase order line item cost of all items that are “on order” Expended: Refers to the actual costs incurred when the line item is received Free balance: Indicates how many funds are available for future orders. A negative balance is indicated by parentheses ( ). All Bill Direct Accounts will have a negative balance since the library is to be invoiced for the amount. Fiscal Year: Indicates that the current fiscal year that it is for Yellowhead Regional Library Owner: Indicates the “owner” of the fund, in this case your library Special Notes: Total Allocated column: When additional allotment funds are received at YRL for a library, the funds are initially put into this account for auditing purposes. The funds are transferred into the regular allotment account of the library as they are needed throughout the year. The Total Allocated balance will indicate the transfer of funds. E.g. you may have sent in $10,000 in additional allotment, but as funds are transferred into the regular allotment account, the total allocated balance will decrease in the additional allotment and increase in the regular allotment account. Bill Direct Accounts (have a 7 in the Fund Name): The amount of Total Allocated is normally 0 since your library is to be invoiced for these purchases. © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 3 6 of 31 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL Encumbered: This fund figure represents the amount of the orders at the point of the purchase order being processed. It will not accurately reflect the exact dollars that may be spent on any items as variances such as discounts or change in pricing is applied at the point of receiving the order items. If you have any questions about Book Allotment Accounts & Reporting, please contact Wendy Sears-Ilnicki, manager of Bibliographic Services, at [email protected] or 1-877-780-962-2003 ext 225. © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 3 7 of 31 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL COMMUNICATING WITH YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY Yellowhead Regional Library Website YRL’s website is the main place to go for information about Yellowhead Regional Library. The main page is updated on an ongoing basis with current information and events. You can access the YRL website at: www.yrl.ab.ca Extension numbers and email addresses for staff can be found on our website. Consulting with YRL Staff YRL staff welcome your questions and concerns. The staff list on the YRL website shows whom at YRL to call about your specific concern. If you don’t know whom to call, please contact the Administrative Associate, Laurie Brock, or a Client Services librarian, and they will refer you to the appropriate staff member. Toll Free Telephone Member libraries can call 1-877-962-2003 to contact YRL. Each YRL staff member has an individual extension number. Local and YRL board members are also encouraged to use this number when calling YRL headquarters. YRL pays for the use of this service. Regular Telephone 1-780-962-2003 Fax Local fax: 1-780-962-2770 Toll free fax: 1-888-962-2770 Email Current staff emails can be found on the www.yrl.ab.ca website as mentioned above. Listservs Librarians are encouraged to participate in the two email lists moderated by YRL and its TRAC partners. YRLpub is a listserv for Public Library staff and YRL to discuss public library related topics. It is also used as a tool for YRL staff to communicate with the public library members. It is strongly suggested that all library staff subscribe to this listserv, since it is one way to keep updated with new information and events. • To subscribe, send an email to [email protected] and include your name and address in the body of the message. • To unsubscribe, send an email to [email protected] • To post a message, send it to [email protected] TRACsharing acts as a discussion group for TRAC (The Regional Automation Consortium) member libraries to share and trade ideas, materials, problems, issues and solutions relating to their libraries. TRACSharing Listserv membership is not mandatory. • Post message: [email protected] • Subscribe: [email protected] • Unsubscribe: [email protected] © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 3 8 of 31 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL CLIENT SERVICES Changes to staffing levels in 2009 resulted in a merger of the Technology Services and Training and Development Departments. Together, the staffs from these departments now make up a new department called Client Services. Technology Services The Client Services Associate and Network Administrators provide support for the internal network at YRL headquarters, the member libraries on the YRL network and the Polaris Integrated Library System (ILS). YRL has partnered with three other regional libraries (Northern Lights Library System, Peace Library System, and Marigold Library System) to have all their member libraries operate off the same ILS database. This partnership is called TRAC (The Regional Automation Consortium) and consists of 156 public library service points in the province that carry out their library operations (circulation, online public access catalogue) on the shared ILS database. YRL is the Central Site for the TRAC ILS and the Client Services Department supports all elements of the hardware and network portions of maintaining the shared database. The TRAC consortium has nearly 3 million holdings and nearly 700,000 titles. Desktop and Network Support Libraries that choose to connect to the Supernet via Yellowhead Regional Library are eligible for a range of services to augment the base services, such as access to the ILS Software and the online catalogue. The network and desktop support services YRL offers are: • • • • • • • Network connectivity/wireless hotspot connectivity Email services via Microsoft Exchange Domain and web site hosting Helpdesk services First level Backup/Disaster Recovery Services Hotspare equipment loan service Recommendation services Helpdesk To use the helpdesk, go to YRL’s website at www.yrl.ab.ca . Scroll down to the bottom right-hand corner. Click on “Helpdesk” and place your request. GoToAssist GoToAssist allows a desktop administrator to solve your computer problem remotely. It is also located on the bottom right of YRL homepage. Training and Consulting Services © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 3 9 of 31 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL Yellowhead Regional Library employs professional librarians to provide for the training and consulting needs of member library staff. YRL believes that provision of expert advice by consultants is an essential service for member librarians and library boards. Consultation serves as a communication link among and between libraries and headquarters, facilitating problem solving, promotions and projects in member libraries. Whether the consultation can be taken care of by telephone, email or requires a visit to the library, YRL Client Services staff are here to help you. The consultants aim to visit member libraries at least once a year, at a time convenient for the library manager. The primary goal of the visit is to touch base with library staff, determine what their primary consulting needs are, and help them with their strategic planning, among other things. It may also involve training. New librarians are given a half-day orientation to the services offered by Yellowhead Regional Library at a two-hour workshop every September. As well as an introduction to YRL, this workshop provides basic information on ordering materials, the interlibrary loan process, information on the Polaris system and further training opportunities. Special training sessions may also be arranged by request. Headquarters staff try to do site visits when the library is closed or when there is someone to cover the desk while they are working with the librarian. The Client Services Librarians provide the following services: • • • • • • • • • • Plan and host conferences Collection development consultations including evaluation, weeding, selection, development, and planning Consulting on specific questions or issues Information on current library issues Policies and Procedures Assistance with Programming for all age groups School library evaluations Assistance with needs assessments and plans of service Training on a wide variety of topics, including databases and YRL services, such as OverDrive. Workshops or seminars on library management skills Please contact the librarians in Client Services if you have questions or need information. © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 3 10 of 31 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL COLIBRI MACHINE YRL owns a CoLibri machine which is available for loan to YRL member libraries. YRL also has a stock of covers available for purchase. The CoLibri System is an internationally patented book protection system. With CoLibri, a library can quickly and easily apply a special transparent, custom fitted durable, re-usable and protective covering to books. For an online demonstration of the CoLibri Machine, please visit the YRL website. The CoLibri machine can be borrowed from YRL by sending an email to [email protected] The email must give: • The desired dates for usage • The number of covers and sizes needed. The machine with instructions and requested covers will be sent out on the next available van run to the member library along with an invoice for the covers. Loan Period: The machine may be loaned out for a maximum of 6 weeks before needing renewal. If the machine is already out at another location, the requesting library will be notified and the machine will be reserved for the next available time. Cover prices are listed below. Covers are available in bulk amounts only. • • • 250 Mini Covers (fit standard paperbacks) 250 Regular Covers (fit standard hardcover books) 125 Large Covers (fit oversize books) $212.50 plus GST $225.00 plus GST $117.50 plus GST Questions about the CoLibri machine may be directed to the Bibliographic Services Manager. © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 3 11 of 31 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL DISC REPAIR SERVICE YRL offers a free disc repair service to its member libraries. This service repairs most scratches on 12cm discs including Music CDs, Books on CD, DVDs and CD-ROMs. YRL uses the Eco-Junior disc repair unit which is known for its industrial-grade repairing abilities. It is a 4 stage unit that uses a wet buffing process to remove even the deepest scratches. Frequently Asked Questions Q. ARE THERE DAMAGES THAT THE MACHINE CANNOT FIX? A. If the disc is cracked, warped or contains original manufacturer’s defects, the disc cannot be repaired. As well, discs can only be wet buffed so many times (approx. 10-12 times), before there is nothing left to read on the disc. Q. DO YOU CHECK THE DISCS AFTER BUFFING TO SEE IF THEY WORK? A. YRL staff will inspect the disc visually to ensure scratches are removed and will note upon the accompanying form if we were unable to remove all the visible scratches; however, staff will not be able to check each disc to determine if it is working properly. We suggest libraries play the disc upon its return before loaning it out again. Q. IS THERE A COST FOR THIS SERVICE? A. This is no current cost for the service. YRL will review the use of the service annually and will determine if a fee per disc ever needs to be applied. Q. HOW DO I SEND IN MY DISCS TO BE REPAIRED? A. Libraries need to fill out a Disc Repair form for each disc that is being repaired. The form is available on the YRL website. A copy of the completed form is shipped with the disc on the weekly van run (properly packaged) and the library keeps a photocopy of the completed form for their records. Q. WHAT IS THE TURNAROUND TIME FOR THE DISC REPAIR SERVICE? A. The turnaround time varies between 1-4 weeks depending upon the number of discs needing to be repaired. If you have a large number of discs to send in at one time, please contact the Bibliographic Services Manager at YRL to determine the best time for sending in these items. © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 3 12 of 31 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL ONLINE CATALOGUE: TRACPAC www.tracpac.ab.ca The online public access catalogue of the Polaris integrated library system is called TRACpac. TRACpac contains the holdings of Yellowhead Regional Library, Peace Library System, Northern Lights Library System and Marigold Regional Library. These four system headquarters and their member public libraries share one library automation system, which is housed at Yellowhead Regional Library. Residents with a membership can search, place holds, renew items, download audiobooks or eBooks and check on the status of items they want. A generic TRACpac brochure is available on our website. You can edit the parts in red to customize the brochure for your library’s patrons. You can find tutorial on using TRACpac on the YRL website at www.yrl.ab.ca If you have questions or need further information, please call the Client Services department. © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 3 13 of 31 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL E – RESOURCES Online Databases Online databases are electronic information databases containing thousands of full-text materials traditionally available in print, put into an organized collection in computerized form. They are created by publishers, businesses, government agencies, professional groups, and many other organizations. As a member of The Alberta library (TAL), YRL has negotiated access to online databases for patrons of member public libraries. These databases can be accessed in TRACpac. Access is provided to 44 databases under following topics: Business Sources Do it Yourself Newspaper, Magazine and Journal Articles Especially for Teachers and Educators Encyclopedias and Reference Genealogy Health and Wellness Literature, Fiction, Poetry, Film & the Arts Science Children’s & Teen Audiobooks For a complete list of databases, including databases only available to YRL members and therefore not in TRACpac, please see www.yrl.ab.ca To use the databases: • • • • Browse the list of titles, which are organized by subject area. Choose a database and click on the title. Companies that produce the databases are listed in parentheses after the title. Some databases are geared for General use and some are geared for Academic use. Each person with a valid library membership can access the databases by using her/his own barcode and PIN number. The PIN number is usually the last four digits of the patron’s telephone number. TRAINING in effective ways of searching the databases is provided from time to time. Contact Client Services for scheduling or check the YRL Events Calendar on our website. You can also access the databases from TRACpac, under the “E-Resources” tab. Overdrive Overdrive is a service provided to TRAC member libraries that allows patrons with library memberships to download audiobooks and eBooks to their computers, iPods, MP3 players and Sony eBook readers. It is available at www.tracpac.ab.ca Click on the icon. You can learn how to browse, check out and download digital books and audiobooks by taking the Overdrive tour at: http://www.overdrive.com/products/dlr/tour/ © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 3 14 of 31 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL PROFESSIONAL COLLECTION To assist member libraries, YRL has a collection of materials pertaining to library operations and management. The collection includes books on advocacy, using the internet, promotion and public relations, personnel, marketing, advocacy, collection development, library planning, choosing books for children, programming for all age groups, storytelling, fundraising, board development plus many other related topics. This collection is housed in YRL headquarters and is available on interlibrary loan to any member library staff as well as patrons with library memberships. All items are available for interlibrary loan from TRACpac at: http://www.tracpac.ab.ca Call Client Services if you have any questions about the professional collection. © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 3 15 of 31 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL PROGRAMMING IN YOUR LIBRARY TD Summer Reading Club (SRC) Every summer kids can improve their reading skills and reduce summer learning loss while having fun. Each year, public library staff develop a wide range of exciting activities around a different theme to help kids enjoy reading. The SRC encourages children to use the library during the summer and to read different kinds of books; reinforces reading and vocabulary skills learned during the school year; encourages nonusers to come to the library; and provides all children with a positive library experience. YRL supports the national Summer Reading Club, and encourages member libraries to participate. Kids, 12 and under, who register with their local library for the TD Summer Reading Club receive a poster, stickers and an activity book - all free - as a part of their reading kit. Order forms for free materials will be sent to you in January. Each year a theme is chosen and, in addition to the free materials, the national program produces a manual, an extensive booklist and a website on the theme. The website can be found at www.td-club-td.ca If you are ordering books or other items for your collection from the Summer Reading Club list, be sure your order is in to the Acquisitions Clerk by the end of March for timely arrival. The seven regional libraries in Alberta take turns making a number of theme-related prizes available for libraries to purchase to use in their Summer Reading Clubs. Order forms for purchased materials will be sent to you in March. In late May or early June, YRL runs a Summer Reading Program preparation workshop for the Librarians and their staff, to introduce library staff to the theme for the summer. This includes a roundtable where library staff share craft and programming ideas. The remainder of the Summer Reading Program is determined and carried out by local library staff. Teen Reading Club The Teen Reading Club began as a teen summer reading club, but is now available all year at: www.teenrc.ca/ The Canada-wide, year-round Teen Reading Club is run by the British Columbia Library. It was developed by library folks for teens interested in reading and connecting with other teen readers across the country. Volunteer library staff from across Canada help moderate reviews, chats, forums and also keep the gears of the program running throughout the year. Teens across Canada can register for the program and then use their accounts to submit book reviews, participate in online forums, and take part in library-moderated author and genre chats. Teens also have online space dedicated to their own writing -- where they can submit theirs for comment and provide constructive feedback to other teen writers. Teens in many jurisdictions become eligible for prizes by submitting book reviews. This program is the first national online teen program run by public libraries. Volunteer participating libraries support TeenRC by providing moderators: library staff and library school students from across the country check book reviews, blog comments, and discussion forums to ensure that teens are in a safe online environment. They also support teens by providing reading suggestions and writing support. YRL purchases posters and bookmarks for the summer program as well as prizes for draws for participating teens in YRL member libraries. As of 2010, a membership fee for participation in TeenRC is paid for by YRL on behalf of its member libraries. The TeenRC website for librarians is: teenrc.bclibrary.ca/ Please see the website for more information. Since this program is online, it needs to be promoted by the local library to local teens. © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 3 16 of 31 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL Other Programs From time to time YRL offers workshops on varied topics. Libraries are informed via the YRLpub listserv and YRL website. Other programming events include Canada Book Day, Alberta Library Week, winter reading programs, Web Awareness workshops, Young Reader’s Choice Awards, Chrysalis, and Canadian Children’s Book Week. YRL also has a number of titles on programming available in the Professional Collection. To locate these items, simply search using the keywords “library programs” in TRACpac. All items are available for interlibrary loan. Please contact Client Services if you have any questions about the Summer Reading Program in your library. LOCAL LIBRARY PROGRAMMING Libraries are many things to their communities. They offer the practical information people need to improve their quality of life and to increase individual options in a complex society—information about health, education, business, child care, computers, the environment, looking for a job... and much more. Libraries also give their communities something less tangible, yet just as essential to a satisfying and productive life—nourishment for the spirit. Programs in the humanities and the arts that encourage people to think and talk about ethics and values, history, art, poetry, and other cultures are integral to the library’s mission. Such programs help to illuminate the experiences, beliefs and values that unite us as human beings. They stimulate us to make connections where we noticed none before—between our ancestors and ourselves, between one culture and another, between the community and the individual. Programs complement other library services by providing an opportunity to highlight collections, promote services and share knowledge and expertise. They are a strong mechanism for outreach and promotion which allow the library to forge partnerships with a wide variety of groups and individuals. They attract both regular and new users of all ages and backgrounds. Programs raise the library's profile in the community and have a positive impact on library use. Benefits of Programming Library programs benefit the community by: • being responsive to current interests • serving as a forum for idea sharing, information gathering and education • promoting cultural awareness • developing information literacy • offering training and assistance with new technologies • fostering a love of reading and learning • providing early literacy experiences to young children • providing a safe, welcoming environment for meeting with others • perception by the community of the library as a community centre • community awareness / development © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 3 17 of 31 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL Programming Ideas The following websites contain useful programming information. Mid Hudson Library System (Poughkeepsie, NY) http://midhudson.org/program/main.php This website provides a scope of programming ideas for different age groups and adult interests. Programming Resources from Ontario Library Service http://www.library.on.ca/links/clearinghouse/publicservices/programming.htm Programming Manual from Ontario Library Service http://www.library.on.ca/publications/sourcebooks/services4programming.pdf Adult Programming Guide http://msl.mt.gov/whatsyourstory/programmingguide.pdf For more information on library programming, please contact YRL Client Services librarians. © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 3 18 of 31 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL PUBLIC LIBRARIES COUNCIL The Yellowhead Regional Library Public Libraries' Council met for the first time on April 20, 2001. The council was created to provide a forum for YRL member libraries to present ideas on YRL services and for YRL staff to share information and discuss issues. The council also provides a forum to discuss common interests and problems that arise in member libraries. It is a chance to share what is happening in individual member libraries, what programming and services are being offered locally, what grants have been received, building plans etc. It also provides an opportunity for library staff from diverse locations to get to know each other. The Public Libraries Council is a group made up of the member library managers of each of our member libraries. It is a recognized group with each library having one vote. It also has an executive. YRL library managers are strongly encouraged to attend Public Libraries’ Council meetings in order to keep informed and network with other YRL library managers. The YRL Public Libraries’ Council Meetings are held three times a year, in April, June and October. Public Libraries' Council Meetings take place at Yellowhead Regional Library in Spruce Grove. Invitations are sent by YRL. Library staff who wish to attend are asked to register ahead of time. Minutes of each meeting are available on YRL’s website at: http://www.yrl.ab.ca/content/minutes-0 YRL Public Libraries' Council Executive Committee A list of current Public Libraries Council Executive Committee members can be found on the YRL website at www.yrl.ab.ca © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 3 19 of 31 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL REFERENCE SERVICE Yellowhead Regional Library uses the Ask a Question service available at http://askaquestion.ab.ca/ “The Ask a Question service is a cooperative venture among libraries throughout Alberta. The collected experience and background of Alberta's diverse librarians means you get the best answer possible to your question - whatever the topic! (quoted from the Ask A Question website). The Ask a Question service is very easy to use. All you need is an email address and a postal code. From the homepage of the website (address given above), you type in: • Your questions • Your email address • Click yes or no to the question “Do you live in Alberta?” • Your postal code • Click ‘submit’. An immediate response will be sent to your email that says your question has been received and includes a confirmation request number. You will receive an answer within 12 to 24 hours. © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 3 20 of 31 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL Dealing with Reference Questions in Your Library Ask the patron if he/she would like to use the Ask a Question service. If so, show him/her how to use it. Take advantage of the situation to tell patrons about the E-resources (online databases) that are available, and show them how to access them. If a customer has a request for information that you wish to fill from your local library resources, here are some questions to ask the patron: 1. Clarify what it is that the patron wants information about. Say, “I understand that you want…” and repeat what they have said to you. Ask questions about what they want until you understand. (Often the first thing people ask for is not what they really want. Part of the function of the Reference Interview is to make this clear.) 2. Secondly, ask the patron: • Is there a time limit on the information required? • Level - For what reading level is the information required. E.g. elementary, high school, university, adult. • Depth - How much information is needed? Example: one or more books, photocopy, one or more viewpoints for research paper. • Currency - Is the latest piece of information necessary (as in scientific subjects) or is general information enough? • Purpose of request - Is this for recreational reading, term paper, general interest? Statistics All libraries are strongly encouraged to track the number of reference questions they handle. Knowing how many questions your library handles can assist in planning, budget allocation, and evaluation of services. Alberta Public Libraries Branch also requires that libraries report their reference statistics in their Annual Report. For example, if, in the process of tracking your reference stats, you notice that Tuesday afternoons are extremely busy, you may choose to have extra staff in on that day. You may notice trends in the type of reference questions being asked, and may choose to allocate some of your book allotment in order to answer that particular need. Your Board should be kept informed as to the number of reference questions being handled. This number may provide supporting documentation for increasing library hours or library staff. The stats may also act as verification that a change the Board implemented was justified such as increasing hours or increasing programming. Low numbers may signal a lack of training/lack of confidence in the service - and this needs to be addressed. Please SEE the next page for an example of a reference question tracking form. Keep this form at the reference desk, and try to get into the habit of marking down the questions. You may be surprised at how many questions are handled! By modifying the form, you may include other things you would like to track, such as how many times your staff needed to do computer instruction with a patron. © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 3 21 of 31 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL REFERENCE QUESTION TRACKING FORM SAMPLE Date Quick Directional Reference Research Readers Advisory Computer Instruction TOTAL TOTAL © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 3 22 of 31 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL SPECIAL COLLECTIONS The Special Collections are collections of books and materials that supplement member libraries’ existing collections. Special Collections available for loan from YRL: • • • Aboriginal Kits World Language Books Storytime Kits Aboriginal Kits The aboriginal kits are circulating collections of fiction and nonfiction material for both adults and juveniles in a variety of formats. These kits were created to supplement local public library collections on aboriginal topics. Selection for these kits was focused primarily on Alberta and secondarily on Canadian Aboriginal peoples. Each aboriginal kit contains adult and juvenile books, music, television and radio programs, as well as other materials. Aboriginal Kits Available for Loan Block 1: Religion, spirituality, traditional philosophy, and elders. Resources on past and present issues with religion and spirituality; traditional philosophy in both historical and current contexts; writings and sayings of elders. Block 2: Women’s identity, issues, & culture. Non-fiction and fiction resources exploring the complexities of women’s culture within a First Nations context. Block 3: First Nations, colonialism, relations with government past & present. Includes treaty information, law, property rights, resources concerning residential schools, governmental issues, and related research. Block 4: Language resources: mixed levels. Bilingual storybooks, phrase books, music, dictionaries, and workbooks. Particular emphasis on the Cree language. Block 5: Health & Wellness. Resources related to traditional healing & medicine, addictions, mental health, sacred plants, and nutrition. Block 6: Literature, storytelling & performing arts, leisure, sports, and games. Plays, radio performances, traditional stories and storytelling; essays on aboriginal literature, performer and athlete biographies, traditional sports and games, current sports, sports fiction. Block 7: Peoples, nations, and groups. Identity issues related to specific First Nations groups and regions. Block 8: Pride and identity. General discussion of issues related to First Nations pride and identity through non-fiction, fiction, music, and documentary. Block 9: Traditional music, festivals, & pow wow. Primarily DVD documentaries and cd recordings featuring festivals, dances, and pow wow music. Some non-fiction and picture books. Block 10: Land, nature, environment, & relationships with the natural world. Explores the links between people, plants, animals, landscapes, and other natural phenomena. © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 3 23 of 31 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL Block 11: Children’s and young reader’s resources. Fiction and non-fiction, history, every-day life, past and present, picture books, and juvenile fiction. Block 12: Arts and crafts, architecture, cookery, and fashion. Traditional and modern arts and crafts of all sorts. Includes history, instructional books, cookbooks, and documentaries. Primarily non-fiction. Block 13: Business, biography, adult and young adult fiction, popular music. Wide assortment of music CDs, documentaries, biographies, fiction and non fiction. Block 14: Children’s and young reader’s resources. Children's music, history, every-day life, past and present, picture books, and juvenile fiction and nonfiction. Aboriginal Kits Procedures Requesting Procedures To book an Aboriginal Kit, phone, fax or email requests to YRL. Phone: (877-962-2003) Fax: (780-962-2770) E-mail: [email protected] Receiving Procedures Kits are sent via the YRL Delivery System and will arrive on your regularly scheduled van run. Returning Procedures • • Please be sure to return aboriginal kits when they are due. Late returns result in delays for other libraries wanting to borrow them. Please be considerate of others and conscious of loan periods. There is a contents list in every kit. Please check the contents list as you repack the kit to ensure you return all the pieces. World Language Books (Alberta Multilingual Book Consortium) The World Language Book Collection is a collection of books in many different languages that supplement member public libraries' existing collections. The multilingual books come in boxes (blocks) of 25 books each and are made up of a variety of both fiction and nonfiction titles. Both adult and juvenile blocks are available in most languages. This service is coordinated by the Parkland Regional Library System. Yellowhead Regional Library pays a membership fee on behalf of our member libraries so that YRL member libraries can participate in this valuable service. Check out the webpage devoted to this service at http://www.prl.ab.ca/AMBC. © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 3 24 of 31 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL Multilingual Blocks are available in the following languages: Albanian Arabic Bosnian Chinese Cree Croatian Czech Danish Dutch Estonian Farsi Finnish Gaelic German Greek Gujarati Hebrew Hindi Hungarian Italian Japanese Korean Lithuanian Norwegian Panjabi Polish Portuguese Russian Serbian Slovakian Spanish Swedish Tagalog Turkish Ukrainian Urdu Vietnamese Welsh Alberta Multilingual Book Consortium Books Procedures Within the block, each book has been labeled with the box number and item number (e.g. DUT 23F) Requesting Procedures • • • • Request from PRL via an online form at http://www.prl.ab.ca/AMBClanguagerequest Indicate language, reading level (adult or juvenile), and number of blocks desired. If there are no blocks available in the language of your choice, you will be placed on a waiting list and the next available block will be sent to you. If your library is on Government Courier, the blocks will be sent directly to you. If your library is not on Government Courier, the blocks are sent to your regional library headquarters and sent on to you via the regional library delivery system. Circulating Procedures • • • Multilingual books are generally circulated to patrons as Polaris On-the-fly items. Please do not affix any barcodes directly to the books. All books have a pocket so you can slip a barcoded card into the pocket when the item is checked out and remove the card when the item is returned. If an item is damaged or has been mislabeled (wrong language or reading level) or if there are other problems with a book, please put a note on the item before returning to PRL so we can remedy the situation. Returning Procedures • • Repack all the books from each block into the appropriately labeled box before returning to PRL (e.g. repack DUT 23 A to DUT 23 Y into the box labeled DUT # 23). Please return a complete block if you are able. If a few items are missing from a block that is otherwise ready for return, send all the books you have in the appropriately labeled box and put a note in the box indicating which items are missing. Those missing items can be sent back to PRL when you do receive/find them. © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 3 25 of 31 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL Storytime Kits The storytime kits are thematic “programs in a box” and are available to both school and public member libraries. Each storytime kit includes picture books, puppets, props, games, programming resources, craft ideas, music, and other material. These kits can be used to supplement member library programming resources. The kits come in large plastic tubs and are organized by theme. Storytime Kits available for loan: All About Bugs and Insects All About Me and My Friends Animal Tales: On Safari Animal Tales: Zoo Bears Bedtime, Birthdays and Mother Goose Birds Christmas A,B,C,D & E Circus Dinosaurs Down by the Pond Earth Fairy Tales Fall A,B,C & D Families A & B Farm Animals Folk Tales Food Stories Library Skills A & B Monsters and Magic Mouse Tales Nursery Rhymes and Mother Goose Our Community Pets Polar Bears and Penguins School A & B Space Spring A & B Spring: Ducks and Frogs Spring: Vegetables Growing Things Stories in Song and Rhyme Things that Go Under the Sea A & B Weather Wild Wild West Winter A,B,C & D Storytime Kit Procedures Requesting Procedures • • • To book a Storytime Kit, phone, fax or email requests to YRL. Kits can be booked up to six months in advance. Storytime kits are loaned for one month. There is a limit of one kit per library per month. Phone 780-962-2003 or 1-877-962-2003 Fax 780-962-2770 or 1-888-962-2770 E-mail [email protected] Receiving Procedures • • • Kits are sent via the YRL Delivery System & will arrive on your regularly scheduled van run. Kits arrive in large plastic tubs with two cable ties to hold the lid in place. Please make sure hands are clean and do not use kits around food or drinks. Returning Procedures Please make sure to return storytime kits when they are due. Late returns result in delays for other libraries wanting to borrow kits. Please be considerate of others and conscious of loan periods. There is a contents list in every kit. Please check the list as you repack the kit to ensure you return all the pieces of the kit. Please put all puppets back into plastic bags and sort all books into author order. DO NOT LOAN storytime kit material to patrons. If a patron wants to borrow a book from the kit, place a hold on another copy in Polaris. © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 3 26 of 31 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL SUPPLIES YRL supplies our member libraries with a number of items free of charge as well as items that are invoiced at a cost recovery price. When ordering supplies contact the appropriate department as indicated below. Supplies will be sent out via van run to the member library. Supply List Items available from the Bibliographic Services Department (Contact [email protected] ) Library Registration Materials: • • • • • TRAC/TAL cards expiry labels (for TAL/TRAC card) Plastic sleeves for TAL/TRAC card patron barcodes item barcodes Items available from Client Services Summer Reading program supplies: • Free posters, bookmarks, stickers, invitations & activity books provided by TD bank • An order form will be sent to you, asking for the number of items of each that you require. TAL supplies: • • bookmarks to be used for returning books borrowed through TAL TAL card brochures and bookmarks Delivery bins: • • Bin(s) for HQ deliveries (No. of bins depends on the size of library) Ask Bibliographic Services or van driver for additional bins ILL supplies: • Cloth ILL shipping bags Supplies that are invoiced & costs provided at time of order: • • • Label rolls for spine label printers (750 labels per roll) CoLibri sheets of various sizes Spine label protectors roll (1000 labels per roll) © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 3 27 of 31 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL TRAC/TAL CARD The Regional Automation Consortium (TRAC) This is the shared database, interlibrary loan and circulation system for Yellowhead Regional library, Northern Lights Library System, Marigold Library System and Peace Library member libraries. The shared database and the automated services are available from the TRAC Society. The Alberta Library (TAL) TAL is multi-type consortium of publicly funded libraries, including several university and college libraries and most public libraries. YRL is a member of TAL. By extension, all YRL member libraries are also TAL members. The TRAC/TAL Card • The TRAC/TAL card provides access to all member libraries, to all libraries that have card recognition agreements with YRL, and to all libraries participating in The Alberta Library (TAL) card program. • YRL’s membership in TRAC allows card holders to borrow materials, place holds and renew items at all of the TRAC member libraries and the four headquarters. • • • • YRL membership in TAL (levy based on population) allows card holders to borrow material from any participating library in the province. See http://www.thealbertalibrary.ab.ca Look under member information for a list of participating libraries. Anyone living in a municipality participating in YRL is eligible for a TRAC/TAL card. © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 3 28 of 31 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL VISUNET The Alberta Library, under the auspices of the APLEN project, has signed an agreement with the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) to provide access to the CNIB’s VISUNET: CANADA service for all TAL member libraries. This program is open to libraries of all types, including public, academic and special libraries. The CNIB provides service to people with visual impairments. The TAL agreement will allow libraries to also offer CNIB materials to people with other conditions that prevent them from using regular print materials. This would include individuals with a reading or learning disability, and those with an illness or orthopedic disability, (e.g. arthritis) which prevents them from being able to hold a book or turn pages. In these cases, the library would be considered the CNIB client and would pass on the materials to its users – essentially, an interlibrary loan. Who can use the Visunet Service? It’s easy to use the services of the Visunet Program. The only requirements are that the patron be a member of your library and fit into the definition of Print Disabled. This service is provided to anyone who is print disabled because of blindness, visual impairment, physical disability and/or learning disability in accordance with the definition provided for “perceptual disability” in Section 32.(1) of the Canadian Copyright Act. Thousands of Albertans are unable to read print because of blindness, visual impairment, physical disability, and/or learning disability. Many senior citizens would fall into this category. All participants must be members in good standing of their local library. What kinds of materials are available through Visunet? Services include access to the CNIB's Online Public Access Catalogue, linking to the VisuCAT database to search and place requests for patrons borrowing materials, primarily talking book cassettes. It also provides access through your local library to VisuTEXT, a collection of full text versions of many electronic and digital materials including books, encyclopedias, academic journals and other information resources on the Internet. Access is also provided to VisuNEWS, which is telephone and Internet access to a variety of daily newspapers and magazines. With the partnership of your library and the CNIB's Library for the Blind there is much to offer as far as resources are concerned. The VisuNet Library consists of: • • • • • • • DAISY (Accessible Digital Media) over 5,000 titles Talking Books: 16,000 titles Braille Books: 15,000 titles Electronic Text (E-text): Over 1,300 titles Print Braille Book: Over 1,600 children's picture book titles Braille Music: 18,000 music scores Magazines: 8 popular magazines (English and French), available in audio, plus 50 magazines in Braille • Descriptive Video Service: Over 250 films and PBS television programs • Audio Cinema: Over 50 films • Internet and World Wide Web access in your Public Library. © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 3 29 of 31 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL VisuCAT The Visunet Canada Partners Program (VCPP) provides local library access to Canada's largest collection of alternative format books and online resources for people who have difficulty reading print due to a visual, physical or learning disability. Partner libraries pay an annual subscription fee and in turn are able to borrow books and other reading materials and facilitate registration to The CNIB Digital Library and Children's Discovery Portal for their patrons. Currently CNIB's collection contains approximately 80% materials in English and 20% materials in French and is suitable for all ages. For access to VisuCAT (CNIB’s) catalogue collection: • • Go to: http://www.cnib.ca/en/services/library/libraries-schools/visunet/default.aspx Click on: “partner access to the online catalogue” What this service means for your library: The cost of subscribing to VISUNET: CANADA has been covered for TAL member libraries. However, libraries will have to cover costs such as forms for tracking loans, identifying users, etc. Mailing back materials to the CNIB is free as it is done under the Literature for the Blind postal program (for more information on this program, go to http://www.canadapost.ca/tools/pg/manual/PGlitblind-e.asp For more information on the VISUNET: CANADA Partners Program, visit http://www.cnib.ca/en/services/library/libraries-schools/visunet/default.aspx © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 3 30 of 31 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL WEBSITE www.yrl.ab.ca YRL’s website makes it easy to find the information that is needed by member library staff, as well as the “go-to place” for all current information about YRL. You are strongly encouraged to explore the website, in order to become familiar with where things are. © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 3 31 of 31 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL COLLECTION MANAGEMENT Collection Development Collection development policy Selecting materials Donations Procedures Collection Development Resources Yellowhead Regional Library Selection and review tools Intellectual Freedom in Collection Management Complaints about Library Materials Request for reconsideration of library material Shelving Library Materials Understanding the Dewey Decimal System Best Practices for shelving Collections Serials Cataloguing YRL cataloguing standards Assigning age and reading level Changing Statuses Explanation of statuses Withdrawn/Missing/bindery/Unavailable Lost materials Damaged items Weeding Why weed? Who is responsible for weeding? How often should we weed? Weeding policies How to weed What to do with weeded books © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 4 1 of 26 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT Yellowhead Regional Library supports its each member library’s right to build its own library’s collection. Each year member libraries receive a library materials budget called the allotment which is administered from YRL. The library materials purchased with the allotment are the property of the library which ordered them. Allotment funds are placed in accounts held at YRL headquarters. Member libraries can order materials as desired. To increase flexibility of purchasing power, YRL allows libraries to set up accounts for outside purchases as well as extra funds accounts. Collection Development Policy A collection development policy directs the local library collection toward fulfilling the library’s goals and toward the local community. The policy should be a guide for the following: 1. Selecting and buying materials for the library 2. Accepting gifts and donations 3. Weeding and disposing of weeded materials, gifts, or donations 4. Providing information to the public regarding the reason for the selection or rejection of any materials 5. Handling complaints from library users about controversial materials 6. Deciding whether to buy particular items requested by patrons For more information about drafting a collection development policy, please use the Manual for Collection Development and Assessment for Small Public Libraries, Volume 1: Collection Development (Alberta Culture and Multiculturalism, Libraries Branch, 1991, available through the library catalogue) and read page 1-2. For an example of a collection development policy, please see the Halifax Public Library’s: www.halifaxpubliclibraries.ca/about/documents/policies/collection-development.html Selecting Materials A team approach to collection management is essential: the local library’s own collection policies determine subject needs; however, selection advice from Yellowhead Regional Library headquarters staff and selection tools provided by YRL help to meet those needs. Local boards should identify collection and patron needs through formal needs assessments every five years. Collection and patron needs should be monitored and assessed on an ongoing basis for revision by local library managers. Consultants at YRL are available to provide expertise for future planning. The document Standards for Member Libraries within Alberta’s Regional Library Systems provides guidance regarding adequate collection size based on the population in your community. Selection of library materials should be based on criteria in both content and physical form. © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 4 2 of 26 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL Content • Purpose, Scope, and Audience: Does the purpose of the book match the interests and needs of your community? • Authority, Honesty, and Credibility of the Author: Certain authors are more credible for certain topics than others. Reviews can help you establish which authors are credible and which are not. • Subject Matter: Can you foresee a need for a book (or more books) on a particular subject? • Timeliness: New books are used far more than old books so think twice before you purchase books that are a few years old. Also consider the durability of the subject: avoid purchasing too many fad diet books, for example (a good nutrition book will have far more stamina in your collection). Materials for teens also date quickly. Local history materials may be an exception to this criterion. • Accuracy: Accuracy is often difficult for non-specialists to determine so it’s important that patrons can rely on library managers to provide accurate information. Atlases should show national boundaries as they are and census numbers should be accurate. Reviews might help you establish the accuracy of a particular work. • Impartiality: It’s better to have a gap in your collection than to support only one side of a contentious issue. For example, if you have a pro-choice book about abortion, you must also have a pro-life one. • Literary Merit: Use reviews and awards lists to determine if the book is well-written as well as relevant and appealing to your readers. It is important to broaden fiction collections by collecting works by international writers (beyond the United States and Western Europe!). • Arrangement and Organization: Do chapters follow each other logically? Is there an index? (History and science books are difficult to use without an index!) Are illustrations in appropriate places? • School Assignments: Public libraries usually don’t collect materials to directly support the school curriculum. Is the book you’re considering likely to be used by other people out of general interest or will it only be used by a class to write a report? In a school-housed public library, of course, you need to be careful to avoid spending your public library budget on school materials and vice versa. • Demand: Even if books don’t qualify for literary merit, local demand may dictate that you purchase them anyhow. Danielle Steel and Nora Roberts rarely receive good reviews or win awards, but your patrons will miss these authors if you don’t collect their books. • Canadian and Local Content: Libraries should strive to find good quality Canadian material. Library users of all ages have a right to expect good representation of Canadian and local authors in public libraries. © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 4 3 of 26 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL Physical Form • Format: Language? Talking books? VHS or DVD? The easiest way to decide on appropriate format is to use your community needs assessment and local statistics to divide your book allocation budget at the outset. • Binding: hard-covers last longer than paperbacks but not all books need to last forever. Consider spending the extra money on library-bound materials for classic children’s’ books (Dr. Seuss and Robert Munsch books, for example). • Appearance: Books that look nice circulate more than books that don’t. • Illustrations: are most important for children’s’ books and appropriate non-fiction titles. Ensure the illustrations are accurate and of good quality. • Size: Young children often adore small books while teens generally won’t read anything that looks like a picture book (unless it’s a graphic novel). Over-size books may be tricky to handle if your shelves are small or if the spines of the books are weak. • Price: sometimes good and important information comes in pricey packages. If you think the book is important to your collection and to your patrons, consider buying it even if it means you might not be able to buy something else. Although they tend to be the cheapest books available, it is important to keep purchases of mass-market paperbacks low because they meet few of the content requirements for collection development (limited literary merit, little Canadian content, etc.). • Series: If a series is a fairly short one, consider purchasing all the books in it. For longer or more expensive series, make patrons aware that the other books are available through interlibrary loan. DONATIONS YRL recommends that member libraries have a donation policy. Below is a sample of the Toronto Public Library’s Gift and Donation policy: Gifts and Donations a. The Library welcomes gifts of materials from individuals or groups. b. Gifts-in-kind to the Library's Special Collections follow the Donations of Gifts-In-Kind to Special Collections Policy. c. The same criteria and guidelines that apply to the selection of all Library materials are used to evaluate gifts. It is understood that gifts are freely given without conditions attached, unless specifically negotiated beforehand, and that all donations will be used or disposed of as the Library deems appropriate. The library may designate donated items that cannot be used in the collection for the book sale or recycling. © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 4 4 of 26 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL Procedures Your local library’s collection policies determine the subject areas for which you purchase materials. You can also obtain selection advice from YRL Client Services staff. There are also a variety of selection tools available. Standing Orders: Through YRL you can place standing orders for annual publications (Example: Guiness Book of World Records), paperback plans, and young adults/ children’s series. These are orders you can set up once a year for your library and then have these titles sent automatically to your library throughout the year. Standing order lists are available on the United Library Services website at: www.uls.com Collection Reviews: Collection and customer needs should be continuously monitored and assessed for revision by local librarians. Consultants at headquarters are available to provide expertise for future collections planning and will conduct collection reviews upon your request. E-Resources: YRL also provides access to online resources that are available to member libraries and their patrons to use for resource materials. These can be accessed through TRACpac or the YRL website. Visunet: YRL provides service to the visually impaired through VISUNET. World Language Books: YRL provides multilingual materials through participation in the International Collection Consortium. SEE: http://www.yrl.ab.ca/content/multilingual-books for information. Depository: YRL is an official depository library for provincial government documents. Items are made available through TRACpac. © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 4 5 of 26 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT RESOURCES Selection tools help you evaluate items to purchase for your collection. Evaluative tools are those that appraise items and state whether or not they are recommended for purchase. Non-evaluative tools do not offer any critical analysis. They are simply lists of materials available. A. Yellowhead Regional Library YRL can assist you in the selection of materials. YRL subscribes to a number of selection magazines or journals. You can borrow them or add your name to the routing list by contacting Bibliographic Services. YRL also offers a Collection Review (evaluation) service. A consultant from Client Services can come to your library and review your collections to determine which subject areas are good and which one/s need information or more information. Usually nonfiction collections are analyzed. A written report of the results will be provided. If you wish this service, please contact Client Services. B. Selection and Review Tools Company Catalogues Companies such as United Library Services and others produce useful catalogues of in print materials. Award winners, reading/grade levels and other information is noted in item descriptions. Annotated Lists Specialized bibliographies are lists of materials that include brief descriptions of the materials listed. Because they date quickly, some of the books they recommend may be out of print. YRL purchases a number of these, such as Best Books for Fiction Catalogue, Best Books for High School Reads, A Guide to Canadian Children’s Books, etc. If you search TRACpac for “bibliography” as a subject search you will find a large number of selection tools for interlibrary loan. Please note that the publishing date should not be older than 2 or 3 years. Reviews Please see the list of magazines on the following page for reviewing journals. Reviews for books can be found at www.amazon.com Collection Development Theory The following resources are available for interlibrary loan from TRACpac. Alabaster, Carol. Developing an Outstanding Core Collection: A Guide for Libraries. Chicago: American Library Association, 2002. Cassell, Kay Ann and Elizabeth Futas. Developing Public Library Collections, Policies, and Procedures: a How-to-do-it Manual for Small and Medium-sized Public Libraries. NY: Neal-Schuman,1991. Manual for Collection Development and Assessment for Small Public Libraries: Volumes One & Two. Edmonton: Alberta Culture and Multiculturalism, Library Services Branch, [1992]. © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 4 6 of 26 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL Selection Tools Booklist www.booklistonline.com/ The library field’s best-known review journal. Contains reviews of the latest books and electronic media for adults and children, as well as reference books, electronic reference tools, and other audiovisual materials. Booklist also publishes a wide variety of feature articles including author interviews, bibliographies, book-related essays by well-known writers, and a selection of columns. Biweekly. Library Journal www.ljdigital.com/ Library Journal is the oldest independent national library publication. Library Journal combines news, features, and articles on topics of interest to library stakeholders. This is in addition to the hundreds of evaluative reviews of everything from books, audio and video, CD-ROMs, websites, and magazines. LibrarySparks www.highsmith.com/librarysparks A children’s programmer’s dream-come-true. Full of ideas for activities, storytimes, and more. Also contains interviews with authors, curriculum connections (useful for school/public library managers!), and readers’ theatre. Published 9 times a year. Publishers Weekly (PW) www.publishersweekly.com/ A major reviewing journal. Contains book industry news, but the focus is on book reviews. Covers mainly adult fiction and non-fiction, but also has a section covering children’s books. The reviews are brief and concise. As indicated by the title, this journal comes out weekly. Quill & Quire www.quillandquire.com/ Monthly Canadian review journal. Not as many reviews as Booklist or PW, but covers Canadian titles exclusively. There is a review section, covering adult fiction and non-fiction, as well as the BfYP, or Books for Young People section. Contains articles pertaining to the Canadian book publishing industry, as well as education and librarianship. Resource Links www.resourcelinks.ca/ Another Canadian source published five times a year and covering Canadian children’s materials. Covers fiction, non-fiction, AV resources, French titles, and professional materials. SB&F: Science Books & Films www.sbfonline.com/ Reviews science resources for all ages (adults, young adults, and children). Reviews are grouped by age category and then by Dewey call number. Also review AV materials, websites, and science TV shows. This is a great resource for building up a science collection and for providing resources all the people with an interest in science. VOYA: Voice of Youth Advocates www.voya.com/ A magazine for people who work with young adults. Contains book reviews, articles, and program ideas. Reviews cover fiction, science fiction/fantasy/horror, non-fiction, series non-fiction, reference, professional books, and reprints. Bimonthly. Award Winners Including book award winners in the local collection is one way to collect quality resources. A comprehensive list of book awards is available at the Bookspot website: http://www.bookspot.com/awards/ © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 4 7 of 26 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL INTELLECTUAL FREEDOM IN COLLECTION MANAGEMENT Freedom to read is a precious heritage. It is part of a much larger heritage common to the human spirit which we call freedom of expression. It is the purpose of libraries to support free access to ideas, to promote free expression, to provide public information, and to foster enlightenment. These goals are accomplished through a collection that includes the widest diversity of views and expressions including those that are unorthodox, popular and unpopular, from whatever viewpoint. A rigorous adherence to the principle of Intellectual Freedom protects these important rights. Yellowhead Regional Library affirms the Canadian Library Association's "Statement on Intellectual Freedom" which reads: STATEMENT ON INTELLECTUAL FREEDOM All persons in Canada have the fundamental right, as embodied in the nation's Bill of Rights and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, to have access to all expressions of knowledge, creativity and intellectual activity, and to express their thoughts publicly. This right to intellectual freedom, under the law, is essential to the health and development of Canadian society. δχ Libraries have a basic responsibility for the development and maintenance of intellectual freedom. δχ It is the responsibility of libraries to guarantee and facilitate access to all expressions of knowledge and intellectual activity including those which some elements of society may consider to be unconventional, unpopular or unacceptable. To this end, libraries shall acquire and make available to widest variety of materials. δχ It is the responsibility of libraries to guarantee the right of free expression by making available the entire library's public facilities and services to all individuals and groups who need them. δχ Libraries should resist all efforts to limit the exercise of these responsibilities while recognizing the right of criticism by individuals and groups. δχ Both employees and employers in libraries have a duty, in addition to their institutional responsibilities, to uphold these principles. (Ratified by the Board of Directors and Council at the 29th Annual Conference in Winnipeg, June 1974 and amended November 17, 1983 and November 18, 1985) © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 4 8 of 26 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL Local boards handle all challenged material issues according to local policy. There are generally accepted steps you should take if a customer has a complaint about any material in the collection. • Be familiar with your local board's policies on selection and intellectual freedom. Does it have a Request for Reconsideration form? • Listen politely to the customer. You could point out the Statement on Intellectual Freedom and explain your board's policies. • Ask the customer to fill out the Request for Reconsideration form. Please contact a YRL Client Services consultant if you have any questions or need more information. • Give the completed form and the book to your board for it to handle. • For more information on books that have been challenged please see: http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/frequentlychallenged/index.cfm • Information on dealing with challenges to books and other library materials, please see the ALA website at: http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/challengeslibrarymaterials/essentialpreparation/index. cfm Please keep headquarters informed of any complaints and the actions taken. © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 4 9 of 26 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL REQUEST FOR RECONSIDERATION OF LIBRARY MATERIAL LIBRARY: ___________________________________________________________________ LIBRARY MATERIAL: Author: ______________________________________________________________ Title: ______________________________________________________________ Publisher: ______________________________________________________________ Copyright Date: _____________________ Description: ____________________________ (hardcover, paperback, etc.) REQUEST INITIATED BY Member’s Name: _______________________________________________________________ Library Card #: _______________________________ Telephone: ______________________ Address: ________________________________________________________________ Under library policy, only signed requests for reconsideration will be reviewed. Your personal views or opinions are protected under the authority of Section 1 (n) ix of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. COMPLAINT 1. How did you learn of this material? ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ 2. How much of the publication did you read? ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ 3. To what do you object? (refer to page numbers) ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ 4. In your opinion, does it contain anything of value? _____________________________________________________________________________________ © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 4 10 of 26 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL SHELVING LIBRARY MATERIALS The shelving in most libraries is set up as a number of bays making up a range. The shelving may be one-sided and attached to the wall or a free-standing double-sided unit. The physical arrangement of the shelves should be plotted on a floor plan before actually moving the units around. As well as location of the shelving, the floor plan should include the type of material that will be placed on the shelves. Adjustable shelving should be used for hardcover collections. Periodicals and paperbacks should be placed on their own type of shelving designed specifically for that type of material. Books are shelved left to right in one bay before moving to the top shelf of the next bay. Commercial grade open stock, adjustable metal shelves should be purchased. They will last indefinitely since they are made to accommodate the height and weight of books as well as heavy usage. If open stock is purchased, you will be able to match the style and color of shelving you already have, should the need arise. Library shelving manufacturers offer a range of accessories which enable a basic shelf unit to be adapted for other library materials such as magazines, CDs, audiocassettes, newspapers or displays. For flexibility, purchase shelving on wheels, especially in Children’s Areas. This allows quick and easy changes to be made to enable activities that require more space. Carpenter-built shelving is often a false economy. It does not meet library standards and will not last as long or be as adjustable and strong as commercial metal shelving. Side or end panels on the shelves help to tidy the space by hiding the visual clutter of metal shelf ends. They also provide useful signage and display space. If the shelves in your library do not have end panels, consider adding them. Bottom shelves are often difficult for patrons to access. Slanted slower shelves are available to enable easier browsing and access. Range of shelving showing proper shelving order of books © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 4 11 of 26 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL UNDERSTANDINGING THE DEWEY DECIMAL SYSTEM (DDC) A call number is the combination of letters and numbers on each book spine. We assign Dewey Decimal numbers to nonfiction materials. A call number acts as the book's address by indicating where it should be put on the shelf. 000 General Knowledge 100 Psychology and Philosophy 200 Religions and Mythology 300 Social Sciences and Folklore 400 Languages and Grammar 500 Math and Science 600 Medicine and Technology 700 Arts & Recreation 800 Literature 900 Geography and History Books are shelved in increasing order, both numerically and alphabetically. There are 3 simple steps to shelving by Dewey Decimal order. 1. Look at the numbers BEFORE the decimal point as if they were dollars. In this example, $391 goes before $392, which goes before $399. 391.103 WET 2. 392.93 SMO 399.94 CLA If the numbers before the decimal point are the same, you have to look at the numbers AFTER the decimal point. In order to compare decimals, you need to give them an equal number of digits. For example, .103 has three digits, .93 has two digits, and .940 has three digits. Add zeros so they will both have the same number of digits. 391.08 QZ 1,2 Digits 391.103 SA 1,2,3 digits 391.93 LI 1,2 digits 391.940 MO 1,2,3 digits Therefore, look at the numbers as 080, 103, 930, and 940. Now, look at these numbers as if they were pennies. As you can see, 80 pennies goes before 103 pennies, which would go before 930 pennies. 3. If the numbers before AND after the decimal point are the same, shelve alphabetically by the letters below them. 391.103 SAT 391.103 SMI 391.103 TYE That's all there is to it! Sorting by the Dewey Decimal System may take a little getting used to. Think of it in terms of dollars (before the decimal point) and pennies (after the decimal point). If you need more clarification or practice using the Dewey Decimal System, please visit the “Let’s Do Dewey” website at: http://frank.mtsu.edu/~vvesper/dewey2.htm © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 4 12 of 26 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL BEST PRACTICES FOR SHELVING COLLECTIONS The following section provides some best practices information for shelving your library’s collection. Not all member libraries may be able to follow these guidelines due to space restrictions. The more separate "collections" you have in the library, the more space that they will use. Shelve like material with like material. That is, all non-fiction should be kept together; the adult fiction should be separate from the juvenile and picture book material. Non-fiction • • Non-fiction material is shelved in Dewey number order beginning with 001. Member libraries, especially those with less square footage, may choose to combine juvenile and adult non-fiction to give their library a more comprehensive collection in that area. This enables the collection to be housed using less floor space and allows those who browse to find all the books on the one topic in one area of the library. Fiction • • • • • Adult, young adult and juvenile fiction should be shelved as separate collections alphabetically by author's last name. Young adult is designated with a "Y" above the call letters. Juvenile is designated with a "J" above the call letters. If the library is short of space, the J and Y collections may be combined. File by author's last name ignoring the J and Y. Separate genre collections (Example: mystery, romance, western) are not recommended. Easy (picture books) • • These books are best shelved on shelving made especially for them with bookends or shelf ends every eight inches. Given the size of picture books, they stand up more readily in this type of shelving. Picture books can be designated with an E and shelved by the first letter of the author's last name. It is almost impossible to keep picture books in order so broad-sorted by A, B, C, etc. works the best. Large Print • • Large print is shelved by author's last name or by Dewey-number. Large print material should be kept in a separate section with a LARGE PRINT sign designating the area. Displays • • • Displays function in libraries to keep patrons aware of the variety of books and other library materials available to them. The use of displays also increases circulation. Filling the shelves 2/3 to 3/4 full allows room for books to be displayed at the end of each shelf as well as allows space for collection growth. In the extra space at the end of the shelf place a book with the cover facing forward. Book covers are designed to attract attention so they should be given every opportunity to do just that. Shelf ends can also be used to display books. © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 4 13 of 26 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL • • • • Other displays should be set up for a period of time no longer than 2 weeks and then replaced with a new display. Books about displays are available from the professional collection in headquarters. Look under “Library Exhibits” in the TRAC catalogue. Along with displays, booklists such as the “Best Seller List”, lists of authors who write in a particular genre or authors who write like favorite authors can be posted. For help with booklists, please SEE: Novelist online database or Genreflecting: A Guide to Popular Reading Interests. Diana Tixler Herald. Westport, CONN: Libraries Unlimited, 2006 (available for ILL on TRACpac). SERIALS If you wish to enter the title of a magazine or serial into the Polaris database, you can search by serials title to find the item bibliographic record. You can then link it to an item record. © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 4 14 of 26 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL CATALOGUING Yellowhead Regional Library Cataloguing Standards All materials received at headquarters or sent in by member libraries are catalogued by the Bibliographic Services Department at YRL according to the following standards: • YRL is part of TRAC - All cataloguing is standardized and consistent with practices established by DDC*, LC*, AACR2* and MARC* manuals. • Materials are classified according to the Dewey Decimal Classification System (DDC). • YRL will make changes in classification according to updated versions of the DDC. These changes will not apply to previously catalogued materials. • YRL will make changes in descriptive cataloguing standards as needed and as dictated by updated versions of the Anglo American Cataloguing Rules. These changes will not apply to previously catalogued materials. • YRL will make changes in subject heading usage as dictated by updated versions of Library of Congress Subject Headings. These changes will not apply to previously catalogued materials. • Member libraries have cataloguing templates at headquarters, which details the cataloguing variables for the various types of materials that the library has in its collection. Individual member libraries may create their own individual cataloguing templates as well. Directions on how to create a template are available through the Bibliographic Services Manager. • In order for TRAC bibliographic records to be altered because of a mistake, notification of changes must be sent to: [email protected] • In order to create a ‘Bibliographic’ record in Polaris and the TRAC database, the item should be physically received at headquarters. • Libraries who have received OCLC authorizations and training may send in OCLC* Bibliographic Records to [email protected] *DDC Dewey Decimal Classification System *LC Library of Congress *AACR2 Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules *MARC Machine Readable Coding *OCLC Online Computer Library Center © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 4 15 of 26 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL ASSIGNING AGE AND READING LEVEL The purpose of cataloguing is to uniquely describe material so that it may be located in the catalogue and on the library shelf. The Dewey Decimal System of classification ensures that books on a similar aspect of a subject are shelved together. The spine label shows the call number, which consist of the Dewey number on the top line and the cutter number (i.e. the first three letters of the author’s last name) on the bottom line. If you question a particular book's classification, contact the Bibliographic Services Manager at YRL headquarters to discuss your concerns. The following section provides the YRL standards for classifying various contents, unless specific directions in your member library’s cataloguing profile indicate another local practice. Juvenile Fiction and Non-fiction Occasionally questions arise concerning the appropriate classification of juvenile material. The following points are routinely considered when determining the correct classification of juvenile fiction and nonfiction. When reviewing these points, please keep in mind the following: • The classification of library materials will always be subjective to some degree. Given the uniqueness of the human experience, it is unlikely that all librarians and customers will agree with all cataloguing decisions. • The centralized cataloguing which is practiced at YRL assures consistency throughout the system. • No single factor (i.e. subject) determines the placement of a book in the collection. All relevant points are taken into consideration during the cataloguing process. Easy Non-fiction: E or DDC number Points to consider: Complexity of the content Subjects such as history, technology, science, and biography are usually classed in the DDC number. Language level Books containing mainly simple words and sentences are often "E", whereas more complex language indicates that a DDC number may be appropriate. "E" books usually have large type. Size of print Space ratio of illustration to text Index and/or bibliography present Importance of accessibility In "E" books, this is approximately one page of illustration to one page of text, or less. This is an indication of the complexity of the material. What age group is most likely to use the book? Best location for maximum circulation. Does the book include a guide for parents/adults? Either pre-school or school age children Could the material be used for school work? If so accessibility through a DDC number is necessary. If so, a DDC number may be necessary for accessibility. © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 4 16 of 26 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL E or J Fiction Points to consider: Space ratio of text to illustration "J" books contain significantly more text than "E" books Complexity of language, grammar, and concepts (including length of words and sentences) Complexity of the story line all are significantly more complex in "J" books Who will most likely read the text? "J" fiction will have more intricate plots and fully developed characters than "E" fiction. Parent to child (usually "E"), or child to herself (usually "J") Age of the characters Under the age of six is often but not always "E". J or Y Fiction Points to consider: • Presence of illustrations; this usually indicates a "J" book. • Complexity of language, grammar, and concept. • Could the subject be considered mature or controversial? Subjects such as sex, dating, pregnancy, drug use, marriage, AIDs or the occult usually indicate a "Y" book. • Does the book contain controversial language such as swearing or explicit medical terms? If so, it is most likely a "Y". • Age of the characters. Characters in high school (age 16+) often, but not always indicate a "Y" book. For all of the fiction categories, there is no indication of the classification (Adult, Y, J, or E) in the DDC field of the Bibliographic record. This appears in the item record (e.g. J OHA, Y OHA) Adult Fiction For call numbers, F is used on the first line. The first three letters of the main entry are used in capitals on the second line. The main entry is usually the last name of the author. If there is no author, it is the first 3 letters of the title, ignoring common articles such as The, An, etc. Ignore all punctuation and accents (Example: O'Hara would be F OHA). Example: F ABE Young Adult Fiction For call numbers, "Y" is used on the first line. The first three letters of the main entry in capitals are used on the second line. Books in this category are usually aimed at the 13-18 year old age group. They may be about controversial subjects or contain controversial language. Example: 612 THO Juvenile Fiction For call numbers, "J" is used on the first line. The first three letters of the main entry in capitals are used on the second line. Example: J FIS © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 4 17 of 26 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL Easy Reading For call numbers, "E" is used on the first line. The first three letters of the main entry in capitals are used on the second line. Ignore all punctuation and accents (e.g. O'Hara would be OHA). Example: E OHA Books in this area are usually aimed at very beginning readers or preliterate children who will have the books read to them by an adult. A quick standard of identification is one page of text to one page of picture. Biographies Biographies which focus on the person’s professional life are usually classified in the appropriate DDC (e.g. a hockey player in the 796.962). Collective biographies are usually classified in the subject number with the .09 subdivision. Fairytales Individual tales in an E format are classified E. Collected tales or individual tales in a format for more advanced readers are classified in 398.21. Contemporary fairytales are classified as fiction. Alphabet books Alphabet books in an E format are classified in E. E format dictionaries (i.e. alphabet books with definitions for the words) are classified in the 400's. Occasion and Festival Books Those stories in an E format are classified in E. Those in a format for more advanced readers are classified in 394.2. Nursery Rhymes Regardless of format, they are classified at 398.8. An individual nursery rhyme in E format is classified as an E. Cartoon Books Cartoon books with a story, like Asterix books, are classified in E or J as the format dictates. Sometimes vocabulary and/ or content indicate a Y or Adult category. PLEASE NOTE: The preceding lists are meant as a guide only. As previously stated, all of the points must be considered to make an informed decision; the presence of only one or two aspects is not conclusive. The book must always be considered as a whole in order to avoid taking elements out of context. © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 4 18 of 26 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL Call Numbers Adult Fiction F MAG For call numbers, F on the first line and the first three letters of the main entry are used in capitals. The main entry is usually the last name of the author. If there is no author, it is the first 3 letters of the title, ignoring of course, common articles such as The, An, etc. Ignore all punctuation and accents (e.g. O'Hara would be F OHA). Young Adult Fiction Y MAG For call numbers, "Y" on the first line and the first three letters of the main entry in capitals on the second line are used. Books in this category are usually aimed at the 13-18 year old age group. They may be about controversial subjects or contain controversial language. Juvenile Fiction J MAG For call numbers "J" on the first line and the first three letters of the main entry in capitals on the second line are used. Cartoons and comic books such as Asterix, Garfield, etc., are classified in E or J as the format dictates. Sometimes words or content indicate a YA or Adult category. Easy Reading E MAG For call numbers, "E" on the first line and the first three letters of the main entry in capitals on the second line are used. Ignore all punctuation and accents (e.g. O'Hara would be E OHA). Books in this area are usually aimed at very beginning readers or preliterate children who will have the books read to them by an adult. A quick standard of identification is one page of text to one page of picture. © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 4 19 of 26 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL ITEM RECORDS Individual TRAC libraries do not have access to the Cataloguing module of the Polaris system. This means that items requiring cataloguing must be sent to YRL headquarters. Libraries can, however, add item records for their own library. For instance, new titles (Item Records) can be added to existing Bibliographic Records that already exist in the TRAC database. Libraries can also edit or delete their own holdings as necessary. Library materials that do not have an existing bibliographic (bib) record should be sent to headquarters accompanied by a “Process Only” form available from the YRL website: http://www.yrl.ab.ca/sites/default/files/files/Process_Only_form(1).pdf CHANGING STATUSES Explanation of Statuses Bindery: Only use for books that are actually being sent to be rebound. For damaged items use Mending or Withdrawn. In: All items available for lending should be In. Unavailable: Use only for items on a very temporary basis, example: Weekly display, returning large print blocks – patron’s can still place holds on items with Unavailable status. (Remember to change the status back to IN when it is no longer needed.) Mending: Use for damaged items that are being repaired. Marigold items with this status are not visible in the OPAC. Missing: Use when you cannot find the item to fill a hold. When the item is found, Check In the item. Missing items are visible in the OPAC, however patrons cannot place holds. (Note: if there is only one item attached to a record, and the status is changed to Missing, holds for this item are not cancelled automatically.) Withdrawn: Use when you take an item out of your library collection. Example: Lost, damaged beyond repair, weeding. Withdrawn items are not visible in the OPAC. Note: Before one can change the status of an item, the circulation status must be set to IN. Note: Checking in an Item with the status of Missing, Mending, Bindery, or Unavailable will automatically change the status to IN. If the status was Withdrawn a message box will appear; or if Lost, the resolve lost item box will appear © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 4 20 of 26 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL Lost Materials It is agreed that the borrowing library is responsible for making sure that the lending library is compensated for lost or damaged library items by a patron. The patron is responsible for damage or destruction he/she has caused to library materials. • • • • • • • • Change the status to Lost and place a charge on the patron record based on the price listed in the item record. If there is no price in the item record, then the locally defined default fee should be levied. Send cheque to the owning library including title of the library material and name of patron. Cheques from patrons should not be sent to the owning library. Have the patron issue a cheque to the home library, and then issue a library cheque to the owning library. If the borrowing library is not able to collect the replacement costs from their patron, the borrowing library is still responsible for the replacement cost. The owning library can then replace the item. The owning library will resolve the item record in Polaris. Patrons and the borrowing library are not responsible for damage or loss that occurs during transit. Patron Contact • • • A delinquent patron may only be contacted with the permission of his / her home library. Only the home library has the right to place a patron into collections. Exception: Walk in patrons – they are subject to local policy and procedures of the library they are currently in. Damaged Items • • • • • Patrons are responsible for damage or destruction they have caused to library materials. The patron pays the borrowing library for damage and the borrowing library pays the owning library. Patron is not responsible for damage that occurs during shipping. Receiving library judges the condition of materials. If the item is received damaged, return the item to the owning library with a note to indicate that the item was damaged upon receipt. The borrowing library cannot repair the damaged item without the consent of the owning library. © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 4 21 of 26 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL WEEDING A library collection that consists mainly of current and attractive items serves its patrons more effectively than one with old and shabby materials. Patrons tend not to want to search through old materials in order to find what they want. Weeding is as important to the development and maintenance of a collection as is the selection of new titles. Weeding should encompass all formats of items your library circulates. Weeding is the art and ingenuity of separating the worthwhile book that is deserving of a place in your library from something that is taking up valuable space and has no worth for anyone. All libraries must weed. No public library in the country has so much space that it can hold everything it now owns and still add material. A small or rural public library cannot and should not be in the business of preserving old, outdated, useless materials. -Gervasi, Anne Handbook for Small, Rural, and Emerging Public Libraries Why Weed? Save and make space: Unfortunately, you can’t keep everything. Shelves get full and you need to make room for new books. Materials get old and are no longer useful. Sometimes your purchases will be duds, and they won’t circulate for years. We can’t always predict what our patrons will find interesting so we sometimes have to weed non-circulating items even though they look new. It’s best to make room for new purchases and experiments. Appearance is important: Patrons will appreciate a tidy, up-to-date, attractive collection. Attractive collections are patron magnets! Liability: No library worker wants to be responsible for providing false information. Consequences in the legal and medical domains can be particularly onerous. Funding -- build up your reputation: The tidier your library shelves are, the more people in your community (including board members) will hear about the good job you’re doing. It’s hard to convince funders to give more money when library shelves are stuffed full, loaded with brown paperbacks, irrelevant non-fiction, and children’s books with pages missing! Help your statistics: Good collections circulate more. There’s no point in keeping materials that no one will take out. Those materials will also deter patrons – it’s easy to grab a gem from a library shelf when that shelf contains nothing but gems! Help break down stereotypes: Materials that perpetuate race, gender, and other stereotypes should be weeded. Some may be kept for historical purposes, but every effort should be made to balance whatever is left with contemporary materials that present other perspectives. Find out what you have: There’s no better way to learn about your library’s contents than to go through them one-by-one. If you know your collection well, you’ll be best able to help your patrons find what they’re looking for. Shelf-reading and inventory are two other practices which, if done regularly, ensure you are familiar with your collection and what your patrons are borrowing. Find out what you need: The process of weeding helps you find the gaps in your collection and the books that need to be replaced based on condition, date, accuracy, etc. Make your job easier: The less crowded your shelves are, the easier it is to find materials and put them back again. © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 4 22 of 26 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL Who is responsible for weeding? The general rule of thumb should be to never let anyone weed who does not already take part in the selection of new materials. The primary responsibility for weeding must be handled by library personnel who can view the library from the long-range perspective. These people have developed expertise through many regularly scheduled hours working with and thinking about the local collection, and are committed to the principles of library management in accordance with the collection development policy and goals of the library. More often than not in TRAC libraries, the person responsible for weeding the local collection will be the library director/manager. The library manager should never delegate the weeding evaluation function to volunteers (including board members), although they may certainly pull worn and damaged books to be evaluated for weeding. The library manager may wish to seek assistance from the YRL Client Services staff, who have expertise and additional resources on weeding. No matter what type of weeding assistance the library manager seeks, the final weeding decision is left to the expert judgment of the resident library manager. How often should we weed? Do whatever you can to make the weeding a manageable project. Remember, though, that some areas need to be weeded more often (travel guides, legal information if it changes, etc.) so make sure you work those things into your annual plan! If you can’t weed your whole collection every year, you may want to set up a four-year rotating schedule: • • • • Year 1: Adult Non-fiction, Reference Year 2: Adult Fiction, Large Print Year 3: Juvenile Non-fiction, Juvenile Fiction, YA Year 4: Children’s Books, Audio, Video, DVD You may want to make another schedule for each year, beginning at a time when you’re not too busy: • • • Week 1: 000’s Week 2: 100’s Week 3: 200’s, etc. TIP: You may find it easiest to do a bit of front-line work by weeding damaged materials as they go through the circulation desk. If you (or other staff/volunteers) come across damaged or inappropriate materials, set them aside for weeding. Don’t waste your time re-shelving them. Weeding Policies Weeding policies should be a part of your collection development policy. Here is an example: Materials that no longer meet the stated objectives of the library (including those that have become damaged or obsolete) will be systematically withdrawn on a continual basis according to the accepted practices described in the YRL procedure manual. Disposition and replacement of library materials so weeded will be at the discretion of the library director. © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 4 23 of 26 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL How to Weed 1. Determine a reasonable weeding schedule that won’t deter you from doing it. 2. Arm yourself with a book cart. 3. Read over your library’s mission statement and collection development policy and put them on the top shelf of the cart in case you need a reminder. 4. Get your community profile from Statistics Canada (www.statcan.ca) and make sure you know who lives in your community and surrounding area. Print the profile and add it to the mission statement and collection development policy on the top shelf of the cart. 5. Set some rules (and work them into your library’s collection development policy): a. Out with the untouched. Many libraries weed books that have not been checked out for two years (we recommend 2 years if your library is one of the larger ones, 3 if it’s smaller). Set your own limits. Keep what’s sacred. b. Know what’s sacred. Keep local histories, local writers, materials about your community, “classics” in good condition, and special collections your library has developed. Not all old books are worth keeping, especially not those that are falling apart. Avoid keeping donations just because they’re donations: if you don’t have a clear way to deal with them, help your board make a policy. c. What about Talking Books? Talking books are produced by the CNIB for print-disabled readers. According to CNIB, “Public libraries that purchase restricted materials through the CNIB Public Library Sales Program are required to discard works in a way that prevents misuse. Total destruction is not necessary; it is acceptable to remove the tapes or CDs from their packaging and tossing them randomly into a garbage bin. The intent is to prevent whole works from being easily retrieved and used by people who do not have a perceptual disability as defined in the Canadian Copyright Act." If you have any questions, please contact the Client Services department. 6. First run a Weeding Report in Polaris to deal with the library materials your patrons ARE NOT using. Contact Client Services if you require assistance with reports or weeding. © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 4 24 of 26 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL 7. Now deal with the materials your patrons ARE using. Use the YRL Weeding Guidelines. Use the MUSTIE acronym (see below) to determine what should be removed from your library’s shelves. According to MUSTIE, you should remove materials that are: Misleading: or factually inaccurate. Ugly: (or damaged beyond repair). Highlighter or pen on the pages? Yellow, brittle pages? Broken spines? Small print or cramped margins? Unexplained stains? Dirty, damaged, dog-eared? Don’t want to touch (let alone read) it? Dump it. Superseded: by a newer edition or better source. Trivial: no discernable literary, scientific, or historical merit. Irrelevant: to your community’s needs and interests. Elsewhere: may be borrowed easily from another library. Also check for multiple copies: get rid of duplicates of former bestsellers, or trade them with another library for something you don’t have. Check the books for damage and keep the copy in the best condition. 8. Decide what you’re going to replace. Misleading, Superseded, Trivial, Irrelevant, and Elsewhere books do not need to be replaced. If the book is Ugly but perhaps a popular one, look up the total number of check-outs, as well as the most recent check-out, then replace the book or find a newer edition but only if you think it’s worthwhile to do so. If the book hasn’t been checked out in two years, there’s probably no point in getting a fresh copy. 9. Withdraw the weeded items from TRAC. 10. Use a permanent marker to black out the barcode of any book you weed. 11. Dispose of weeded books discretely. Moldy books should be thrown away, not put in a book sale or donated elsewhere. If you need to put books in a dumpster, make sure you are discreet, and out of sight of patrons wondering why you’re throwing away “perfectly-good books”. For some, weeding a book is akin to burning it. Be prepared to answer questions (you may use the Why Weed? section as a guide if you like). © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 4 25 of 26 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL What to do with weeded books Before you weed, plan what to do with the items you remove from your collection. Sell: to the public, either in the library at a continuous book sale table or at a large annual sale or from a continuous exhibit; or to a used-book dealer or a pulp dealer. Donate: to a hospital, nursing home, adult or juvenile correctional facility, charitable institution, day care centre, Aboriginal reserve, Metis settlement, poor school district or a small nonsystem library. Trade: with another library (by posting it on the TRACsharing listserv), or with a used book dealer, for a book your library can use. Recycle: by utilizing a local contractor, perhaps in cooperation with local government agencies. Suggestion: EMCO Ltd. Building Products (Baseline road, Sherwood Park) recycles old books into shingles. They will pay you a nominal amount for your discarded books. You are responsible for delivering the books to them. For more information contact EMCO directly at 780-440-7333. They are closed on Mondays. Destroy: by burning in an incinerator or putting it in the trash. Be sure the books will not be easily seen by someone passing by who might misunderstand the reasons for destroying “valuable” books. © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 4 26 of 26 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL MAIL AND DELIVERY SERVICES Handling Mail Email Regular mail Interlibrary loan mail Van Run Delivery YRL delivery of Interlibrary Loans For TRAC member libraries For libraries outside of TRAC Date due flags Shipping procedures ILL inclusions list for nodes and associates as of September 2009 Government courier locations for interlibrary loan delivery © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 5 1 of 8 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL HANDLING MAIL One of the most important procedures in the member library is handling the mail. It is vital that you devote the proper attention to your mail/email and to the deadline for specific items. Email Check your email every day. There may be important messages about Polaris that you need to know about. Messages from legitimate email sources, especially from Yellowhead Regional Library headquarters or the library community, are easily identified. If you do not recognize where your email is coming from, DO NOT OPEN THE MESSAGE—delete it. Regular Mail Mail, including email, is the vital link among member libraries and between member libraries and YRL. Therefore, it needs to be handled quickly and efficiently. If a deadline has been put on the correspondence for a response from you, it is very important that you do your utmost to meet that deadline. Otherwise, we add to the cost of the initial mailing by having to phone (usually long distance) to follow up the correspondence. Here are some questions you should ask and hints on developing local mail procedures. When? - How often do you pick up the mail? daily, weekly? Who? - Does the same person always handle the mail? Where? - Where do you sort it? How? - How do you sort it? Handle each item of mail once if at all possible. Date stamp all your mail with the date of receipt, then sort it according to the TRAF technique: Toss, Refer, Act, File Toss "Man's best friend, aside from the dog, is the wastebasket" Ask "What is the worst thing that could happen if I throw it out?" Refer Delegate the work (assistant, board, volunteers) Mark it with the name of the person you delegate to handle it, and put it in your "out" file Establish a hot file for Board Chairman, Treasurer, or Secretary Act Mark all deadlines on your office calendar Fill out proper forms for statistics Plan (programs, displays) Set out pamphlets, etc. for public use Remember, decisions are actions File Have a "file" basket for later Post item on your "to do" bulletin board Handling the mail is a crucial job for the member librarian. Ensure that local procedures are developed and followed. © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 5 2 of 8 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL Interlibrary Loan Mail When sending materials for purposes of interlibrary loan (ILL), please use delivery methods available in the following order: First choice – Government Delivery Service (Courier) if available Second choice – Van Run - See Section 6 for instructions on sending ILLs via the van run When possible, try to return ILLs using the same delivery method as they were sent. If items were received via Government Courier, please return via Government Courier. If they were sent by van run, please return via van run. © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 5 3 of 8 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL VAN RUN DELIVERY To receive items from Yellowhead Regional Library Headquarters: • YRL makes weekly deliveries of purchased materials, interlibrary loans and circulating collections to member public libraries. • A YRL driver will deliver items according to the monthly schedule posted on the YRL website. • The YRL van driver will drop off YRL bins and pick up packed YRL bins to return to YRL headquarters. • At the time of delivery, there are a number of types of items that may be exchanged: o New materials ordered at YRL for the library o Items to be catalogued and/or process only are picked up/delivered, Note: Contact the YRL cataloguing team at [email protected] for information. o Notices or other communications to/from YRL & library including supplies such as barcodes, patron cards, etc. Contact [email protected] to order supplies. o Special circulating collections including Aboriginal or Story Time kits. Note: Contact Lynne Barnes at [email protected] to book or inquire. These items will be packaged in the regular YRL blue bins. For special collections such as story time kits or aboriginal kits other packaging may be used. Thank you for having the materials to be picked up ready to go since the van driver is on a tight schedule! © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 5 4 of 8 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL YRL DELIVERY OF INTERLIBRARY LOANS • Before running your library’s “Request Manager” report on Polaris, have your shipping bins open and your various flags at hand. • Run your “Request Manager” report and gather the items you are ready to send out. • Insert the appropriate flag into the item. • To help YRL staff later with the sorting of these items, please use the following procedures: NOTE: To All YRL libraries that currently use the Alberta Government Delivery Service Please continue to send and receive interlibrary loans via government delivery as you are presently doing. Because YRL cannot transport all interlibrary loans items on the van run, we need you to continue using the Government Courier system. You should only send the interlibrary loans on the van run that you would have normally mailed through Canada Post. Continue to use the “blue bags” to send Government Courier Mail as you are able. For TRAC Member Libraries • Insert the correct book flag with the Library’s agency code/regional library code pointing upwards in the item. • • Please be sure you are using the right flag for the right item. Book Flags: For book flags, please visit the YRL website. Click on the yellow tab on the bottom left hand side of the page (Template) for directions on printing the book flags. For libraries outside of TRAC (All those libraries that are NOT on the TRAC Polaris system. This includes all libraries that are NOT members of Peace Library System, Northern Lights Library System, Marigold Library System or Yellowhead Regional Library) Alberta Government Delivery List: If you are one of the libraries that has access to Government Delivery, please note the following: • • • If a location is on the list, you can send ILL items to them via government delivery service: please include the full address of the library, do not use just the national library code. If a location is NOT on this list, PLEASE do not send them items via government courier! Doing so creates lots of “misdirected” traffic to Chinook Arch which results in service delays and extra work for HQ staff. SEE the end of this section for the Government Delivery Service Locations. SEE the list of inclusions for a list of items that libraries or library regions are willing to loan out on interlibrary loan. This is of particular importance to those who are managing VDX at your library. PLEASE don’t ask for items from libraries who do not normally loan out those items. © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 5 5 of 8 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL Date Due Flags • Date Due Flags should accompany interlibrary loans that are going outside of TRAC. • • Date due flags are available on the YRL website. Please note that you need to include on the date due flag: o The name/national library code of the library borrowing the item for their patron o The name and address of your own library that is lending the item o The expected due date for the item to be returned to your library • The reason for this flag is so that library staff at all organizations can easily see where an item is being shipped to, when it is due back and to which library to return the item. The use of these flags will really expedite the interlibrary loan process. Shipping Procedures • Place all items into the shipping bins. • You can place items up to the fill line in each bin without making the bins too heavy for the drivers/sorters. DO NOT OVERFILL THE BINS. • If you have a number of items going to the same library, please put them all together in the bin as it eases sorting once the items get to headquarters. • The books should be laid flat and stacked on top of each other with the “book” flags all in one direction for ease of sorting. • Note: AV materials should be wrapped in bubble wrap or similar packaging to avoid breakage • Continue to fill bins as necessary, close lids and leave in location designated for pickup by the driver. • When the driver comes for the next delivery, he will drop off bins with interlibrary loans for your library. Once you have emptied those bins, you can refill them with interlibrary loans for the next pickup. • If you need extra bins, please let the driver know and he will ensure you get some more. If you run out of bins, you may substitute a sturdy box of the same size. The National Library Codes These are available on the YRL website at www.yrl.ab.ca © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 5 6 of 8 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL ILL Inclusions List for Nodes & Associates as of September 2009 Category Audiotapes (music) Bestsellers & Current Year fiction general Books on CD Books on Tape Compact Discs (music) Computer Software (CD or disk) DVDs Multimedia Kits Periodicals Reference Material Talking Books (requiring certification) Videotapes Will Lend Peace** Chinook Arch ** Red Deer ** Edmonton** Shortgrass ** Ft. Saskatchewan** St. Albert ** Marigold** Yellowhead** Northern Lights** Northern Lights Chinook Arch Red Deer Fort McMurrayShortgrass Marigold St. Albert Peace Yellowhead Parkland Red Deer** Chinook Arch **& Shortgrass**& Edmonton** Strathcona County** Ft. McMurray ** St. Albert ** Ft. Saskatchewan** Yellowhead** Marigold** Peace ** Northern Lights** Chinook Arch **& Peace ** Red Deer ** Calgary ** Shortgrass **& Edmonton** Strathcona County** Ft. McMurray ** St. Albert ** Ft. Saskatchewan** Yellowhead ** Marigold ** Northern Lights ** Red Deer ** Chinook Arch ** Shortgrass ** Edmonton** St. Albert** Ft. Saskatchewan** Strathcona County** Marigold** Yellowhead** Northern Lights** Peace** Chinook Arch ** Grande Prairie Public ** Shortgrass ** Chinook Arch ** Ft. Saskatchewan** (excluding new releases) Marigold** (excluding Canmore) Northern Lights** Peace** Red Deer ** Shortgrass ** Yellowhead** Chinook Arch ** Marigold ** Red Deer ** St. Albert ** Shortgrass ** All will provide photocopies. Will loan whole issues: Red Deer ** Shortgrass ** All will provide photocopies. Northern Lights** Calgary Peace** Chinook Arch Red Deer Edmonton Shortgrass Ft. Saskatchewan** Yellowhead ** Marigold** Peace** Calgary** Red Deer** Chinook Arch** Shortgrass** Edmonton**** Strathcona County** Ft. Saskatchewan** St. Albert** Marigold** Yellowhead** Northern Lights** © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Grande Prairie is represented by Peace Lethbridge is represented by Chinook Arch Medicine Hat is represented by Shortgrass ** Lends to libraries who reciprocate **& Lends to libraries who reciprocate AND to all CNIB certified patrons or equivalent **** Lends ASL & public performance videos Section 5 7 of 8 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL GOVERNMENT COURIER LOCATIONS FOR INTERLIBRARY LOAN DELIVERY AIRDRIE ATHABASCA BARRHEAD BLAIRMORE BONNYVILLE BOW VALLEY BOYLE BROOKS BROWNFIELD via Coronation CALGARY CAMROSE CANMORE CARDSTON CARMANGAY CASTOR CHESTERMERE CLARESHOLM COALDALE COCHRANE COLD LAKE CONSORT CORONATION DEVON DIDSBURY DRAYTON VALLEY DRUMHELLER EDMONTON EDSON EVANSBURG FAIRVIEW FALHER FOREMOST FORT MACLEOD FORT MCMURRAY FT. SASKATCHEWAN via EPL FORT VERMILION HANNA HIGH LEVEL HIGH PRAIRIE HIGH RIVER HINTON INNISFAIL KILLAM LAC LA BICHE LACOMBE LAMONT LEDUC LETHBRIDGE LLOYDMINSTER MANNING MCLENNAN MEDICINE HAT MORINVILLE OLDS OYEN PEACE RIVER PINCHER CREEK PONOKA PROVOST RED DEER RIMBEY ROCKY MT. HOUSE ST. ALBERT via EPL ST. PAUL SEDGEWICK SHERWOOD PARK via EPL SLAVE LAKE SMOKY LAKE SPIRIT RIVER SPRUCE GROVE STETTLER STONY PLAIN STRATHCONA COUNTY via EPL STRATHMORE SUNDRE SWAN HILLS TABER FOX CREEK GRANDE CACHE GRANDE PRAIRIE GRIMSHAW THREE HILLS TOFIELD VALLEYVIEW VEGREVILLE VERMILION VULCAN WAINWRIGHT WESTLOCK WETASKIWIN WHITECOURT YOUNGSTOWN REGIONALS CHINOOK ARCH (Lethbridge) MARIGOLD (Strathmore) PARKLAND (Lacombe) PEACE (Grande Prairie) SHORTGRASS (Med. Hat) YELLOWHEAD (Spruce Grove) NORTHERN LIGHTS (Elk Point) For inquiries or to make changes to this list, please contact: Chinook Arch Regional Library System [email protected] Phone (toll free) : 1 (866) 941‐9262 UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES (N.B. NOT PRIVATE COLLEGES) FAIRVIEW COLLEGE GRANDE PRAIRIE REGIONAL COL. GRANT MACEWAN UNIVERSITY KEYANO COLLEGE LAKELAND COLLEGE LETHBRIDGE COLLEGE MOUNT ROYAL UNIVERSITY MEDICINE HAT COLLEGE NAIT NORQUEST COLLEGE RED DEER COLLEGE SAIT NORTHERN LAKES COLLEGE • Slave Lake YES • Wabasca NO ATHABASCA UNIVERSITY AUGUSTANA UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY UNIVERSITY OF LETHBRIDGE ALL ALBERTA GOVERNMENT LIBRARIES © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 5 8 of 8 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL RESOURCE SHARING - HOLD REQUESTS Placing a hold Holds requests in TRACpac Requesting an item in TRACpac Letting a patron cancel or suspend an unfilled hold in TRACpac In-Transit Procedures Hold Request Terminology © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 6 1 of 6 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL HOLDS Placing a Hold If an item isn’t at your library, you can place a hold on it. You decide whether the hold is for a specific copy of the item or for any copy. The system will not let you place a hold in these situations: • All copies of an item have a status such as lost, missing, mending, unavailable, or withdrawn. • The patron already has a specific-copy hold on this copy of the item. • The library that owns the book is not live on Polaris, for instance if the book is held at Edmonton Public Library or Red Deer Public Library. If this is the only copy of the item, you may request it through interlibrary loan. • Bibliographic record is the authoritative record in the system for each title. A different bibliographic record is created for each format of the title. • Item record refers to the specific library’s copy of the title. These item records are attached to the bibliographic record when they are added to the system. • A hold placed on an item is a specific copy hold. A bibliographic hold request will trap all of the items associated with the record, regardless of where the item is located. © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 6 2 of 6 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL HOLDS REQUESTS IN TRACPAC Requesting an Item in TRACpac Patrons can place requests on items with the online catalogue. 1. Search for the item you would like to request by dusing a keyword, browse, or advanced search. Check the format of the item. See how many copies are available and if there are holds on the item. To request this, click Place Request. To see if the book is held at your library, click the Where is it? link. 2. When you have found the item, click the Place Request link. 3. If you are not already logged in, you will have to login with your barcode or username and password. 4. The item you will be placing a hold on will appear at the top of your screen with the following information: Change your pickup library to the library you want to pick up the item or leave as “Patron’s Library” to have the item delivered to your home branch. As well, the activation date can be reset in order to suspend the hold; otherwise a year from the date the hold is placed will be the default. 5. Click Submit Request and the hold has been placed. © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 6 3 of 6 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL Letting a Patron Cancel or Suspend an Unfilled Hold in TRACpac Patrons can cancel or suspend their own unfilled holds in the online public access catalogue, TRACpac. 1. Go to www.tracpac.ab.ca to access the online catalogue. The patron will have to log on to their account using their barcode or username and password. In the My Account tab, click on the Requests subtab. This will list all items on hold for a patron. 2. To cancel one or more items on hold, select the items you want to cancel by checking the boxes on the left hand side. Then click the Cancel Selected button. To cancel all of the holds, you do not need to select each title, instead, click the Cancel All button. 3. To suspend the hold on the item, select the item and click Suspend/Reactivate Selected or Suspend/Reactive All. You will be directed to a new screen where you can enter a new date for the activation of the hold. Accidentally cancel an item? Click the Suspend/Reactivate Selected/All button to reactive the request. © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 6 4 of 6 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL IN-TRANSIT PROCEDURES Checking in “Items in Transit” To Your Library Transit is a feature used by the system to indicate that items are, although not checked out, on their way to another location. The transit feature is used most effectively when sending items between automated branches. The system automatically sets books in transit when there is a hold on them at another branch. Books can be set in transit manually also, for instance, books going to a library outside of TRAC. For libraries on Polaris, you will see a message on the screen as you check items in. The message will let you know if there is a hold on the item, or if the item was sent to you in transit. If the item was placed on hold, you must make a note of the hold so you can notify the patron, or forward the book to the library where the patron will pick up the book. Items that do not belong to your library will automatically be put in transit to the proper destination. Items with the status of ‘in transit’ are those that were: • checked out at your library, but returned at another library, • interlibrary loans, • items being shipped to your library from Yellowhead Regional Library or from another library. To check these items in, you just need to perform a normal check-in procedure, as with any other book. You will see the Status change from “In Transit” to “In”. If the item is on hold for a patron, an In Transit note will appear with the borrower’s information so you can contact them. If the patron receives notification by email, an email will be sent to them notifying them that the item is ready for pick up. As well, an in-transit receipt can be printed automatically. © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 6 5 of 6 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL HOLD REQUEST TERMINOLOGY • Active – When a hold request is placed in the queue, its status is automatically set to active. There is an item in the System that will satisfy the hold. Bindings are created between the items and the hold request. The items can now be trapped to fill the request. • Cancelled – Cancelled hold requests remain in the database and visible on Polaris work forms. A cancelled request cannot be filled. You can, however, reactivate it or delete it. • Expired – If a hold request is not filled within the specified period of time, the request status automatically changes to expired. An expired request cannot be filled. You can, however, reactivate or delete the request, or convert it to an interlibrary loan request. • Held – A Held request means an item has been trapped to fill the request, and the circulation status is Held. The item has been checked in at the pickup branch and is ready for the patron to pick up. • Inactive – An inactive hold request means that a hold has been successfully placed but has an activation date in the future. The request does not appear in the queue, and an item cannot be trapped to fill the request until the activation date. • Not Supplied – If no items can fill the request (for example, if no items are attached to the bibliographic record), the request status is not-supplied. You can delete the request or convert it to an interlibrary loan request. You can also reactivate a not-supplied request, but if the reason it was not-supplied has not changed, the request becomes not-supplied again. • Pending – The hold request is included in the Request-to-Fill list, otherwise pending functions the same as Active status. Requests that bind to items that are In become Pending. These items must be pulled from the shelves and checked in, in order to fill the hold. Such items appear on the Request-to-Fill list, which is printed from the Pending view. When an active request is routed to another library to be filled, the status changes to pending. If none of the items there have a status of In, the request keeps its active status, and items can be trapped to fill the request. • Processing – The activation date has been reached and the system is creating bindings. This status does not display. The processing status lasts only a short time until bindings are created. The request status will display as Inactive until the status changes to Active or Pending. • Shipped – A shipped hold request means that an item was trapped at a branch other than the pickup branch, and is being shipped to the pickup branch. A request that is Shipped should be bound to an item that is In-transit. • Unclaimed – If the requesting patron does not pick up the held item within the specified period of time, the hold request status automatically changes from held to unclaimed. Unclaimed requests are bound to Held items. Unclaimed requests must be deleted and the items checked in. Unclaimed requests may be deleted automatically through an administration setting. © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 6 6 of 6 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL COLLECTION INVENTORY Why do inventory? Inventory planning steps © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 7 1 of 2 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL WHY DO INVENTORY? An inventory of a local member library’s materials is an important step in the collection management process. An inventory allows the local library staff the opportunity to clean up their local holdings information on the TRAC database by: 1. Determining which items listed in the TRAC database are actually available in their library’s collection and which are lost, missing or misshelved. 2. Finding items that have never been added to the online catalogue. 3. Viewing the physical condition of each item as the barcode is scanned into the Polaris Inventory Manager. 4. Weeding an item if it is no longer useful. Depending upon the size of your library, a library may choose to do an inventory once a year, or once every two or three years or on a continual basis if you do only certain parts of your collection at a time. For example, you may choose to inventory all the items in your video collection every year because of the high usage rate, whereas you may inventory your regular hardcover fiction only once every 5 years. Inventory planning steps • Deciding when to do an inventory is fairly easy - if you have never done an inventory since having your library’s collection put on to Polaris and you are constantly running to the stacks for items that the online catalogue says should be in and never are, now is the time for an inventory. • Some other criteria to consider: 9 The size of your collection 9 The number of staff you can allocate to help out with the scanning of the barcodes. 9 Do you want to do the inventory when the library is open to the public or closed? • Weed the collection(s) you plan to inventory. This will reduce the amount of work involved. • Shelf read the collection(s) you plan to inventory once you have weeded. (Shelf reading is looking at each call number along the shelf to ensure that the books/items are in proper shelving order, either according to the Dewey Decimal Class for the nonfiction collection or author last name alphabetical order for the fiction collection.) • You may refer to the User Manual for the Polaris Inventory Manager available on our website. Please read the introductions and review the steps to doing inventory. • Once you determine a date for conducting the inventory, contact the YRL Client Services department as soon as possible to book the laptop equipped with the Polaris Inventory Manager (PIM) and a wireless barcode scanner. © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 7 2 of 2 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL TECHNOLOGY IN LIBRARIES Polaris What number to call for help? Computer troubleshooting tips Basic printer troubleshooting Wireless guest access Internet access Public access to the Internet Statement of intent Conditions Procedures Schedule A: Sample user procedure Schedule B: Sample public access to the Internet user agreement YRL helpdesk Technology plan Technology recommendations for purchase Desktop & Administrative Support Services – Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) Core competencies for Technology (APLEN) Community Access Program (CAP) © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 8 1 of 15 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL POLARIS What number do you call when you need help? • For ALL problems during regular hours call YRL headquarters: Local: Toll Free: • 780-962-2003 1-877-962-2003 If you come across any problems with the Polaris system, or if you cannot access the Polaris system, please call the after-hours emergency phone number. AFTER business hours, call the Emergency Pager: 1– 877 – 452 – 8722 Time periods covered for after hours: Monday to Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday 4:30 — 8:00 pm 4:30 — 6:00 pm 9:00 — 5:00 pm 1:00 — 5:00 pm After dialing the pager number, please either type in your phone number followed by the pound sign (#), or leave a voice message so that support staff can contact you about your problem. When leaving a voice message, please provide as much information as possible. Only call the emergency support pager number if a problem is encountered within the covered time periods (as noted above) that results in a library being unable to carry out critical functions. Critical functions are defined as: • • • • Login Check Out/In TRACpac Searching Patron registration If you cannot login or are unable to check in any items, these ARE certainly emergencies. However, if you have a problem checking in a single item, this IS NOT an emergency. Problems that are not emergencies should be directed to YRL headquarters staff the next business day. © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 8 2 of 15 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL COMPUTER TROUBLESHOOTING TIPS The tips in this section cover the most common computer problems librarians encounter. • Follow the steps for solving the problem sequentially. • If you are unable to resolve the problem after following the steps, then contact a Desktop & Network Administrator in the Client Services department or contact the Helpdesk. My computer is dead… I think. What do I do? 1. Check - do you have power? Plug a lamp, radio etc in same plug-in that computer is plugged in, to check if outlet is operational. 2. If you have power, then check that the power bar/surge protector/UPS is turned on. A light on the bar will be on. 3. If the light is on, check that cables are inserted correctly and tightly into the back of the computer and power bar. Something is wrong with my monitor. I can’t see anything on it. What do I do? 1. Check if monitor is turned on. Status light on front should be on 2. Check CPU cable. Is it inserted correctly or is it loose? 3. Check power plug on back of monitor. Is it inserted correctly and tightly? My printer isn’t working! What do I do? 1. Are all the computers and printers turned on and logged in? If this is a shared printer on the network and it is physically connected to a computer via a parallel port or USB cable, that computer MUST be turned on (doesn’t have to be logged in) for other computers on the network to access that particular printer. 2. If yes, check to see if cables are inserted correctly or are loose. Wiggle, tighten, or remove and reinsert the cables. 3. If the printer has an LCD readout on the front, check for any error messages or fault lights. 4. Try turning the printer off, wait 5-10 seconds, then turning it on again and retry the print job. Also try rebooting the computer the printer is connected to. 5. Refer to “Basic Printer Troubleshooting” at the end of the Troubleshooting Tips section. Polaris is frozen! What do I do? 1. Wait. Sometimes there is a delay on the server and you just need to be patient. 2. If that doesn’t work, you need to exit your Polaris session. You may need to use your task manager to do this (CTRL+ALT+DEL). © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 8 3 of 15 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL Basic Printer Troubleshooting If you are using an XP machine, please ensure you have Service Pack 3 and .net Framwork 3.5 installed. If you are using Vista, you will need to have Service Pack 1 .net Framwork 3.5 installed. These are the first things we will check if you call us with printing issues – without these upgrades, we cannot guarantee your printers will work from Polaris. Steps: 1. Install the appropriate driver on your machine and print a test page to make sure it works locally. 2. It is also necessary to ensure that .net Framework version 3.5 is installed on the local machine. This will be visible in Add/Remove Programs. If it is not, go to the following website to download: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=333325FD-AE52-4E35-B531508D977D32A6&displaylang=en Follow the download and install instructions, then continue. One other prerequisite is if you’re running XP Pro, you will need Service Pack 3 or Vista with Service Pack 1. SP 3 is available here: http://update.microsoft.com/microsoftupdate/v6/default.aspx?ln=en-us Without the Service pack or .net update it is likely that not only your receipt printer will not work, your other regular printers won’t either. Windows Server 2008 easy print will not properly redirect (map) your printers without these 2 updates. 3. On the Local Resources tab within the Remote Desktop Connection, make sure that there is a check mark in the box beside ‘printers’. Also ensure that when you click on the “more” button that all the boxes are checked. Then ensure you save these changes by going back to the General Tab and click “Save” (as shown in the Logging on to Polaris documentation). 4. Log into Polaris and make the following changes for the appropriate printer within Checkout and Checkin (choose Tools, Options): Star TSP 100 © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 8 4 of 15 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL Epson TM88IV Older Epson printers (TM88II and TM88III) will probably work with the TM88IV settings if the Epson printer driver is loaded on the local machine. They do work well with a Generic/Text driver. To add a Generic/Text driver on the local machine if the older Epson driver is already installed: • Right click properties on the printer within printers/faxes • Advanced • Choose the Generic/Text driver • Apply • (If the Generic/Text driver is not in the list, click Add Driver and choose • Generic and Text) © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 8 5 of 15 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL WIRELESS GUEST ACCESS The Wireless service will be available only by logging in with a library card. But, due to the rules set forth by the CAP grant, it is illegal to deny access to non-library card holders. Therefore, you will need to create special guest cards that will allow access to the wireless, but deny borrowing privileges. Here’s how it works: Have a library card with a barcode at the desk that is marked specially for wireless guests. This one card can support multiple users. To create this card, do the following: In Polaris: o File – New – Patron Record o Enter the barcode # o Last name: Stony Plain Guest (Use your library’s name in place of the word “Stony Plain”, e.g. Elk Point Guest) o First Name: use a period or a dash o Patron Code: Limited Services o Address: use your library’s address o Email: use your library’s email o Phone: use your library’s telephone # o Switch to the General screen o Gender: N/A o Password: (use a random 4 digit number and change it every month) o Check off the “Do not delete patron record” box o Where they live: Not in the list o Local Library Statistic #3: Wireless Internet Access o Save o Go to Links – Patron Status, and from the left side click on G for General o Click on “Add Block” o In the pop-up, click on the second item “Free text” o In the space provided enter “Wireless Guest only! No borrowing privileges” o Click “OK” and save. Recommendations: 1. Do not actually hand the card to the wireless user. Have the barcode and password pre-printed on slips of paper to hand out. 2. Change the password once a month. 3. Make sure all library staff know where the barcode # and password slips are kept. 4. Advertise that your library has free wireless access and users are to see a staff member for information. 5. Encourage guest card users to get their own library cards. © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 8 6 of 15 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL INTERNET ACCESS Public Access to the Internet This policy is a guide. Please follow your own local policies and procedures, if applicable. Statement of Intent TRAC offers public access to the internet at our member libraries. The internet, as an information resource, enables the library to provide information beyond the limits of its own collection. Conditions All members of the community have equal access to the internet either through stationary public access computer(s) or wireless devices, during open hours. The Internet is an unregulated global environment. While it offers a wealth of information that is personally, professionally, and culturally enriching, it also contains information that may be offensive, disturbing, or illegal. People are responsible for the information they access; not all internet information sources provide accurate, complete, or current information. The library does not monitor and has no control over the information accessed through the internet and is not responsible for its content. Parents or guardians are solely responsible for the information accessed by their children and for their children’s use of the internet. The library and its staff cannot control the availability of access to the internet, including wireless service, to specific information sites, or to e-resources. Access is not available at all times and information sites change rapidly and unpredictably. Use of the public access computer(s) is at the sole risk of the user. The library will not be responsible for damage to a person’s hardware or software, or for any loss of data, damage, or liability that may occur from a person’s use of the library’s computers, whether from computer virus or otherwise. The library is not responsible for any information that is compromised, or for any damage caused to hardware or software when using the library’s wireless network services. Causes for damage may include, but are not limited to: power surges, security issues, hacking, or viruses. People are responsible for protecting their wireless devices from viruses and other security threats. Users are responsible for any willful damage to the library’s computer or equipment for online activity, including but not limited to, commercial transactions made while using the library’s Internet connection. Misuse and/or abuse of the computer terminal or the rules governing internet access will result in suspension of Internet access privileges at the discretion of the Library Manager. © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 8 7 of 15 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL Procedures Each library designates one or more computers for public access to the internet. There will be no charge for using the public access computers. Libraries may charge for printing. The current rate for the printing service is set by the Library Manager. Users will sign a Public Access to the Internet User Agreement before using the public access computer for the first time (see Schedule B). A parent or guardian must sign for children up to and including 17 years of age or as designated by the library. If requested, patrons will be provided a copy of these procedures and/or the signed Public Access to the Internet User Agreement. Access will be made available on a first come, first served basis. Time limits on Internet workstations and bandwidth limits on wireless access (where applicable) may be enforced at the discretion of library employees and/or volunteers to ensure that all patrons have the opportunity to use internet resources. Users must sign in before using the computer. Sign-up sheets use first name, initials, nicknames or numbers. The sheets are reduced to statistics and destroyed at the end of the day. While striving to assist people in accessing information on the Internet, library staff cannot provide in-depth training on the internet, computer hardware/software use, or computer jargon. Only parents or guardians may restrict their own children when using the public access computer(s) and the internet. Library Managers will establish local computer and internet access procedures. procedures are set out in Schedule A, which is posted and available to users. The current For more information on this subject and to view examples of internet policies & procedures, check the Public Library Services Branch web page at: http://municipalaffairs.gov.ab.ca/documents/lcvss/Acceptable_Use_Policy.pdf © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 8 8 of 15 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL Schedule A Sample User Procedures Responsible, ethical use of the Internet includes: Using the Internet for educational, informational, and recreational purposes only; not for unauthorized, illegal, or unethical purposes. Not attempting to modify or gain access to files, passwords, or data belonging to others; not seeking unauthorized access to any computer system, or damaging or altering software components of any network database. Not sending, receiving, or displaying text or graphics which are illegal or may reasonably be construed as obscene or offensive, at the discretion of the Library Manager. Users will sign a Public Access to the Internet User Agreement before using the public access computer for the first time (see Schedule B). A parent or guardian must sign for children up and including 17 years of age or as designated by the library. Users may send or receive email only if they set up an Internet-based account. There will be no charge for using the public access computer. There may be a per page charge to print. This fee is set by the individual library. Use of the public access computers is on a first come, first served appointment basis. You must sign-in prior to using the computer. Misuse and/or abuse of the computer terminal or the rules governing Internet access will result in suspension of Internet access privileges at the discretion of the Library Manager. Users cannot use their own software programs, computer hardware, or saving devices on the public access computer. This will help prevent computer viruses that are common to public access computers. Only library-owned software programs will be used on the public access computer(s). All software and CD-ROMs are copyright protected and may not be copied. Deliberate tampering may result in fines and loss of computer privileges. Library staff are not able to provide technical assistance to people in configuring their wireless devices to access the library’s wireless network. People are responsible for providing their own laptops or wireless devices and related networking software. The library does not guarantee that people will be able to successfully make a connection to the library’s wireless network. Wireless device users are responsible for the power required to operate their wireless device while in the library. Access to electrical outlet use in the library is dependent on availability and safety. Precautions need to be made to ensure all electrical cords are clear of any traffic areas. Users must ask staff if they wish to save files. Files may only be saved to a saving device. Saving devices may be available for purchase at a cost. Once a saving device has been taken from the library, it cannot be used again in the public access computers or anywhere else within the school/library building. If a person wishes to leave his/her saving device at the library, library staff © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 8 9 of 15 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL can arrange this. These procedures will minimize the potential for the introduction of computer viruses to the public access computer(s). Warning: The public access computer has virus-protection software installed, but this will not completely prevent a virus from being downloaded along with computer files. Software downloaded from the Internet may contain a virus. Customers should have virusprotection software on their own computer and check all saving devices. Library staff are available to help people access the Internet and other e-resources but cannot provide in-depth training. During library hours, staff may be able to assist with general questions and offer search suggestions. Library staff can suggest library resources and training sessions for customers that need more assistance. Due to staff scheduling, Internet-trained staff may not always be available to provide assistance. © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 8 10 of 15 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL Schedule B Sample Public Access to the Internet User Agreement For _______________________________ Library Everyone must sign this form before they can use the public access Internet computer for the first time. A parent or guardian must sign for children up to and including 17 years of age. This form asks for the user’s name, address, and telephone number in the event that irresponsible use of this service results in damage or in commercial transactions. This information will only be used for this purpose and will not be disclosed without the permission of the user. All users of electronic information sources such as the Internet are expected to follow the library procedures and code of ethics outlined below: Responsible, ethical use of the Internet includes: 1. Using the Internet for educational, informational, and recreational purposes only; not for unauthorized, illegal, or unethical purposes. 2. Not attempting to modify or gain access to files, passwords, or data belonging to others; not seeking unauthorized access to any computer system or damaging or altering software components of any network database. 3. Not sending, receiving, or displaying text or graphics which are illegal or may reasonably be construed as obscene or offensive at the discretion of the Library Manager. User Name:____________________________________________________________ Address:_______________________________________________________________ Telephone Number:______________________________________________________ As a user of electronic information resources, such as the Internet, I will use these resources in a responsible manner, consistent with the educational and informational purposes for which they are provided. I have read and will follow the library’s code of ethics as outlined above and the library’s Public Access to the Internet Procedures. I realize that failure to do so will result in loss of computer privileges and may result in criminal or legal proceedings. I realize that I am responsible for the cost of any wilful damage or commercial transactions. Signature:______________________________________________Date:____________ © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 8 11 of 15 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL YRL HELPDESK If you are having technical problems that you cannot solve, YRL has an online helpdesk for member library staff to use. The YRL Helpdesk is a way to reach Client Services Department staff to get help and assistance without having to decide who to ask for when you phone or who to send an email to. It provides a website you can log into to place your request for help, track the progress of your requests, or look up old requests to find out what the answer was last time before launching a new request. It provides an automated system for dealing with the wide variety of requests the staff in the department get. Anyone in the YRL region can use it to submit a request for help or report a problem with Polaris or TRACpac, and those on the YRL network can use it for any questions related to any desktop and network service we offer. You can also email the helpdesk @ [email protected] and know that your email is being received by the entire Client Services Department ensuring the most prompt response possible. To access the helpdesk, go to YRL’s website at www.yrl.ab.ca All member libraries are registered users who have access to the online helpdesk ticket creation site. Your username is your library name, your password is your national library code + yrl. Example: asgyyrl. Once you log in you can post new requests, see your old requests and see answers to Frequently Asked Questions by clicking on “self–service help”. © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 8 12 of 15 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL GoToAssist Click on “Helpdesk” and complete the form that appears. A member of the Client Services team will contact you regarding your problem. In order to solve a problem, a member of the Client Services team may have to take remote control of your computer. If that is the case, you will be asked to click on “GoToAssist” (to the left of “Helpdesk”). © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 8 13 of 15 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL TECHNOLOGY PLAN “A technology plan identifies what systems and services will fulfill your library’s mission and best meet user needs.” (Cohn, John M, Ann L. Kelsey & Keith Michael Fiels. Writing and Updating Technology Plans. NY: Neal-Schuman, 1999) Because the technology required to run libraries and serve patrons is in constant change and development, libraries need to write and implement a technology plan. Computer hardware and equipment rapidly becomes dated and needs to be replaced. Thus it is important for the local library to work out a technology plan for replacing technology on an ongoing basis. Computers may be financed by the Community Access Program (CAP) http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/cap-pac.nsf/eng/home. They provide funds to provide public access terminals for the library. However, staff computers and equipment must be purchased by each local library. It is for these that the library needs to plan ongoing replacement. For a complete description of how to write a technology plan, please see: A Technology Planning Kit for Ontario Public Libraries. Prepared by Katherine Slimman for Southern Ontario Library Service and Ontario Library Service – North. May, 2001 SEE YRL’s website for: Technology Recommendations for purchase & Desktop and Administrative Support Services www.yrl.ab.ca © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 8 14 of 15 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL CORE COMPETENCIES FOR TECHNOLOGY (APLEN) Definition Technology core competencies are defined as a combination of skills, knowledge and behaviors related to library technology and are important for organizational success, personal performance, and career development. This combination of skills, technical knowledge and personal attributes, contributes to a staff member’s success in any library position. These core competencies apply to all library staff; however, some aspects of each of the competencies may not apply to every staff person. Background Library staff members work in a constantly-changing environment, which requires a level of adaptability. The use of electronic information and related technologies has become indispensable in the delivery of quality library services. Continuous technological changes in public libraries over the past decade have resulted in library staff needing to maintain and upgrade their technological skills as they provide service to library patrons. In addition, public libraries have experienced turnover of staff members which means that the basic technology training (how to use productivity software, knowledge of the Internet and email) is never truly completed. For many libraries, access to training sessions can be limited by budget restrictions, distance, lack of staff members and availability of appropriate sessions. It is generally accepted that today, local library staff members need basic technology competencies that exceed knowledge and use of the automated library system. Current Situation The development of basic technology core competencies is a way to examine the skills required in public libraries, as well as a way to assist APLEN in providing the most support to the nodes and public libraries. At the most fundamental level, computer literacy skills are needed in each library.” Excerpt from: Core Competencies for Technology. Reviewed and updated by members from the Alberta Public Library Electronic Network (APLEN) Technology Training Committee. Alberta, Canada: November 2007 For a complete listing of technology competencies and checklist, go to: http://www.yrl.ab.ca/content/standards-and-competencies Community Access Program (CAP) The Community Access program (CAP) is a national initiative through Industry Canada http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/ic1.nsf/eng/home . The goal of the program is to support connectivity to electronic resources and to encourage Canadians to become Internet literate. The Alberta Public Library Electronic Network (APLEN), through The Alberta Library, has coordinated the CAP program since 1997. Residents and tourists can access electronic services (Internet, e-mail) for free at the 309 public libraries in the province. Each year CAP has provided funding for the purchase of computers and other equipment through the local regional library. YRL Client Services staff will contact you when grants are made available to determine with you the computer equipment choice(s) for your library. © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 8 15 of 15 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL WELCOMING NEW PATRONS Welcoming New Patrons Library Cards TRAC background Conditions What to do if a patron presents a TRAC card from another library What to do is a patron presents a TAL card What to do if a patron presents a library card from another library TAL cards – participating libraries Patron codes Renewing memberships © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 9 1 of 5 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL WELCOMING NEW PATRONS Your main opportunity to welcome and inform new patrons about your library services, collections and programs occurs when they first register for a library card. Make the most of it! Welcome each new patron and provide a TAL/TRAC library card and plastic sleeve Advise new patrons that they can use other libraries that are members of Yellowhead Regional Library as well as libraries that are members of Northern Lights Library System, Marigold Library System and the Peace Library System. These form TRAC or The Regional Automation Consortium. They can also use their card to borrow up to 5 books at participating TAL libraries, if they are 18 years old or over. Give each new patron a short tour of your library. Tell new patrons about the available services, programs, collections, and resources. Providing a brochure is useful. Advise them of your library hours. This strategy personalizes the library and makes it immediately useful to the new user. The library has been described as the living room of the community. To be sure it is hospitable, you as the host must work to welcome your guests (patrons, customers) and see to their needs. YRL issues a TRAC/TAL card as its membership card. The TAL card: Provides access to the resources of participating libraries throughout Alberta Eliminates non-resident or community borrower fees at other participating libraries. Is free to members of a participating library Is convenient - borrowed materials can be returned to any participating library Suggestion: Make up a New Patron Package to give to new patrons as they receive their membership card. It could include: TAL/TRAC Brochure Your library brochure Bookmark that says: “Welcome to [your library’s name] Public Library” TRACpac brochure that describes how to use TRACpac and highlights 24/7 access to information © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 9 2 of 5 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL LIBRARY CARDS TRAC Background Nearly ten years ago, the bibliographic and patron records from three of Alberta’s regional libraries -Marigold Library System, Northern Lights Library System and Yellowhead Regional Library -- were merged onto one integrated library system to form TRACpac, a shared online catalogue. In 2004 Peace Library System joined this consortium, bringing the total number of member libraries to 150. These four regional libraries make up The Regional Automated Consortium (TRAC). TRAC/TAL Card Yellowhead Regional Library is also a member of The Alberta Library (TAL). TAL is a multi-type library consortium offering the citizens of Alberta access to the books of over 265 libraries. A common TRAC/TAL patron card is issued to patrons of TRAC member libraries, and is recognized at all TRAC and TAL libraries. All YRL member libraries issue TRAC/TAL cards. YRL’s membership in TRAC allows card holders to borrow materials, place holds and renew items through all four systems member libraries and the four headquarters. YRL’s membership in TAL (YRL pays a membership levy based on population) allows card holders to borrow material from any participating library in the province. See the TAL website and the TAL online catalogue at www.talonline.ca. Patrons can place holds on books in the TAL catalogue and have them delivered to their home library. YRL provides the following free supplies to member libraries: 9 membership cards 9 plastic card pockets (for membership cards) 9 barcodes for both patrons and library materials Please call YRL headquarters (877-962-2003 Ext.243) or email [email protected] if you need more of the above supplies. Conditions Anyone living in a member municipality of YRL is eligible for a TRAC/TAL card. The TRAC/TAL card is only issued to residents of your municipality and surrounding county. Individuals from another municipality obtain their TRAC/TAL card from their member library. Patrons agree to abide by the rules and regulations of the member library. Children are given the same privileges as adults and are allowed to borrow any library material they need or want, unless restricted in writing by their parents. Complete a library card for each patron. All patrons should be advised that: 9 Their library card must not be loaned to anyone else. 9 No one should borrow books for a non-resident on this library card. 9 The patron is responsible for all material checked out on the card. Indicate the date the card is issued and have the Patron sign the card. © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 9 3 of 5 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL Encourage patrons to bring their library card to the library. 9 It eliminates errors in circulation. (Their card has the right number.) 9 Because the TRAC/TAL card is needed when the patron visits another TAL library. What to do if a patron presents a TRAC card from another library You can identify a TRAC card from a TAL card by the front logo, which will say TRAC, and by the barcode, which will indicate Marigold, Yellowhead, Northern Lights or Peace library systems. You do not need to attach another barcode to this card. Use the one already affixed to the back of the card. The home library will have already entered the patron data onto Polaris. Process the patron loans as according to your TRAC card policy. What to do if a patron presents a TAL card Check to see if there is a barcode already attached from a Marigold, Yellowhead, Peace or Northern Lights library. If there IS a barcode from Marigold, Yellowhead, Peace library system attached to the TAL card: DO NOT attach another barcode to this card. Use the existing one from Marigold, Yellowhead, or Peace and process the loan according to your TAL card policy You may want to record the patron data for your own library use. Include, in this case, the name of the home library as well as the TRAC barcode number issued. If there is NOT already a TRAC barcode attached to this card: Attach a Yellowhead Regional Library barcode on the inside of the card. Register the patron in Polaris. In the Patron Cardholder drop-down menu, choose “TAL Cardholder” to identify them as a TAL patron DO NOT charge them a membership fee! Process the loan as per your TAL card policy. What to do if a patron presents a library card from another library Encourage the patron to get a TAL card from their home library. For example, if your patron presents an Edmonton Public Library card, they can get a TAL card from EPL at no charge and then use it in your library. If the patron is unable to return to her/his home library and their home library has a reciprocal lending agreement with Yellowhead Regional Library, as does Edmonton or St. Albert Public Library, for example, you may issue them a membership card from your library and you may charge them your local membership fee. When registering the patron on the Polaris database, use the New Patron Workform. In the Patron Cardholder drop-down menu choose Local library only. TAL Cards – Participating Libraries For a list of participating libraries, please go to: http://www.thealbertalibrary.ab.ca/services/talcard/libraries.html © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 9 4 of 5 YRL MEMBER LIBRARY PROCEDURES MANUAL Patron Codes Patron codes define available services, loan periods, fines, and limits for specific classes of patrons. They are also used for reports. Patron codes help to define patron privileges and are used according to local policies. One list of patron codes is used throughout the entire system but you may not use all of them. Standard regular patrons who received general library services; most patrons will be registered as ‘standard’ Limited Services usually non-residents; no access to on-line databases Institutional groups of people; i.e. Preschool group, Senior’s Lodge Exception to be used for patrons who do not fall into other categories; ie: loan period for this level can be extended to apply for teachers (local policy) Staff used to identify staff; staff could be standard or have different access levels Library generally used for ILLs; permission codes may be different from standard TAL cardholder limited to only five (5) print items and no AV items; no access to online databases Print disabled will allow patrons access to all standard services as well as print disabled items such as Daisy audio books RENEWAL OF MEMBERSHIPS Member library boards establish the local membership fees and the policy for renewal of memberships. When the patron’s membership has expired, Polaris will place a system-generated block on the patron record. The next time the patron checks out a library item, library staff can reset the new membership expiry date. If your library charges membership fees, you can receive payment or place a charge against the patron’s account. Affix an expiry date sticker to the patron’s card and fill in new expiry date. Ensure the card is signed by the patron © YELLOWHEAD REGIONAL LIBRARY 2010 Section 9 5 of 5
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