Logistics and documentation

The following is in response to Robert Milevski's inventory control
question.  The Preservation Dept. at the University of California,
Davis, is composed of three sections:  Bindery Preparation, Preservation
Services (brittle books, microfilming, etc.) and Conservation Treatment.
This response covers the inventory control system(s) used by the
Conservation Treatment Section. Approximately 2,210 items receive
treatment each year, and slightly more than this are sent to the
University Bindery as the preferred treatment.

We have a less than perfect system, and would like to create something
more efficient.  Most of the books are received from the circulation
dept.  We bring them up to the lab and check them out via barcode for 1
year to Conservation Treatment on a Wyse terminal connected to the
Library's mainframe which gives us access to the automated circulation
database.  We make basic treatment decisions, then recharge those items
going to the bindery to a separate charge, and those going to
Preservation Services to yet another charge. For those items staying in
Conservation Treatment, a two- part NCR paper card is filled out with
the call number and an abbreviation for the type of treatment (other
than routine).  These NCR cards are the old bindery slips, no longer in
use.  The top (flimsy) copy is kept in the book, the second (hard) copy
goes by call number into our paper file.  The books are then filed by
call # on the mending shelves in the lab.  We have separate shelving
sections for resews, prep. for new case, hollow tubular backs, and phase
boxes.  The hard card in the paper file is marked with this special
section.  Staff pull books from these various locations to treat. When
treatments are completed, the books are placed on designated shelving to
await discharge and/or relabeling.  After we discharge the books via the
database, we pull the hard card and discard it, then transport the
completed books back to the circulation department or to the catalog
maintenance department for relabeling.  Other than pulling the our
location card and discharging the book, there is no record maintained
regarding treatment for regular circulating materials.

Rush materials from Reserves or Reference, and recalls from patrons are
handled the same or next day.  Again, any records are pulled at the time
the material leaves the lab.  Special Collections and Maps materials are
handled differently.  There is no bar code for this material, so only a
separate paper file is kept for material coming in.  The card is pulled
when the item leaves the dept.  A treatment form is filled out for each
item with a description of the condition, the treatment, and the date
completed.  These are kept in a binder by year, in call number order, or
by date if not cataloged.  Each Special Collections item has a record of
treatment tipped in on acid-free paper.

We do not keep track of phase boxes--assuming that we will probably
never have time to get to these.  Many Special Collections items will
have Solander boxes made, or acid-free pambinds.

We mark statistics as the books leave the dept.  Those with "hidden"
treatments have a slip specifying treatment in the book. At this time
there is no system for allocating numbers of books treated from branches
or different collections.  As more departments and branches are taking
advantage of the department's resources, this will need to change.  Our
circulating collection materials frequently take a "back seat" to more
urgently needed or specialized material.  We are always looking for
better solutions.

ARL statistics are a problem.  At this time we extrapolate from our
current stats.  I've talked to Maria Grandinette about their system, and
will be trying to modify our statistics sheets to make this process less
painful each year.

Wendy Jones, Conservation Treatment Supervisor
UCD

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                  Conservation DistList Instance 5:41
                 Distributed: Wednesday, March 4, 1992
                        Message Id: cdl-5-41-005
                                  ***