Technical Services

MISSION AND FUNCTIONS:

Technical Services is responsible for obtaining items and providing the logical organization and arrangement of materials within the collections of the Kelvin Smith Library for the benefit of the information needs of the University faculty, students and staff. Obtaining materials consists of ordering, receiving, and processing all monographs and serials received in the library. Providing the logical organization involves the decision-making process to construct logical organization of library materials within collections. Arrangement of materials constitutes the physical maintenance and processing of all items.

BIBLIOGRAPHIC/METADATA SERVICES

Cataloguing Mission and Functions
Database Maintenance Mission and Functions
Metadata Services Mission and Functions

ACQUISITIONS

SERIALS

Cataloguing Mission Statement

CATALOGUING is responsible for providing bibliographic control and organization; for processing of library material; and for maintaining bibliographic control and organization of library materials in collections and databases. Providing bibliographic control and organization of library materials includes the technical evaluation, manipulation, or creation of information according to national and local library guidelines and procedures. Processing of library materials includes physical preparation of items for use and circulation. Maintaining bibliographic control and organization of library materials includes the monitoring and updating of database information to keep it current and consistent. These activities support the sharing of our database with national networks for the global information seeker.

Functions

• Provide centralized bibliographic access to collections in the Kelvin Smith Library.
  
• Identify, verify, evaluate and edit bibliographic records for new materials following national guidelines and local procedures.
  
• Complete essential information for partial bibliographic records or create new records to enhance national databases using official standards and local guidelines.
  
• Provide unique item information in physical and database format and communicate information to other Technical Services units.
  
• Effectively monitor processing of materials in priority order.
  
• Provide labeling and physical processing of library materials.
  
• Conduct final check of permanently processed and prepared materials for accuracy and completeness and distribute processed materials to appropriate locations.
  
• Create and maintain authority files of names, subjects and series and interact with other library areas by exchanging pertinent information.
  
• Review database transactions for accuracy, completeness and consistency.
  
• Maintain the official shelflist and evaluate materials following local retention procedures.
  

Database Maintenace Mission Statement

DATABASE MAINTENANCE is responsible for providing authority control and monitoring quality for all libraries loading MARC records into the Library Catalog.

Monitoring includes correcting and aligning bibliographic information and library materials in order to maintain an accurate database for the information seeker.

Functions

• Create and maintain authority files of names, subjects and series and interact with other library areas by exchanging pertinent information.
  
• Identify, verify, evaluate and edit bibliographic records for new materials following national guidelines and local procedures.
  
• Complete essential information authority records or create new records to enhance national databases using official standards and local guidelines.
  
• Provide unique item information in physical and database format and communicate information to other Technical Services units.
  
• Review database transactions for accuracy, completeness and consistency.
  

Metadata Services Mission Statement

METADATA SERVICES is responsible for developing recommendations, guidelines, and tools for the selection, creation, capture, application, and storage of descriptive, administrative, technical, and structural metadata for electronic resources created at Case Western Reserve University using internationally recognized standards and schemes.

Functions

• research metadata standards and schemes to identify metadata standards and schemes applicable to KSL digital projects; metadata standards and schemes unique to specific disciplines, technical metadata requirements for digital objects (esp. audio and video.
  
• recommend the implementation of specific metadata standards and schemes for digital projects at Case.
  
• develop, adopt, and/or recommend tools to facilitate metadata capture and creation.
  
• provide ongoing consultative metadata services to the Case community.
  
• provide ongoing support for compliance with these recommendations for Kelvin Smith Library and the Case community.
  

Acquisitions Mission Statement

ACQUISITIONS is responsible for obtaining materials for the library and efficient record-keeping. Obtaining materials consists of ordering, receiving and claiming items for the library collections. Efficient record-keeping includes the expertise of establishing and maintaining accounts as well as furnishing information about library material purchases to the information seeker.

Functions

• Process monographic order requests including verification of bibliographic information and vendor selection.
  
• Receive new items including the timely processing of all invoices for payment and review new material for physical condition, location and special handling.
  
• Claim material not received from vendors or obtain, through appeal or purchase, material lacking in the collection.
  
• Create accurate financial reports annually or as required to facilitate expenditure of funds and to estimate fund commitments for future fiscal years.
  
• Communicate with the resource coordinators as required to successfully resolve questions.
  
• Acknowledge and process gift materials to allow the resource coordinators to make informed decisions about the disposition of these materials and to implement those decisions.
  
• Maintain current information for informed and accurate acquisitions of library material.
  
• Determine the correct recipient of miscellaneous mail and forward the mail promptly.
  

Serials Mission Statement

SERIALS is responsible for maintenance of library journal and continuation subscriptions by checking in, updating, eliminating or correcting bibliographic entities in the library's databases and collections in accordance with the library's procedures.

Functions

• Receive and record receipt of items that are part of a periodically published title. Provide preliminary processing or special handling for these items as necessary.
  
• Provide unique item information in official databases for materials which are additions to existing titles. Monitor these materials and act on retention policies.
  
• Create and maintain serial holdings in the various library databases chosen by the Kelvin Smith Library.
  
• Receive new items including the timely processing of all invoices for payment and review new material for physical condition, location and special handling.
  
• Examine renewal notices or subscription lists to determine vendor or to verify renewal authorization.
  
• Withdraw items and the related bibliographic records, when necessary.
  
• Claim material not received from vendors or obtain, through appeal or purchase, material lacking in the collection.