Annual Report June 2006-May 2007
Access to the World of Learning: Teaching, Learning, and Research
+
Excellence in Service
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Collection Development and Funding
Since the main role of Library Technical Services is to acquire the library resources required to support the University’s teaching and research mission, and to make these collections accessible, it is difficult to separate these three points because of the overlap.
Summary of volume of activities :
Acquisitions: monograph orders monograph purchases (firm order + approval)
(new, not renewals) serial orders
Cataloguing:
29,080
56,173
820 monographs serials (excluding MARCIt)
72,740
929
SFX Knowledge Base:
(work that enables FindIt@McGill to work and generates the MARCIt records for the catalogue) changes to SFX Knowledge Base 20,399
(activate, add, change holdings to match our subscription, etc.)
MARCIt records new records added to Aleph updates
MetaLib Knowledge Base changes to MetaLib Knowledge Base
4,588
16,677
551

Annual Report 2006-2007
Library Technical Services
Serials check-in for HSSL checkin claims
Aleph database updates
Binding (sent to commercial binders)
Batchloaded records (excluding MARCIt)
22,034
5,140
139,147
9,546
177,461
Special activities and projects
Cataloguing backlog projects:
Inhouse

major achievements in reducing music scores and law cataloguing backlogs through the work of Megan Chellew and Louise Robertson; attention to moving material out of LTS quickly

review of workflow to maintain even flow (see below under Review of processes )

Cutter reclassification project (summer 2006)
 o 4 students June-Aug. 2006, supervised by Marc Richard
HSSL Microforms classification (begun spring 2007, ongoing)

Osler Library project: Paris theses, supervised by Joan Hobbbins

Rare Books Division cataloguing backlog projects: o Klibansky collection (began Oct. 2006, ongoing)

supervised by Nevenka Koscevic o Anglo-American play scripts

supervised by Marc Richard
(completed) o English plays of the long 18 th century (completed)

supervised by Nevenka Koscevic
Outsourced

Rare Books Division Lande and Redpath Tracts: o development of project specs with OCLC for outsourced cataloguing project; negotiation of scope and treatment of the material; project commenced
Review of processes:

review of cataloguing workflow for new books to ensure even distribution of work and that no pockets of material lag behind

expansion of FastCat workflow to include all good contributing copy
(previously restricted to LC copy)

review of spine label printing: ended use of custom-made spine labels and moved to generic labels; significantly more cost effective and faster

Annual Report 2006-2007
Library Technical Services delivery service, both factors that are especially important during a time when there are several projects involving relabelling

review of video/DVD cataloguing procedures and development of simplified procedure

review of information given to the user about HSSL newspapers and their locations (in cooperation with Lending and Access Services)

training for Lending and Access Services staff so that they can directly handle items without barcodes/item records
Reorganization of serials checkin workflow to fit with redesign of HSSL main floor space:

changed procedures to fit with new requirements of HSSL when they changed the location and procedures for currently received journal issues and currently received newspapers; trials and adjustments to procedures to find an efficient pattern
 implementation of “Newspapers on demand” procedures
Electronic resources:

expansion to include CJK electronic resources

review and update of information about available record sets; ca. 170,000 records batch-loaded into Aleph for electronic resources (excluding
MARCIt)
Online catalogue:

CJK scripts and indexes introduced

downloading of records with CJK scripts and original inputting of CJK characters in Aleph records

purchase and batchloading of 7,700 MARC records from the Chinese
University of Hong Kong for individual titles in the Si ku collection
Inventory:

organization of the shelf-reading project for Life Sciences and Schulich
Libraries
Aleph 18

testing of cataloguing, acquisitions, processing and serials check-in functions

preparation of staff

transition procedures and changes for record-loading programs
Redpath Storage:

support for the database changes part of the Storage project
E-theses:

preparation for new e-theses workflow for McGill theses; testing of workflows; development of procedures

Annual Report 2006-2007
Library Technical Services
Metadata standards:
 draft policy on metadata standards for the Library’s Digitization Committee

metadata crosswalk table between Digitool and Aleph as part of the preparation for the receipt and cataloguing of McGill e-theses

report to Director on metadata standards and resource discovery for digital collections
 prepared McGill’s response to CARL’s draft CARLCore metadata profile for institutional repositories
Facilities: an appropriate library environment

new spine label printers for regular processing staff, to replace obsolete printers
Outreach
2,391 catalogue correct requests received and resolved.
872 requests to the Electronic Resources and Serials mailbox received and resolved
952 rush cataloguing requests – these are requests from users; this number does not include rush orders, reserves and other types of expedited processing initiated by library staff.
Visits from other libraries
June 5 th : visit of Indonesian librarians (as part of their visit to GSLIS)
Dec. 8 th
May 11
: visit of librarian from the Swedish National Library th : visit of librarian from King’s College, London
Aleph demonstrations
Oct. 5 th : visit of UQAM librarians evaluating Aleph as a possible choice for their next LMS; UQAM decision on hold.
Oct. 18 th : visit of librarians from the
Université du Québec network; they were evaluating Aleph as a possible choice for their next LMS; U. de Q. network did choose Aleph.
McGill University
LTS staff helped out at the Library booth at the I.D. Centre, Aug. 2006
Financial matters/Reports

Recommendation from LTS staff to introduce more granularity in Aleph budgets.

Annual Report 2006-2007
Library Technical Services

LTS experimented with the use of an Aleph feature: parent and grandparent budgets, to give managers aggregate data.

met with McGill auditors; provided information and files as required

J. Andrews received introductory-level ARC training from an Ex Libris staff member; a good start but insufficient to produce quality reports immediately. Reports delivered in the software did not produce the information in which McGill Library was interested. J. Andrews did extensive work experimenting with reports and setting up McGill reports for use after her retirement.

J. Andrews prepared and gave some training sessions for LTS staff: Joan
Hobbins, Chris Olive, Lise Hackett, Zafiro Bowman, Anne Marie Emili.
Adele Toutant also attended.
Staffing
The department has struggled to cope with the loss of three key librarians: the retirement of Joanna Andrews, and the leaves of Ruth Sonksen and Pat Riva.
The department also had to adjust to the sudden retirement of two very productive staff members from the “relocation list.”
Retirement
Joanna Andrews
Joan Gross
Gerry Castleman May 31 st
On leave
Ruth Sonksen
Pat Riva
Feb. 28, 2007
May 31 st , 2007
, 2007
Feb. 22-Dec. 31, 2007
April 15 2007-April 15, 2008