Overview of the Technical Services Department, Eden-Webster Library System
Overall Goals
- order, receive, and pay for all Emerson and Luhr library materials, including materials in any format, all journals, and standing orders
- describe and provide access to Emerson and Luhr library materials (books, serials, sound recordings, videos and DVDs, scores, virtual or real electronic products) through the catalog
- process and preserve library materials for the use of our patrons
- promote and maintain the integrity of the catalog, both locally and in our library cluster
Responsibilities
- acquire all library materials expeditiously and at the best price possible
- maintain fund balances and pay invoices in a timely manner
- maintain subscriptions to serials, standing orders, databases, and other electronic products; track receipt so that status is known (on order, claimed, at bindery, available)
- describe and provide access to all new library materials (whether purchased or received as gifts) including the materials for off-campus sites; provide access not only locally and statewide, but internationally via the OCLC database
- continue the retrospective description and provision of access to older materials (including rare books and selected archival materials and special collections) not yet on the library's database, entering these materials also on the OCLC database
- maintain authority control over names, uniform and series titles, and subjects in the library's cluster database
- maintain records of which materials are in which locations, including purging records from both local and international databases when materials are discarded
- continue the reclassificatioin of older materials and audiovisual materials into the Library of Congress classification system so that all the library's materials are organized in a uniform and understandable manner
- process materials so that ownership is established, donors are acknowledged, shelving location is clear, and security precautions are in place
- evaluate damaged materials for appropriate methods of preservation; carry out preservation procedures, including cleaning, boxing, repairing, and sending to the bindery
- do all the above as efficiently as possible