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Cataloging Services

Original and copy cataloging of monographs, technical reports, electronic resources, media, sound recordings, theses, software, maps

All holdings for Hunt Library and Engineering and Science Library are cataloged using Dewey Decimal Classification. Mellon Institute Library's holdings as well as the Software Engineering Institute's collections are cataloged using Library of Congress Classification. Cataloging is done using Library of Congress Subject Headings and according to Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules, 2nd ed., 1988 revision.

Items are received in the department either as orders, approval items or gifts. By the time they get to Cataloging they should all have a record of some sort in Unicorn. Usually it is an OCLC MARC record but for items that do not have OCLC records, a brief record is input into the online catalog by Acquisitions staff. This means that everything that has been ordered, received, is currently being cataloged or has been cataloged will be in Cameo or Unicorn. The Unicorn record of items that are in Cataloging will say "received" and will have a call number that consists of XX followed by a series of digits enclosed in parentheses. Once the items are actually cataloged they will have either a Dewey (Hunt and E&S) or an LC (Mellon Institute and SEI) call number, a current location and an item ID (barcode).

The location of the item after it is cataloged but before it leaves the department will be IN-PROCESS. The location will be changed to the actual location of the book in the stacks, whether it be the NEWBOOK location or its permanent location, immediately before the item leaves the department.

Rush and Hold/Notify items

Items identified as "Rush" are separated from the normal flow of materials and are placed on a designated shelf. These items are cataloged before any others and are usually completed and out of the department within 2-3 days. Items are usually designated as "Rush" at the time of ordering but this designation can be applied to an item at any time and the cataloging staff will locate and catalog a "Rush" item as soon as possible. Paperback books designated as "Rush" will not be sent to the bindery.

A "Hold/Notify" can be placed on any item that has not been cataloged. Holds can be placed by patrons or staff at the circulation desk or in Cameo. "Hold/Notify" items are treated like "Rush" items and are cataloged as soon as possible. An item having a "Hold" on it will be held at the circulation desk and the patron will be notified by the circulation staff that the item is available for pickup. An item designated as "Notify" will go to its stacks location and the patron will be notified by circulation staff that the item is available in the stacks. Paperback books with a "Hold" designation will not be sent to the bindery, but paperback books with a "Notify" designation will be sent to the bindery.

Physical processing

Physical processing is the last thing done to items before they are placed in their temporary (NEWBOOK) or permanent locations in the stacks. Physical processing involves placing a label on the spine of a book, property stamping the inside front cover and the bottom right corner of the page opposite the verso, dating the inside back cover, affixing a pocket to the inside back cover, tattle-taping, changing the location to NEWBOOK or the item's permanent location and adding other markings which might be necessary for the shelving and circulation of library materials.

Conversion

Conversion involves adding bibliographic records for items that are in the collection but have never been added to the catalog.

Catalog Maintenance

Catalog maintenance is necessary to maintain the bibliographic integrity of the library catalog. It involves correcting errors and omissions in Unicorn records which are submitted by library staff, faculty and students. This includes correcting call numbers, adding barcodes and/or changing locations for items in the catalog.

Monograph binding preparation and receipt

Book binding procedures include the preparation of books for bindery, charging and discharging them in the library management system and the ordering of archival boxes.

There are two categories of books that are sent to the bindery. New paperback books are routinely sent to Wert Bindery where their picture cover process retains the original paper cover on the bound book. Books from the stacks that need to be rebound are sent to General Bookbinding. Items are sent to Wert Bindery once a month and their current location in the library catalog while they are at the bindery is BINDERY-W. Items are sent to General Bookbinding every two weeks and their current location in the library catalog while they are at the bindery is BINDERY-G.

Transfers and withdrawals

Transfers occur when serials or books are transferred to one library from another. For example, the newest edition of a serial might be housed in a Reference location at Hunt Library, last year's edition might be housed at E&S Library and the previous year's edition might be at Mellon Institute Library. Items are withdrawn from the library catalog when selectors weed their collections and determine that materials should no longer be in the collection. These items are removed from the library catalog, stamped WITHDRAWN, desensitized and are either discarded or are saved for the book sale. Items for missing items that are not replaced by selectors are also withdrawn. After the catalog records for these items are removed from Unicorn, our holdings are also removed from OCLC.

Table of contents enhancements

Materials are selected for tables of contents enhancement according to specific guidelines. Table of contents data is added to master records in OCLC and then the record is exported to Unicorn in order to get the table of contents information into the library catalog.