Library Technical Services

 

Scope:  This procedure describes how to record statistics on collection growth and cataloging for RMC materials, for use in the Annual Report.

Contact: Margaret Nichols

Unit: RMC

Date last updated: 03/29/07

Date of next review: July 2008

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Table 1

Table 4

Table 5

Table 12A

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Table 1: Growth of Printed Volumes

Note: Remember to count volumes, not titles. We arrive at an approximate number of volumes added by multiplying the number of titles by 1.2.

Also, follow the instruction sheet for completing this table (if one is issued). Several of the totals will be supplied for us; we don’t have to calculate them.

A. Volumes in Library at Beginning of Year: This number will be supplied to you, taken from last year’s statistics.

B. Volumes Added: Gifts, purchases, and transfers, not counting Rare Annex volumes (they are counted in a different column; see below).

C. Volumes Subtracted: Any volumes transferred out (including volumes sent to Rare Annex), or duplicates deaccessioned.

Volumes in Library at End of Year: This number will be calculated for you in the spreadsheet; you do not need to supply it.

Net Volumes Added to Annex: Includes transfers we sent to Rare Annex from the Olin stacks, from Uris, or from the vault in RMC. Also includes archival copies of theses added to the Annex.

To get the number of theses:

1. Do a Builder search in Voyager:
thesis [keyword anywhere] AND may [last year] OR august [last year] [limit location to RMC]

Theses filed in May of a given year seem not to get cataloged until at least July, so even though May of last year is part of the previous fiscal year, we still count these theses in this past fiscal year’s statistics. Example: a thesis filed in May 2006 was almost certainly cataloged and added to the Annex after July 2006, so it counts in the statistics for FY2006-2007.

2. Do a Builder search in Voyager:
thesis [keyword anywhere] AND january [this year] OR jan [this year] [limit location to RMC]

3. Add (a) and (b) above to get the number of theses added to the Annex over the past fiscal year.

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Table 4: Growth of Manuscript Material

Note that we need to supply two different sets of figures here: one for cubic feet in RMC, and the other for cubic feet in the Annex.

Calculating the cubic ft. equivalent of items, folders, or volumes is tricky, because these things can vary considerably in size. Estimate cubic footage based on the actual sizes of the objects involved if you can (e.g., assign the calculating task to someone who processed the collections and remembers them, or use the data in the LDA field of the RLIN records for them). Otherwise, use this formula:

One cubic ft. =

1 16” Hollinger box, or
100 items, or
50 folders, or
20 volumes.

Box sizes: conversion to cubic ft.

2” letter = 0.1
2” letter (upright) = 0.1
2” legal = 0.2

3” legal (upright) = 0.2
3” letter = 0.2
3” legal = 0.3

4” letter = 0.3
4” legal = 0.4

5” letter = 0.3
5” legal = 0.4

8” letter = 0.4
8” legal = 0.5

16” = 1.0
16”+ = 1.1

1.5 x 12.5 x 15” = 0.2
1.5 x 15 x 19” = 0.2
1.5 x 16.5 x 21” = 0.3
1.5 x 17 x 21” = 0.3
1.5 x 21 x 25” = 0.5

2 x 12.5 x 15” = 0.2
2 x 15 x 19” = 0.3
2 x 16.5 x 21” = 0.4
2 x 17 x 21” = 0.4
2 x 21 x 25” = 0.6

3 x 12.5 x 15” = 0.3
3 x 15 x 19” = 0.5
3 x 16.5 x 21” = 0.6
3 x 17 x 21” = 0.6
3 x 21 x 25” = 0.9

4 x 4 x 36” (tube) = 0.4
4 x 5 x 10” (neg.) = 0.2
4 x 4 x 10” (mf.) = 0.2
4 x 4 x 12” (mf.) = 0.2
4 x 16 x 20” = 0.7

5 x 8 x 11” (hat) = 0.2
6 x 10 x 10” = 0.3
8 x 10 x 11” = 0.5

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Table 5: Material in Process for Cataloging

"Material in process for cataloging" is the total number of volumes of print material in our backlog. Note that the figures on this table are for volumes, not titles. To arrive at the figure for this year:

1. Start with last year’s figure, and add the total number of volumes added since then, including volumes added to the Annex (you can get that information from Table 1, Growth of Printed Volumes).

2. Use Table 12a, Cataloging of Titles, to find out the number of titles cataloged this past year, including transfers.

3. Take the total from step 2 and multiply by 1.2 to arrive at the number of volumes cataloged this past year.

4. Subtract the number you arrived at in step 3 from the number you got in step 1:

(Last year’s backlog + volumes added) – volumes cataloged = Current backlog

This will give you the number to fill in on Table 5.

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Table 12A: Cataloging of Titles

The rare book cataloging supervisor can get totals for titles cataloged by using the CUL technical services statistics system. This system draws on data in the 948 fields of catalog records to generate detailed cataloging statistics.

To arrive at the number of titles cataloged for RMC by catalogers who mainly work on LTS materials, do a Builder search in Voyager:

             [Cataloger A's netid] or [Cataloger B's netid] or [Cataloger C's netid] and [this year]?

Limit the search to RMC. This search will cover all of this calendar year to date. To cover July-December of last yuear, search one month at a time:

              [Cataloger A's netid] or [Cataloger B's netid] or [Cataloger C's netid] and 200607?

and so on, through December 2006. Note that your search will retrieve all RMC records that catalogers worked on, whether new cataloging, recon, or maintenance.  For a more precise result, you may need to run an Access query.