Acquisitions Staff Resources

Procedure for Material Lost or Missing from Stacks

Purpose: These are procedures to follow when library materials that Virgo shows as being in the stacks cannot be located by library users or staff.

Effective date: 2/06/2002. These procedures were revised in April 2004 to correct the overspending of UL-LOST (the lost copy replacement fund) during FY 2002/2003. They return responsibility for selecting items to be replaced to the Selectors. Selectors will use their program or local funds to replace lost items and the funds that had gone into UL-LOST will be spread among monographic program funds.

Part I. Circulation Procedure

1. User reports item as not on shelf. As feasible, staff immediately search stacks with user (1st search).

a. If staff and user do not find the item, the User fills out a Search form and staff members file the form in an agreed-upon location. Circulation/Stacks staff check the stacks for item again (2nd search) within 48 hours of the time that the item was reported as missing.

b. If Item is found: Circulation staff charge the item to a "pseudo user" (Warner: explain this?) and place a hold for the user who wants the item. Then they discharge the item and place it on the hold shelf. The User will receive a Library Material Available notice.

c. If Item is not found: staff conduct a 3rd search in the stacks within 3 days following the previous search. If the item is not located, circulation/stacks staff:

*Charge item to Missing (Missing displays as the Location in Virgo.)
*EDIT ITEM to change Home Location to MISSING.
*Put original location in the COMMENT field
*Notify user of search results.
*Place ILL request for user (if requested on Search form)
*Note on the search form, the date and number of days between when the item was reported missing and the date the patron was notified. (Exclude weekends.)

d. Circ. Staff member tallies the search statistics for Balanced Scorecard on the search stats spreadsheet on their desktop. At the end of each month, they report the totals at the bottom of the spreadsheet to MIS (Lynda White: lsw6y@virginia.edu).

2. Missing reports: Cataloging (currently Janis Kessler) runs a MISSING report around the first of each month. It lists the items that circulation staff members have edited to Home Location MISSING. The report is sent to the designated circulation staff member in each library. The missing report is cumulative.

3. Stacks Search: Stacks Search. Within one week of receipt of the MISSING report, circulation/stacks staff search stacks again (4th search).

a. If Item is found: staff discharge the item and EDIT ITEM, changing Home Location to the original library location. Place hold for user, etc., following above procedure (1a).

b. If Item is not found: staff discharge the item, charge it to LOST, and change Home Location to LOST. LOST item records are shadowed in WebCat but are searchable in WorkFlows using Keyword searches..

Part II. Selectors/Order Staff Procedures

1. Cataloging staff (Janis Kessler) runs LOST report monthly.

a. The LOST report contains a list of items, not BARRED, which have been missing for one month. It is non-cumulative.

b. The report is sent to the Collection Coordinators: (currently, Alderman: Gary Treadway for Karen Marshall; Clemons: Vicki Coleman; SEL: Carol Hunter: Fine Arts: Lucie Stylianopoulos for Ann Whiteside; Education: Betsy Anthony; Music: Jane Penner) for distribution to the appropriate Selectors.

c. Note: as of 4/6/04, the LOST report will include circulation information for the LOST copy/volume.

2. Selectors receive their portion of the LOST report by e-mail or paper from the Collection Coordinators and send their decisions on reordering titles to the Order Unit.

*If the report is received by e-mail, Selectors print the report.
*The Selector decides whether titles on the list need to be replaced to in order to support current programmatic needs in their areas.
*If item is to be reordered, Selector notes that on the printout, indicates the fund to be used.
*If item is not to be reordered, Selector notes that on the printout.
*Selector sends printout to the Acquisitions Department Order Unit (Dawn Waller).
*Selectors' decisions on reordering items should be made within 1 month of receiving the LOST report.

3. The Order Unit receives Selectors' printouts and orders replacement copies.

*The Order Unit searches these items to be reordered and automatically orders titles that cost $75 or less. This applies to items that are current in-print as well those that are available from OP vendors.
*If new copy ordered, it is ordered either on another line on the record or as another edition.
*The Order Unit notifies Selectors if replacement copies are not available, if only a different edition is available or if titles cost more than $75.
*After all titles on a printout are ordered, and if there are titles on a printout that are not to be reordered, the Order Unit sends the printout to Cataloging Maintenance (Cindy Davis)

Part III. Cataloging Procedure

After 2-3 months, Cataloging Maintenance Unit (Cindy Davis) processes all items that still show as LOST.

1. Home location is changed to LOSTCLOSED.

2. Lost statistics are taken.

3. After the appropriate waiting period, (Cindy: time period?) holdings are removed from OCLC