2003-2004

University of Washington Libraries
Office of the Director
MONOGRAPHIC SERVICES DIVISION ANNUAL REPORT
July 1, 2003 to June 30, 2004

I.                EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Prepare a summary of no more than 200 words highlighting the most significant accomplishments, changes, or innovations which have occurred in your area of responsibility this past year.

In addition to ongoing contributions in acquisitions, cataloging and database management, the Monographic Services Division increased its output in high-demand and strategic areas.  Cataloging of media materials, in particular foreign language videos, was increased.  Additional catalogers were trained to provide metadata for digital initiatives and a number of these projects were completed.  Projects of strategic importance to the Libraries were supported, such as the merger of the Natural Sciences and Forestry Research libraries, and the Northwest Digital Archive.

II.               MAJOR ACTIVITIES, ACCOMPLISHMENTS, OR SIGNIFICANT CHANGES

Enumerate major projects, accomplishments, and activities for the year.  Briefly describe significant changes in such areas as user services, facilities, technology, equipment, and infrastructure.  Include alteration, elimination, or transformation of services and procedures as well as redesign of processes.

Acquired and cataloged a large number of monographs, including electronic resources and an increasing amount of media.  Hired a part-time, temporary cataloging librarian with salary savings to help with media.

Increased the number of catalogers who provide metadata for projects in digital initiatives.  Created metadata for a long list of Special Collections and grant projects.  Made substantial progress on the Architecture of Puget Sound project in Acquisitions and began a second project, Pacific Northwest Sheet Music.

Took on most media ordering from the OUGL Media Center.  Reviewed and streamlined media ordering procedures.

Contributed to the ongoing development of Encoded Archival Description in the Special Collections Division and to the Northwest Digital Archive.

Reclassed Dewey books in the Children's Literature collection and the Art Library, as well as currently received serials in the Natural Sciences and Forest Resources libraries.  Supported the reclass of Dewey monographs as part of the merger of NSL and Forest Resources.

Made good progress on the retrospective cataloging of pre-1976 U.S. government documents.

Loaded catalog records for microform and electronic sets.

Completed the final renovation-related move with the transfer of a government publications backlog from Kane Hall to the Suzzallo sub-basement.  Re-sorted and reshelved the backlog to improve our ability to retrieve requested items.  Attempted to secure library grants in order to search and process this material.

III.              PROBLEMS, ISSUES, OR CONCERNS FOR THE COMING YEAR

Staffing levels continue to be a concern.  While 03/04 was a good year because all of our vacancies were filled, 04/05 is again a budget year, with cuts likely in university and library budgets.  This will again create pressure to reduce staffing in Monographic Services.

We have growth areas where we would like to add staffing, such as media and music cataloging.  The ongoing explosion of media strains our capacity, especially as a larger percentage is acquired in foreign languages.  We also have unmet cataloging needs in the area of maps.  While we devote considerable staffing to Special Collections, there are significant backlogs that could easily take another FTE.

Another ongoing concern is our ability to catalog in the full array of International Studies languages supported by the library.  For years we have had great difficulty with Thai and Indonesian.  While we have employed strategies to maximize our internal resources and have occasionally used contract cataloging, there remains a core set of materials that we do not have the ability to catalog.  In regard to Near East, as we recruit for an Arabic copy cataloger, we are uncertain how well we will be able to cover Persian and Turkish, which are important secondary languages for the area.  We also hear that there will be program expansions in Philippine studies, including Tagalog, and possibly in African studies.  We have no current capacity to support these areas.

A final concern is the impact of grant projects on Monographic Services.  The coordination of grant proposals with the requirements of ongoing work is weak at best.  We are happy to contribute to grant projects and see this is as an important part of our work, but it is difficult to plan staffing and workloads when we receive little or no information about grants affecting us.  While Monographs has so far been able to meet all of its commitments, as the number of grants increases, the Libraries' mode of non-planning will likely lead to a public failure.

IV.              MAJOR ACQUISITIONS, GIFTS, OR GRANTS RECEIVED

Two grants to catalog international studies materials from the 21^st Century Fund and the Friends of the Libraries.

V.               PERSONNEL

Libraries Personnel will provide a list of appointments, promotions, transfers, resignations, and retirements for use in the Personnel Section.  Add additional personal information that is not provided centrally.

A.   APPOINTMENTS

B.  PROMOTIONS, TRANSFERS, RESIGNATIONS, AND RETIREMENTS

C. HONORS AND AWARDS

UW Libraries service awards:

Su Burton - 25 years

Cathy Gerhart - 15 years

Karen Highum - 15 years

Joseph Kiegel - 20 years

D. APPOINTMENTS AND ELECTION TO LIBRARY OR UNIVERSITY-RELATED OFFICES OUTSIDE OF THE UW LIBRARIES

Diana Brooking, Member-at-Large, Executive Board, Slavic and East European Section, ACRL

Cathy Gerhart, President, Online Audiovisual Catalogers, 2002/2003

Cathy Gerhart, Member, Editorial Board, Journal of Map Librarianship

Janet Heineck, Secretary-Treasurer, Middle East Librarians Association

Karen Highum, GODORT Cataloging Committee, ALA

Marsha Maguire, Board of Advisors, Smithsonian Global Sound Project

Marsha Maguire, Project Coordinator for UW Librairies, Northwest Digital Archives Project

Adam Schiff, ALCTS representative, then Chair, MARBI, ALA

E.  PUBLICATIONS, PRESENTATIONS, PERFORMANCES, AND   EXHIBITIONS

Diana Brooking, "Cataloging digital images," American Association for the Advancement of Slavic Studies, Toronto

Jacqueline Coats, "Book purchasing in North American academic libraries:  how approval plans increase library purchasing power," Association of American University Presses, Vancouver, B.C.

Jacqueline Coats, "Automated pre-receipt processing of records supplied by vendor or vendor PromptCat services," American Library Association, San Diego

Cathy Gerhart, "The importance of specificity in access to science theses: subject access, SACO and the cataloger in successful retrieval," American Library Association, Orlando (coauthored with Adam Schiff)

Cathy Gerhart, map cataloging workshop, Montana Library Association

Adam Schiff, NACO training for 21 catalogers from 10 Alaska libraries

Adam Schiff, co-trainer, Train-the-Trainers Workshop for the ALCTS/PCC Effective Subject Cataloging Using LCSH course, Libray of Congress.  One of four instructors at the ALA pre-conference on this topic.  Member of the PCC/ALCTS joint task group to develop this two-day workshop.

Adam Schiff, co-trainer, SCCTP Workshop on Integrating Resources, Anchorage

F.   DEGREES RECEIVED BY STAFF

G.  OTHER SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS

VI.              MAJOR GOALS, OBJECTIVES, AND ISSUES FOR 2004-2005

Tie to the Key Action Areas of the Strategic Plan if appropriate.

Move division staff to the new OCLC interface (Connexion) and provide system-wide leadership for the conversion. (Capacity Building)

Hire and train new staff in acquisitions and cataloging.  Review and revise copy cataloging assignments in light of staffing changes. (Capacity Building)

Complete the review of system-wide order standards and implement them. (Excellence in Collections)

Complete digital projects for Architecture of the Puget Sound and Pacific Northwest Sheet Music.  Identify digital projects for which acquisitions staff can provide scanning support. (Any Time, Any Place)

Lead the effort to start contract cataloging for some of the Thai backlog. (Any Time, Any Place)

Complete the Special Collections linking project of manuscripts and archives management records. (Any Time, Any Place)

Continue retrospective cataloging of pre-76 U.S. government documents. (Any Time, Any Place)

Add holdings to OCLC for older UW theses and dissertations that are currently listed only in the library catalog, by uploading them via the Cataloging MicroEnhancer. (Any Time, Any Place)

Contribute to the development of new approaches to vending Spanish language materials and a Latin American approval plan. (Excellence in Collections)

Provide a basic course in Library of Congress Subject Headings for staff. (Capacity Building)

Review the Innovative Millennium cataloging module to determine if it is now useful to cataloging staff. (Capacity Building)

STATISTICAL APPENDIX

Tables should include statistics for July 1, 2003 to June 30, 2004.  Please highlight any significant changes or trends.  UW Seattle circulation, instruction, gate count, reference sampling, and collection size statistics will be provided centrally.

Acquisitions Activity

Categories of recordkeeping were changed at the end of 02/03, so comparable statistics in some categories do not exist.  Changes were made to reflect automated workflows and to bring out specialized categories of management interest.

Lower levels of overall activity reflect the first year of the biennium, when order levels are below those in the second year.

Cataloging Activity