College and Research Libraries CARL C. COX Mechanized Acquisitions Procedures at the University of Maryland After searching book requests and selecting vendors for them, they are keypunched into order decks, and rush orders are mailed. Other re- quests are accumulated and consolidated purchase orders printed out weekly on an IBM 407 accounting machine. Order information is also sent .to the catalog department, where it is filed as "on order" in the public catalog and where precataloging is begun. Auxiliary printouts of order information include numerical listing, receiving report, alpha- betic listing, and fund reports. As TIIE FIRST STEP in mechanizing the acquisitions routine at the University of Maryland, the order request forms were redesigned to serve as the source docu- ments for key punching. A five-part form of standard 5 x 8 size printed on no- carbon-required paper, this document, in addition to providing the usual spaces for bibliographic description, is spaced across the top for the entry of keypunch coding and provides an area at the right- hand side for manual searching informa- tion. To accelerate keypunching, the cod- ing spaces at the top are arranged in the necessary sequence. In the instructions for ·the use of this form, which accom- panied its distribution prior to the be- ginning of the new fiscal year, the fact that no order request would be proc- essed which was not typewritten was stressed. Five months after the distribu- tion of the new form, no handwritten re- quests had been received. The requestor keeps the fifth copy of the form and Mr. Cox is Assistant Director of Libraries for Technical Services in the University of Maryland. /232 sends the other four to acquisitions, where, using a modified Simplex time stamp, it is assigned an item number im- mediately. The first two numerals of this six-digit number correspond to the week of the fiscal year, while the last four are sequential within the week. The fourth copy of the form is detached and filed by this number, to serve as a control and to aid in clearing each order for purchase or return within a week's time. The re- maining three forms are distributed to searching teams and are processed through the public catalog and biblio- graphic searching. If Library of Con- gress copy for the title is found during this search this copy is attached to the request form, either by pulling the LC proof slip from the · file of these slips or by making a Thermofax copy of the entry in the printed National Union Cat- alog. After searching is completed, the search reviser edits the request for legi- bility and proper form, encodes the key- punch information, &mils for return to the originator the requests which are not to be ordered) and then sends all orders Mechanized Acquisitions Procedures I 233 to the acquisitions librarian for review. The acquisitions librarian decides upon the source from which the item is to be ·Ordered and inserts the proper vendor number in the appropriate keypunch code space, stamps the next order num- ber in the upper left position on the form -again by the use of a modified Simplex time stamp-and detaches the third copy of the form for return to the originator as his notification that the title is on order. The remaining two copies of the request form are sent to data processing for key- punching into order decks. After the originator receives his copy, he is asked to quote the order number in any future enquiries about the progress of the or- der. A special telephone extension in ac- quisitions has been installed to handle this type of information. All orders com- pleted by the end of a work day are tak- en from acquisitions to data processing before closing time so that the keypunch- ers can begin on them the next morning. Rush orders are sent daily; all others are combined for a consolidated purchase order printout once a week. PREPARING THE ORDER DECK Working from the edited request form and any available LC copy, the key- punch operator prepares a basic order deck consisting of at least Jive cards; There must be one card each for author, title, publisher, series, and fund, with trailer cards used to accommodate lengthy author, title, and publisher cita- tions. From this basic order deck all other records are prepared. Each card of this deck carries, in addition to the card code and sequence number which allows sorting and arranging by machine, the order number, the vendor number, the number of copies ordered, and a sort code which facilitates the routing of ma- terial upon arrival. When catalog cards are to be prepared prior to receipt-in other words, where full Library of Con- gress cataloging copy is available-the call number also is punched into the cards. In the rare instances where the call number exceeds fifteen columns in length, the remainder of the number is punched into a fixed field in the series card from whence it is retrieved for any full call number listing and for the prep- aration of book cards. The series card, which also carries the pagination state- ment, does not bear a full series entry but only the blanket notation "/series/." On the purchase order this advises the dealer that this title is part of a series and that therefore he may fill the order without a request for confirmation. Lat- er, this same notation will serve as a sig- nal that this title should be listed under a series entry, the series itself being punched in full form as one of the added entries in the final bibliographic deck for the title. Because of these and other con- trol functions having to do with machine printout, only one series card is ever made as part of the order deck, in con- trast to the multiple cards which may be punched for author and title. Author cards and fund cards, which are con- sidered primary control cards, are veri- fied on an IBM 056 Model 1 verifier, but all other cards are scanned for errors after a proof purchase order printout. PURCHASE ORDER WRITING Immediately after the established cut- off time each week all completed order decks are sorted into proper sequence and, preceded by the appropriate vendor address cards, are run through an IBM 407 Model E4 accounting machine for the proof purchase order printout. This proof run is invaluable as an error elim- inator since even a rapid scanning will catch misspellings, errors in form, cards out of sequence or dropped entirely, and those hopefully rare cases where an or- der for a title with a New York imprint is being sent to a dealer in Bombay be- cause of an inadvertent transposition of digits in ~he vendor coding. After the corrections are made, the order decks are passed through the 407 once more to 234 I College & Research Libraries • May, 1965 print the order. Although the time is in- fluenced by many factors and thus varies considerably, the average printout time on purchase order runs is one hour for 675 orders. An 8~ x 11 sheet order form is used, on which, varying with the length of the entries, from six to eight titles may be listed. Each title, however, has its indi- vidual order number, preceded by a two- digit prefix number identifying the fund against which the order is to be charged; the vendor is asked to invoice together only items with identical prefix numbe:t;s. Only one copy of the purchase order is sent to the vendor, but a punched postal reply card corresponding to each title is sent with the sheet order. This is to be returned in the book as ·supplied, or re- turned as a report if the material is un- available or is to be delayed beyond ninety days-the period designated as the beginning of the claim and cancel pro- cedure. The information punched in the reply card is duplicated from the author card of the order deck on an IBM 519 reproducer, and after this process has been completed the author cards are sorted into alphabetical order and a printout is run on the 407. This serves to catch any duplicate orders that may have been processed by different searchers during the past week. CATALOGING RECORDS At the time of order printout, two 3 x 5 cards bearing full order information are -also printed by the 407 on catalog card stock. These are sent, with the original order request forms, to the catalog de- partment as soon as the order is mailed. Wherever complete LC catalog copy is available the catalog department pre- pares all cards for the book at this time and files both catalog cards and request forms by order number until the arrival of the book. When such copy is not avail- able at the time of order the request forms are merely filed until the piece arrives. One of the 3 x 5 cards is filed in the public catalog immediately to show that the item is on order, thus consoli- dating the on-order file with the cata- loged collection and eliminating one step in the searching procedure. This "on or- der" card in the public catalog may also help in reducing the number of duplicate orders submitted to acquisitions. The second 3 x 5 card is used to hold the call number in the shelf list while cards are being prepared, either before or after the actual arrival of the piece. Both of these cards are pulled and destroyed at the time the finished set of catalog cards is filed after the item is received. Any title reported as unavailable after order is re- ferred to the acquisitions librarian who decides what search measures, if any, should be taken. Most titles recommend- ed once will continue to be in demand and search activities will be extended accordingly. When it is decided to main- tain a title on active search status a dif- ferent set of 3 x 5 catalog cards, similar to the "on order" set but bearing the no- tation that the title is being sought, is printed by the 407 and the original order deck is then filed in a desiderata file. The first of the 3 x 5 cards is filed in the pub- lic catalog and the second maintained in acquisitions as a record of search activ- ity, to be reviewed at definite intervals. The card in the public catalog alerts any searcher checking an out-of-print deal- er's catalog that this title is wanted, and the order can be rushed out that day by merely pulling the punched card order deck from the desiderata file, amending its order number and vendor number, and punching a new fund card. AUXILIARY LISTINGS Once a week, following immediately upon the consolidated order run, a nu- merical listing of all orders placed that week, an alphabetical listing of all orders currently outstanding, and a fund re- view report are printed. The numerical listing, an exact duplicate of the infor- mation on the purchase order, serves • Mechanized Acquisitions Procedures I 235 two basic needs. The copy of this listing which is maintained in the acquisitions department is the record copy of all orders placed and is the official source of all information concerning any indi- vidual order while that order is out- standing. This copy is kept beside the acquisitions information telephone and is annotated daily with any dealer re- port, claim, or cancellation information. A weekly receiving report printed on the 407 keeps this information copy updated on completed orders. Another copy of the numerical listing is placed in the receiv- ing section and is used to check incom- ing materials for correctness. The alpha- betical listing is composed of author en- try only and serves primarily as an index to the numerical listing, although it may also be used as a quick check for possi- ble duplication. Since it lists only out- standing orders, the alphabetical listing is replaced weekly by a new printout with orders received being dropped and new orders being added. The fund review report is printed each week for all library funds in both detail and summary forms. The detailed re- port lists all transactions for the week by individual order-encumbrances, pay- ments, cancellations, etc.-and serves as a visual record of the entire week's fi- nancial operations. As each fund is to- taled in the running of the detailed re- port a summary fund card is punched on the 519 duplicating punch. The sum- mary fund card for each week is then filed to be run with the detailed report next week, after which it is destroyed, being supplanted by a new summary card. A second run of the detail cards is made to furnish a summary fund re- port which, for administrative purposes, is much easier to use. By this means the exact status of any fund is always clear and the panic of over encumbrance or, worse, over-expenditure is avoided. Once a month information is extracted from this fund summary to be sent as a report to each of fifty-eight departments on the current status of the department's funds. Formerly two man-days a month were spent in dealing with 282 funds, totaling and reconciling accounts on an adding machine. This time has been reduced to the actual printout time of the report, usually about an hour, plus about two hours of typing time. Eventually a print- ed report probably will eliminate the typing time altogether. RECEIVING AND BILL pAYMENT Two distribution cards-actually dup- licates of the author card with distinctive color stripes-are produced on the 519 at the time of order placement. These are sent to a file in the receiving area and are pulled when the book arrives. One of the cards is sent to data process- ing, where all invoices are received, to ·serve as notification that the invoice may now be processed for payment and for the preparation of the weekly receiving report. As invoices are cleared for pay- ment the individual fund cards are punched with the actual amount paid for the item and the fund cards totaled on the accounting machine for each in- voice. At the same time a summary punched card is produced on the 519 which, together with a bill listing, is sent to the university comptroller's office. Using the summary punched card, that office processes payment through its 1401 computer system, and the payment au- thorization is usually on its way within twenty-four hours. The original fund card for each item is held for the next fund review. PosTCATALOGING OPERATIONS The second distribution card is placed in the book and sent to the catalog de- partment to match the piece with the request forms on file there by order num- ber and, if cards are waiting, only labels need be prepared before the release of the book to the shelves. If the book has not been precataloged it is routed at 236 I College & Research Libraries • May, 1965 once to a cataloger in the appropriate subject field. In either case, as soon as the book is released the original copy of the request form is returned to the originator as notification that the book is ready for use, and the distribution card and a copy of the catalog card are returned to data processing. The dis- tribution card pulls the basic order deck from the active file, and any necessary corrections or amendments to the deck, as shown on the catalog card, are made. At this time, too, the subject heading and added entry cards for each title are add- ed to the deck, and any book cards not made at the time of order are punched. Once this postcataloging punching is completed, the deck is sorted into call number order and held for the printout of a new book list once a month. Follow- ing the book list run the punched card deck is filed in a so-called history file for transfer to computer tape at the earliest possible date. • • Nominees for ACRL Offices, 1965-66 FoR College Libraries Section Chairman, the correct names of the nominees are Martha Biggs, Lake Forest College, Lake Forest, Ill.; and George F. Bobinski, State University of New York, Cortland, . New, York. The Law and Political Science subsection of the Subject Specialists Section nominated Robert B. Harmon, San Jose State College, San Jose, California, and Jane Wilson, The Asia Founda- tion, San Francisco, California, for vice chairman and chairman- elect; and Marcia M. Miller, University of Missouri, Columbia, Mis- souri, and Hans E. Panofsky, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, for Executive Committee member-at-large. Slavic East European subsection nominated John L. Mish, New York public li- brary, Bohdans Wymar, University of Denver, for vice chairman and chairman-elect. • • .1 .. • ENCYCLOPEDIA AMERICANA is pleased to present some findings from a new study, "Use of Basic Reference Sources in Libraries" Conducted by \Vallace J. Bonk, Chairman, Departn1ent of Library Science, University of Michigan Supported by the Cooperative Research Program of the Office of Education, United States Department of Health, Education and Welfare ''Use of Basic Reference Sources in Libraries'' -an independent survey WHY THIS SURVEY? One of the urgent problems facing library edu- cation, in Professor Bonk's opinion, is the need for a core reference course that will provide graduates of Master's Degree programs in library science with the common preparation they all need. The basic or introductory reference course which is to prepare both for large university and public libraries and for small public and school libraries must aim its teaching at the largest area of agreement upon reference titles. The purpose of this study was to determine which basic or general reference works are most frequently used in college, university, school, and public libraries of varying sizes. OBJECTIVES: I. To obtain the judgments of practicing reference librar- ians relative to the usefulness of a selected list of basic reference sources. 2. To aid teachers of reference in evaluating the content of their basic refer- ence courses (with respect to that part of the course which is concerned with the study of actual titles). 3. To provide one further possible aid in the evaluation of reference collections and a possible aid in selection of addi- tional titles. (The questionnaire list was actually used as a source of titles for purchase by a number of responding librarians.) PROCEDURE: A questionnaire was sent to 1,750 reference librarians in six different categories of library work-1) Ph.D. granting institutions, 2) Master's Degree granting institutions, 3) Bachelor's Degree granting institu- tions, 4) Junior Colleges, 5) High Schools, and 6) Public Libraries. They were asked to grade 352 reference titles (A-V materials, Bibliography, Biog- raphy, Dictionaries, Encyclopedias, etc.) with the following designations: V-Vital, meaning those sources in constant and heavy use. R-Recommended, helpful, but not in constant demand. P-Peripheral, infrequently used. RESULTS: Of the 1,750 libraries polled, 1,090 responded, and of these, 1,078 replies were tabulated. Of the 352 titles listed, the Ph.D. Degree granting institutions were in unanimous agreement on considering nine titles as vital: Books in Print, CBI, Winchell, Current Biography, Who's Who, Webster's New Interna- tional (2nd edition), Encyclopedia AMERICANA, Government Organiza- tion Manual, and Readers' Guide. Summary of Professor Bonk's findings on encyclopedia use. Category of Library Encyclopedia mentioned most frequently as VITAL Public Libraries ............................ AMERICANA School Libraries ............. .' ............. AMERICANA Junior College Libraries .................... AMERICANA Libraries in institutions granting Bachelor Degrees ............... AMERICANA Libraries in institutions granting Master Degrees ................. AMERICANA Libraries in institutions granting Ph.D. Degrees .................. AMERICANA IN ALL LIBRARIES POLLED: The ENCYCLOPEDIA AMERICANA is considered a Vital Reference Source more often than any other ency- clopedia-by 1,022 out of 1,078 respondents. The complete 2 36-page report may be obtained from Ann Arbor Pub- lishers, 771 North University, Ann Arbor, Michigan. The publisher's price is $3.50. 122 465 15M ENCYCLOPEDIA AMERICANA is the vital reference work. See "Use of Basic Reference Sources in Libraries" byWALLACE J.BONK Chairman 1 Department of Library Science1 University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. ENCYCLOPEDIA AMERICANA Educational Division 575 Lexington Avenue 1 New York1 N.Y. 10022 A Division of £ Grol.ier INCORPOMHO Litho in U.S.A.