Page 89 - DLIS001_FOUNDATION_OF_LIBRARY_AND_INFORMATION_SCIENCE

Foundation of Library and Information Science

Notes acquisition policies both to ensure consistent development of holdings and also to avoid
duplication when this is considered to be non-productive by the member libraries;

loan periods, renewal procedures, payment for materials lost during transactions, etc.;
production of tools such as union catalogues with uniformity and standardisation for
bibliographic control;
cooperative cataloguing or shared cataloguing;

maintenance of up-to-date catalogues, etc.
In addition to the aspects mentioned above; it is necessary that there should be:
positive procedures for delivering materials and their timely return;
bibliographic access to local holdings and on order and in-process records of the participant
libraries;

establishment of facilities for storing little used or discarded materials, their maintenance
and use as and when required.
Once material of interest has been located elsewhere, it becomes necessary to determine whether
it is indeed available, or is in use by others. Resource sharing requires access to circulation
information to avoid disappointment and to accelerate the process of locating the required
material in another library. Once this is done, the next step entails transfer of the physical
material to the point of need. Resource if resource sharing is to be successful and effective, all
procedures must occur with sufficient speed so that the client has the desired material in hand
before the need for it is evaporated. Technology may become useful tool in this regard.

5.2.2 Basic Records

Record keeping is important in resource sharing systems as it is in individual libraries. Sharing
of materials entails sharing in a formal and consistent manner, the records without which the
system cannot operate.
First is the acquisitions policy, which must be reduced to writing in as much detail as possible.
This is necessary in order that other members in the system can make effective predictions of
whether other libraries will or will not acquire a given item. The experience in the preparation
of parameters for approval programmes may serve as a workable model in this regard.
Convenient access in real time, to on-order/in-process records of resource sharing partners and
to union catalogues of their holdings can help in the application of policy to individual selection
decisions.
Once a positive acquisition decision has been made, the local on-order and in-process files must
be accessible to others who may be making an: acquisition decision to purchase the same
materials. The same goes for access to holdings as represented by the catalogues of the member
libraries. It is useful to consider the feasibility of establishing a union catalogue for the member
libraries and of keeping it up to date. The union catalogues whether individual or union must
contain indications of library location of items and also information on any restrictions on use.
The client who has located material of interest to him must know whether it is available or it is
circulating. In the latter case, the expected time of availability must be known so that a decision
can be reached as to whether the delay is acceptable or whether the holdings of the other library
should be availed. In other words, the basic circulation files, therefore, need to be made accessible.
Once the loan transaction has been completed, it is necessary to establish files, and also procedures
for recall of materials. If protocols are established for fines or other punitive methods for late
return, or non-return, then appropriate files and procedures must be established. The files and

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