Policies for Cataloging Priorities

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Last updated: Oct 16, 2019
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Policy: Cataloging Priorities

Department: Technical Services

Updated 13 August 2014

Purpose: The purpose of this policy is to

1) guide cataloging staff in the ordering of their work, and

2) communicate priorities to other library staff so they understand cataloging workflow and do not form unreasonable expectations.

Overview: Purchased materials and items received through the Federal Depository Library Program are cataloged before gifts. Scholarly materials are cataloged before recreational materials. Each special project will be given a unique priority within this list, but always after numbers 1 and 2. RUSH cataloging and purchases always come first.

Priorities:

1) Items flagged RUSH. “Rush” is defined as items a) requested by an individual for scholarly use, or b) needed for course reserve.

2) Purchases.

3) Digital materials housed in ValpoScholar.

4) Materials received through the Federal Depository Library Program.

5) On-the-fly records for recently circulated items.

6) Gift replacements; Resolving other cataloging issues for items already represented in our collection; Retrospective conversion. (Almost all of our retrospective conversion projects are now for Archives/Special Collections.)

7) Gifts for materials published within the last ten years.

8) Gifts for Archives.

9) Gifts of Lutheran related materials.

10) Free ebooks or online materials for which a catalog record has been requested

11) Other gifts for the general collection.

Format priorities for media when the above criteria are equal:

1) online

2) DVD

3) CD

4) CD-ROM

5) VHS (VHS should be added to the collection in only when content is important and not available in another format, even if the other format must be purchased.)

5) LP (LPs should be added to the collection in only when content is important and not available in another format, even if the other format must be purchased.)

6) Audio cassette (We should no longer add any gift audio cassettes.)

Donna Resetar
Associate Dean of Library Services