Yes, we use coloured slips of paper!

Below is an explanation of our use of coloured slips!

Check back on Monday for discussion of "backlogs"!

In our cataloguing processes we are guilty of using coloured "progress" slips in each of our incoming new titles! Numerous reasons, but whether or not they're justified, I'm not sure!

Each month's incoming stock is allocated a different coloured slip. These are produced from a word processed template and literally take seconds to print out and guillotine (3 slips per A4 page). At the point of receipt, each title is given a slip. Each slip includes space for ISBN, date of receipt, date of cat/class, date of input, date of processing, date of tagging, and date of departure from the office.

Here's the main reasons for using slips:

Easy retrieval

• If there is a backlog, it is easier to find requested items if you know what coloured slip you are looking for, and can then pin down the item through its receipt date - which is always at the very top of the slip
• The exact stage in the process an item has reached can be easily identified

Recording information

• Because the team is quite large, the receipt/cat/class/processing is split up into its component part. So, the cataloguer (who deals only with bib records and doesn't input local information into the LMS) uses the slip to list possible classification numbers and to record their final choice of number so the library assistants know what number and filing suffix to put into the libaray management system

Quality checking

• At the checking stage before the items are dispatched to the library a visual check of the slip can identify any processes that may have been missed
• Any problems identified in the last check are noted on the back of the slip and an analysis made, so that problems can be nipped in the bud before they become regular errors

Are we using our time to the best advantage? How better could we execute our processes?