LSF Selectors' Tool

Selectors' Tool

Introduction

Using Microsoft Access, the Library Systems Office developed the Selectors’ Tool for the electronic delivery of Library Shelving Facility (LSF) selection reports. The Tool:

Improves the selection process.
Generates pickslips for the retrieval of material flagged for transfer to the LSF, and
Provides ORBIS searching and updating instructions to LSF preparations staff.

ORBIS records matching the Selectors’ report criteria are loaded by the Systems Office into Access files (i.e., files with a ‘mdb’ file extension). Selectors copy these files to their own workstations. Then, simply by clicking on the file, they launch the Selectors’ Tool.

Within the Tool, selectors view the ORBIS data as an online form. Using the power of Access, they sort and filter the data to more easily identify material appropriate for transfer to the Library Shelving Facility. Alternately, Selectors may print the ORBIS data using several pre-defined reports. Review of records through printed reports is not recommended since LSF transfer decisions must be recorded online in the Selectors' Tool in order to ensure the accuracy of the printed pickslips and processing instructions.

Once an entire Access file is reviewed and the transfer DECISIONS are recorded, the whole file is transferred by the selector to LSF preparations staff (which in some libraries is a special team and in others is the circulation department). LSF preparations staff print pickslips from the Access file for material flagged for transfer. Using these pickslips, the material is retrieved from the stacks. Before the material is sent to the LSF, LSF preparations staff once again refer to the pickslips for ORBIS searching and updating instructions.

The Access file’s useful life ends when the selected material is transferred to the LSF.

General Information About The Selectors’ Tool

These report files represent a database ‘snapshot.' The date of the snapshot is the date embedded within the GENERATION FIELD, e.g., MKP04011999. ORBIS will change, but these files will not. For example, if a book circulates its date of last use will change in ORBIS, but not in the Access file.
The data in the Selectors’ Tool is only as good as the data in ORBIS. If you see a typo or other error in the Selectors’ Tool, assume the same problem exists in the ORBIS record and take the necessary steps to correct the record.
Fields in the Selectors’ Tool are always displayed even when they are empty. For example, the MARC HOLDINGS field appears as a large blank box unless the ORBIS copy statement includes volume information in a Marc Holdings record.
All fields are defined as ‘text,' except:
- ITEM (yes/no)
- SORT SEQUENCE NUMBER (number)
- CHECKOUTS (number)
- BROWSES (number)
- DATE OF LAST USE (date)
  Note: Unlike DATE OF LAST USE, the DT/1 field is a ‘text’ field and not a number. It must be defined as a text field because it includes dates such as ‘18uu.'
Your file is delivered with records sorted in call number order.
Every copy that meets the report criteria is included within the Access file. A title with two copies that meet the report criteria will appear twice in the Access file. If the two matching copies have the same call number, they will be sorted next to each other. If they have different call numbers, they may not be next to each other. Print the 'Report of Duplicates By ORBIS Key' to identify these records.
The DECISION field is the only field that can be changed.

Field Details

Fields are arranged as follows:

To the left are the bibliographic variable length fields (AUTHOR, TITLE, SUBJECT) and the (display) CALL NUMBER.
In the middle are holdings fields (e.g., locations).
To the right are control and sort/filtering fields including the SORT CALL NUMBER.

The Individual Fields are:

Author
Title
Uniform Title
Edition
Imprint
Physical Description
Subject (first 6xx tag)
Series (4xx tag)
Call Number (for display)..........................................	From the copy statement
Location....................................................................	From the copy statement
Other Locations 1-4..................................................	Up to 4 locations from additional copy statements
Marc holdings record
Item record................................................................	Yes/No (Is there an item record?)
Decision.....................................................................	Only field that can be changed
Orbis key
Generation Value.......................................................	Selector’s initials + MMDDCCYY (for report run date)
Sort Sequence Number.............................................	Sequential number acts as record number and used to re-establish the original sort
Call # Sort Value......................................................	A call number padded to sort properly. Use this field and not the Call Number field to sort.
Place (of publication).................................................	See: Marc Place Code Tables
Language..................................................................	See: Marc Language Code Tables
DT1 (date)................................................................	For the purpose of report criteria, dates such as 18uu are treated as 1800. For example, records with a DT1=18uu will be included within a report of materials published after 1799 and before 1851, but those records will not be included in a report of records published after 1850.
Content.....................................................................	Examples: Catalogs, Dictionaries, Handbooks. See Marc Field Definitions
Fiction.......................................................................	Not fiction=0, Fiction=1. See: Marc Field Definitions
041...........................................................................	Contains codes for languages associated with an item when the code in the LANGUAGE field is insufficient to convey full information (e.g., in records for multilingual items and items that involve translation). The first character indicates translation: Not a translation=0, Translation=1. See: Marc Language Code Tables
043...........................................................................	Up to three codes for geographic areas associated with an item. See: Marc Field Definitions and Geographic Area Codes
Format......................................................................	Books=B; Computer files=D; Visual materials=F; Musical scores & sound recordings=M; Maps=P; Serials=S; Archives/manuscripts=U
Class........................................................................	Library of Congress=L, Old Yale=T
Checkouts................................................................	Number of times an item circulated (from item record)
Browses...................................................................	Number of times an item was checked-in when not charged (from item record)
Date last used............................................................	Date of last checkout or checkin (from item record)

Selection Decisions

Selectors may record one of the following decisions per record:

y = Send item to the LSF, normal circulation from any ELI express library. The ‘y’ value is the report default. All records in the file have a ‘y’ in the DECISION field when the Access files are generated.
i = Send the item to the LSF, in-building circulation allowed at any ELI express library.
r = Send the item to the LSF, circulation is restricted to use in the ‘owning’ library.
b = Send the item to the LSF, transfer ownership to Beinecke, circulation is restricted to use in the Beinecke Reading Room. Must be approved by Beinecke.
n = Do not transfer to the LSF.
o = Other (used most frequently to print problems).

Reports

The Selectors’ Tool includes several reports. These pre-defined reports use two record layouts:

Pickslip: Includes only as many fields as are needed for searching and retrieval. Also includes ORBIS searching and updating instructions.
Record: Includes all fields from the Selectors' Tool record.

The reports are:

Pick List - Prints pickslips for all material flagged for transfer to the LSF (DECISION not equal to N or O).
Pick List by Sort Sequence Range - Prints a range of pickslips for material flagged for transfer to the LSF.
Records with Decision = Other - Prints all records with DECISION=O.
One Records Sort Sequence # - Print one record by sort sequence number.
All records in LSF Selection Tool - Prints all records in the file regardless of DECISION.
Duplicates by ORBIS Key - Prints Orbis keys for records with mulitple copies in the Access file.

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© 2000 Yale University Library
Last modified: 31 May 2001
Comments: danuta.nitecki@yale.edu
This file is located at http://www.library.yale.edu/lsf/index1.html