Cataloguing Lean Project

2008

Anne Wilcox (Deputy, Acquisitions and Cataloguing)

The project

• What it involved• Why we did it• What we did• What happened• What happened next …

Why did we do it?

• Eliminate backlog of books• Reduce catalogued-to-shelved process times• Ensure consistency of processes• Free up cataloguing time

What we did #1

• Preparation• Technical aspects of cataloguing• Process analysis• Problems applying Lean• Confirmation of times/processes

What we did #2

• Workflow• Process analysis (NB unedited bib records

already downloaded/created by Acquisitions)• Change of procedure• Categorise• Prioritise• Monitor (times and numbers)

What we did #3

• The backlog• Analysis of processes and times showed extra

staff needed to eliminate backlog• Finance was agreed for staffing to eliminate

backlog (of new books, DVDs and items waiting for processing)

What happened

• 3 out of 4 aims achieved• Backlog was eliminated within 4 months• Average non-urgent book-to-shelf time was

reduced from 10 weeks to approximately 2 days• New workflow procedures with consistent

processes were in place• Existing consistent technical processes were

continuing• Time freed-up? To be established going forward

What happened next

• Reappearance of backlog (c. 2500 items by November 2012)

• Why?• Move out of library during Redevelopment• Research Enhancement funding• Variety of inputs• Gifts needed catalogued too• Supporting other sections• Project work• Staffing

However today …• Backlog has now been eliminated again

• Urgent books continue to be catalogued and processed the same day• Other books are now quickly available to readers (either the same day or within

about a week)• Gifts are included in the daily cataloguing schedule• Cataloguing standards are maintained

How we did it

Combination of …• Continuous improvement (of existing Lean

process of daily planning, plus prioritising inputs)

• Collaboration with Collections team• Recall system • Collections stock moves• New Quick Cat process

How Quick Cat works

• Non-urgent books and gifts into store with pressmark to identify shelf location

• Catalogued to initial Quick Cat standards: check title, edition, ISBN, authors and editors, remove any misleading data. Overlay with a better record if possible. Add classmark and item identifiers to enable recall.

• Readers can recall them and get them within 24 hours• Working with ebbs and flows of inputs, upgrade to

recognised international standards• Available to move into main stock as part of planned

programme

Looking forward

• Still many other calls on the section's time apart from cataloguing new books

• These likely to increase• Freeing-up extra staff time unlikely to happen

any time soon!