---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Thu, 29 Oct 1998 10:17:28 -0700
From: Cory Meyer <cjmeyer@SALUD.UNM.EDU>
Subject: Re: standard times for binding preparation (Sam Garwood)

At the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center Library, we send about 2500 volumes each year to the commercial binder.

About one week before the shipment is due to leave, a staff member creates the pull slips (this takes about two hours) and prints them out.  They are given to our head of Reference to review and she pulls anything that she knows will be needed for up coming tests or projects.  They are then given to the fellow responsible for the bindery slips.  He has his workstudy students pull the loose issues starting the Tuesday or Wednesday before they are due to leave.  He then prints the bindery slip and bundles the issues ready for boxing.  The issues are usually left on a shelf until late the Thursday before they are to leave and our patrons have use of them (via staff members) until they are boxed.  Boxing starts late Thursday afternoon and continues until Friday afternoon with any RUSH items being packed last (these are items that are high use and frequently requested).  The full process of bindery slips to boxing has (in a pinch) only taken a day, but we usually spread it out to allow for other activities.  The shipment leaves on a Monday morning and returns three weeks later (RUSH items are returned 10 days later via UPS).

Once the items are returned, our fellow checks to make sure each volume sent has been returned and that each is properly bound.  They are then checked in to the catalog and item records for each volume are created.  Each volume is stamped and tattletaped by students and then sent upstairs to be shelved.  This process usually only takes a single day (1/2 in a pinch).

There are currently three people in the unit that have been trained to do this process from beginning to end, so we have plenty of back-up.

The fellow primarily responsible for the bindery is also responsible for maintenance of the entire collection, including repair, processing and all shelving.....as you can probably guess, he only spends a portion of his time doing bindery.  Certainly equivalent to your 1/2 time person.

Cory Anne Johnstone Meyer
Head, Serials/Government Documents

(505) 272-8824

University of New Mexico
Health Sciences Center Library
Albuquerque, NM  87131-5686

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Wed, 28 Oct 1998 10:36:49 EST
From: Sam Garwood <GARWOOD@MAINE.MAINE.EDU>
Subject: standard times for binding preparation

Has anyone established typical or standard times required for
preparation of    periodical volumes for commercial binding in an
academic library?  We have one  half-time staff member, plus some
student help, doing about 3,000 volumes per   year and I'd like to know
where we are in the productivity scale.