Abstract

Shelf‐ready processing of print materials is a commonly available service from library book vendors, and many libraries outsource these services in order to help save staff time and costs, and to expedite the process. However, in the age where print monographs are increasingly replaced with e‐books, do these services still make fiscal sense? In the spring of 2015, the Texas Woman’s University Libraries were looking to expand shelf‐ready services to a second vendor, but before doing so opted to do a feasibility study to see if shelf‐ready services were still needed and economical. This paper presents the findings of a two‐month study done at the Texas Woman’s University Libraries on their outsourced and in‐house cataloging workflows. The study examined the amount of time it took to receive the materials after ordering, the various costs involved, including shelf‐ready fees and internal staff costs, as well as the number of print materials being purchased over the past three fiscal years.

DOI

10.5703/1288284316243

Additional Files
Figure 1.PNG (103 kB)
Figure 1: Tracking work forms
Figure 2.jpg (163 kB)
Figure 2 : Workflows
Figure 3.PNG (40 kB)
Figure 3 : Times and Costs
Figure 4.PNG (16 kB)
Figure 4 : Cost estimates and Savings
Figure 5.PNG (6 kB)
Figure 5 : Print and E-book receipts by fiscal year
Download

Share

COinS
 

Back to the Future: Re‐Examining the Need for Shelf‐Ready Processes in the E‐Book Environment

Shelf‐ready processing of print materials is a commonly available service from library book vendors, and many libraries outsource these services in order to help save staff time and costs, and to expedite the process. However, in the age where print monographs are increasingly replaced with e‐books, do these services still make fiscal sense? In the spring of 2015, the Texas Woman’s University Libraries were looking to expand shelf‐ready services to a second vendor, but before doing so opted to do a feasibility study to see if shelf‐ready services were still needed and economical. This paper presents the findings of a two‐month study done at the Texas Woman’s University Libraries on their outsourced and in‐house cataloging workflows. The study examined the amount of time it took to receive the materials after ordering, the various costs involved, including shelf‐ready fees and internal staff costs, as well as the number of print materials being purchased over the past three fiscal years.