Section 2
Policies and Procedures
Technical Services

Cataloging Policy
The Bullitt Central Library/Media Center maintains a fully automated collection utilizing Follet's Catalog Plus for its OPAC and Circulation Plus for lending materials. The card catalog is no longer maintained as such. The furniture has been moved into the librarians' office and is used to house the shelf list which is kept on cards and filed in the order of call numbers, the traditional organization for shelf lists. All cataloging is done according to the Dewey Decimal System and the Sears List of Subject Headings. Whenever possible, full cataloging is purchased from the vendor who provides MARC records and a shelf list card. Copy cataloging is done by the library's clerical aide and all original cataloging is done by one of the librarians.

Procedure for Cataloging Newly Acquired Materials
Most materials will come with a disk of MARC records and a shelf list card for each item. In the event that an item is not accompanied by a MARC record, copy cataloging is attempted. Should the item need to be cataloged from scratch, the librarian does so. The procedure followed is outlined below.

    1. Check materials received against packing list and invoice. If the invoice is received at a later date, the invoice is checked against the packing list which is retained in the materials received file until such time as the invoice's accuracy has been verified. Once the invoice has been verified, a photocopy of it is attached to the purchase order and the two filed by date in the materials received file. The original invoice is turned over to the school's accountant for payment.
    2. MARC records are downloaded into the Catalog Plus system. If the Dewey Decimal number is overly long, it is shortened to a length appropriate to the size of the collection. If the item was purchased using title funding, the source is noted in the category field.
    3. If no MARC record is provided, copy cataloging is attempted using Internet sources such as the Library of Congress OPAC as well as the current Bullitt Central OPAC database (in the event that the item is a duplicate or a replacement copy and a record is already held). The library also has a copy of Alliance Plus on CD-ROM which provides MARC records for a very large number of monographs.
    4. If no record can be located, as is often the case with donated materials, the item is set aside for original cataloging by one of the librarians.
    5. Once the item has been entered into the Catalog Plus system, the shelf list card is prepared for filing. If the card was supplied by the vendor, it is checked for accuracy. If the item was purchased with title money, the title number is stamped on the card. The bar code number is copied onto the upper right hand corner for easy location, and the card is then filed by its call number.
    6. If the card was not supplied with the item, the clerical aide will create a shelf list card which is to include all the information in the same format as the vendor-supplied card. It is then treated in the same way as a vendor card would be.
    7. The item is now ready for processing.

The library holds no software which circulates and these items are not cataloged. All software held is installed on the network. For a complete listing of software available on the LAN, see Appendix G. CD-ROMs are available on stand-alone stations in the library. Some can be utilized for classroom presentations on rolling carts with the necessary projection equipment. This equipment must be checked out and is controlled by the library/media center. Videotapes, sound recordings, CD-ROMs and laser disks are cataloged according to AACR2 and entered into the OPAC. These items are not given Dewey numbers, but are numbered with a separate system. These items are numbered according to the order of their acquisition with a prefix indicating the format, e.g. CD for CD-ROMs, LD for laser disks, SR for sound recordings, etc. Thus, the first CD-ROM purchased is CD 1, and so on. Video cassette tapes are given prefixes that indicate their subject as English (E), social studies (SS), or general (GEN) and then numbered consecutively according to acquisition. Alphabetical lists by title are maintained and made available at the circulation desk. The library holds no films. CDs, videotapes, and sound recordings are available to faculty members only.

Processing Policy
Whenever possible, materials are ordered fully processed by the vendor. Spine labels are attached one inch from the bottom of the book and bar codes are affixed to the front, top, left corner. A pocket is glued onto the back of the book's last leaf for insertion of a date due slip. Periodicals are processed by affixing a spine label with the date of the publication on the upper left corner of its cover. Equipment is provided with a unique identifier and a check-out card. Procedures for these items are detailed below.

Procedures for Processing Newly Acquired Materials and Equipment

Books
    1. If processing has not been completed by the vendor, the following should be done.
    2. Attach spine label one inch from the bottom of the book.
    3. Affix bar code label on the front cover, top left corner, if the item circulates.
    4. Glue pocket onto the back of the last leaf in the volume if the book circulates.
    5. Stamp "Bullitt Central High School" on the bottom edge of the closed volume and at the bottom of page 41.

Magazines
    1. The issue is checked off as received on the list in the periodicals binder maintained in the librarians' office, a spine label with the date of issue is affixed to the upper left corner of the front cover, and then the issue is made available on the magazine rack.

Equipment
    1. Mark the piece of equipment with a unique number comprised of standardized initials and a number that is consecutive with the existing numbers for that type of equipment; e.g. vcr 1, tv 1, op 1 (overhead projector), tp 1 (tape player), etc.
    2. Prepare a check-out card for the equipment. The card should include the assigned bar code, unique identifying number, the serial number, the type of equipment, the manufacturer, the model, the serial number, the date of purchase, the purchase price, the invoice number and the vendor's name, address, phone, fax, and any other available information. The bar code is not affixed to the equipment.
    3. File the card in the equipment file at the circulation desk.

Video Cassettes
    1. Attach the spine label and the bar code as for a book.

CDs, Laser Disks, and Sound Recordings
    1. Attach the bar code to the top, left, front corner of the case.
    2. Attach the spine label with the unique identifier to the bottom, left, front corner of the case.