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Re: changing job descriptions - new responsibilities in the absence of check-in/claiming Rick Anderson 21 Jan 2010 21:12 UTC

> For those who have ceased check-in and/or claiming, what types of proactive
> processes are staff now doing to manage the electronic resources?

It's not really as simple as a straight transfer of employee time from print
management to e-management -- partly because activities that make no sense
in the print realm don't necessarily make more sense online.  But by
eliminating (or significantly reducing) check-in and claiming activities for
print, various departments I've worked with have been able to increase the
amount of time staff have spent registering for free-with-print access
(which in the past they had been "too busy" to keep up with), spot-checking
online products to make sure access hadn't been interrupted, and following
up more quickly on patron-discovered problems.

It's also worth bearing in mind that staff time freed up by the abandonment
of check-in doesn't have to stay in the Serials department.  It should go
wherever it will provide the most benefit to patrons, and that could
theoretically be just about anywhere.

--
Rick Anderson
Assoc. Dir. for Scholarly Resources & Collections
Marriott Library
Univ. of Utah
rick.anderson@utah.edu
(801) 721-1687