Acquisitions Supervisor U.S. Depository Opening and Processing Procedures

Summary: Checking, sorting, claiming and monitoring government document materials.

I. Checking student work

1. Check shipping list for proper markings. Each shipping list should have near the top Checked by, the student’s initials, and (below the initials) the Government Documents date stamp. Each item listed should either have to the left of the item number a check mark or NS, or be circled as missing. If it has none of these and the item is present, add the check mark. If it is not present, give back to the student for checking against the Selected/Non-selected list or (if you’re in a hurry) check it against the list yourself. If an item is circled as missing and it’s shipping list type is—
   
   
   • Papers, separates, or electronics: —then check to see if the line on the shipping list has a percent sign or hash mark anywhere (usually at the end of the classification number). If it has a percent sign, highlight the percent sign and write Shortages to the left of the item number where a check mark or NS would have been. If it has a hash mark (or sometimes instead of the hash mark it will say Regionals Only in bold at the end of the title), highlight the hash mark (or bold message) and write Regionals Only where the check mark or NS would have been. If it has neither, finish the rest of the following procedures for step I and II, then continue to step III, Claiming missing items, part A.
     
     
   • Microfiche: —finish the rest of the following procedures for steps I and II, then continue to step III, Claiming missing items, part B.
     
     

2. Check the labelling on the items. Move down the shipping list, checking to make sure that the classification/SUDOC number is on each item in the  appropriate place (see student procedures) and that each number matches the shipping list, is easily legible and—in the case of microfiche—that the number on the fiche itself matches both the shipping list and the number the student wrote on the envelope. If there are any errors, either save them for the student to correct or correct them yourself. If the number on a fiche does not match its shipping list, underline the discrepancy on the shipping list and give to Andrea James.
   
   If the item was too dark for the student to write the classification number on, then use the white pen to write it in. Check inside on the first righthand page to make sure the student wrote the classification number there, too. (The white pen can scratch off with time, so it’s important to have it written both places.)
   
   If the student wrote the classification number but it is illegible either write over it with the white pen (if it’s too dark for their writing to be read) or return it to the student to have them rewrite it on a label and on the first inside righthand page, or do it yourself. (Labels can dry out and fall off over time, so it’s important to have it written both places.) If a fiche envelope is illegibly labelled, have it redone or redo it on a new envelope.
   
   

   NOTE: It is ill-advised to use correction fluid to relabel gov docs unless it is a VERY small error like a misplaced period or colon. Use over a large area causes items to stick together HORRIBLY. This is especially true of fiche envelopes, which are just destroyed by correction fluid.

3. Check the stamping on the items. Check that each item has the depository stamp in blue ink and a Michigan State University Government Documents date stamp in the appropriate places (see student procedures). For papers and separates, if the student could not do the depository stamp because it was too dark, add a label and put the stamp on the label and make sure it is also stamped on first inside righthand page in case of label loss. If they could not do the date stamp, add it on the first inside righthand page (do not put it on a label on the front cover).
   
   
4. For CDs/DVDs/other electronic media ONLY, check for a pink label with return instructions to the left of the date stamp. Give back to student if it is missing or add it yourself.
   
   
5. For microfiche ONLY, check that each envelope has the right number of fiche. If an envelope contains a duplicate fiche (i.e. there are two labelled “4 of 5”), use the fiche reader to make sure they have the same content, then discard one of them. If an envelope is missing a fiche, go to step III, Claiming missing items, part B.
   
   
6. Make sure each shipping list was checked off as arrived on the appropriate card in the shipment tracking basket and on your shipment email printout (see step IV, Monitoring shipments received).

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II. Sorting serials from monographs

1. Pull all fiche with a classification number that begins with an AE instead of a Y 4. These will always be serials.
   
   
2. Check remaining items for serial/monograph status. Eventually you will know by looking at the classification number/title. When you first start, however, look each one up in Sierra using the G (Govt Doc #) search. If an item has Bib Lvl s in MSU’s bibliographic record, it is a serial.
   
   
3. Mark each serial line on the shipping lists with an S to the left of the student’s check mark. This tells the government documents student that these items are missing because they have been sent for serials processing.
   
   
4. Distribute items along appropriate workflows. Serials go on the U.S. Depository shelf outside Lee Sochay’s office (no shipping list copies are necessary). The shipping lists will stay with the remaining monograph items, which go on the U.S. Depository shelf in the hallway outside of W128.

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III. Claiming missing items

1. Papers/Separates/Electronics.
   Remember that claims for papers, separates, and electronics invoices must be sent within 60 days of the date on the shipping list (which may or may not correspond to the date the items were sent). Get students to at least get through checking items off of the shipping lists within 30 days of receipt so that any claims can be made in a timely manner. Sometimes GPO will accept late claims, but often they won’t.
   
   If you make a claim and receive paperwork in reply saying that the claim could not be fulfilled for any reason, give it to the government documents student supervisor.
   
   
   • Double check that the missing item was not selected. Use the online item lister, found at <https://selections.fdlp.gov/OA_HTML/gpolibItemLister.jsp>. Use the first drop down menu to select viewing results in rows and columns, enter MSU’s depository number 0274 in the blank and click submit. Hit Control+F and enter the relevant item number to find the entry quickly. If there is an N to the right of your number, it is a not selected item. Mark the shipping list accordingly and continue as usual. Check that the printed list also has an N. If it does not, then the list has been updated for the year, and a new one should be printed to replace the outdated one.
     
     

   • Confirm that the item was not already received in Sierra. Look it up using a G “Gov Doc#” search and the classification/SUDOC number. Having an item record does NOT mean that the item has been received. It is only received if the record is not suppressed and there is an item record for that item/volume AND there is a barcode number in the item record (for papers, separates, or electronics) OR a student worker note with a comma followed by a number (representing the number of fiche) for microfiche
     
     

     NOTE: It will be extremely rare that an item missing on a shipping list will have already been received. If you think that you have found such an instance, ask someone in government documents to confirm it for you BEFORE you make a claim.

   • Check the item against the Claims Copies Exhausted list on the FDLP website at < https://www.fdlp.gov/requirements-guidance/instructions/32-claims-copies-exhausted>. Items that are no longer in stock and that cannot, therefore, be claimed anymore will be listed here. There are separate sections for Papers, Separates, and Electronics, with the most recent listed at the top under each section. If your shipping list number or item is not on the list, it is still eligible to be claimed.
     
     
   • Claim the item on the GPO website using the webform at <https://www.fdlp.gov/component/rsform/form/15-claims?Itemid=262>. Fill out form in its entirety, using your own information as the contact. MSU is NOT a regional depository library.
     
     
   • When received, process claimed item normally. They will send a printout of your claim form with the item. Use this as you would your shipping list.
     
     
2. Microfiche
   
   
   • Begin with steps A & B from Papers/Separates/Electronics above.
     
     
   • Claim via email from Data Management Internationale. See Appendix A for sample text, email address, etc.
     
     
3. For all items, retain a copy of the shipping list with the claim for monitoring and recordkeeping. Maintain a file folder of these shipping lists with Claim made and the date it was made written next to the item claimed. Keep the oldest unfulfilled claim on top. When a claim is fulfilled, write the Received and the date beneath the claim date and move the printout beneath any other as-yet-unfulfilled claims. If a year passes and a claim still has not been fulfilled or responded to as unable to be fulfilled, make the claim again with a note that you are claiming the item for the second time.

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IV. Monitoring shipments received

1. Use Marcive weekly emails to watch for missed shipping lists. Every week, Marcive (the company that provides cataloging services for our GPO items) sends out an email that lists the shipping lists that they have received for cataloging from GPO. You can use this list to make sure that we’ve received the shipments we should have received. Once you have been signed up for these emails, make a printout each week. Keep them together with the oldest on top and as shipping lists come in check them off on the printouts. If you notice that the oldest is approaching 60 days old, open any unopened boxes and see if the missing shipping lists are there. If they aren’t, check the tracking cards in the basket and see if the student processed them but you missed them when you were checking things off. If they aren’t checked off on the card, look up the shipping list on the FDLP website PDF file at <https://www.fdlp.gov/34-collection-tools/121-shipping-lists>. Check the items against the selected/non-selected list. If any are selected, check in Sierra to see if they have been received. If they have not, check the shipping lists basket outside Andrea James’s cubicle and the government documents student trucks for the shipping list and the selected item. If you don’t find the shipping list any of those places, make sure you claim the selected item(s) before the 60-day cut-off.
   
   
2. Watch which shipping lists are marked off on the tracking cards in the basket. After they’ve processed a shipping list and its items, the students should check off each shipping list on the appropriate card in the small basket in the student gov docs area. (See student procedures for details.) Every 1-2 months, check this card for gaps where shipping lists numbered higher and lower have already been received. Check gaps against your Marcive weekly emails and check off any boxes on the card that the students forgot to check off that were checked off in your emails.
   
   
3. Mark each tracking card as complete when all the shipping lists on it have been checked off. If all the shipping list numbers on a card have been checked off, write Complete in the upper right hand corner and start the next card if it hasn’t already been started. If shipping lists for the next year have begun to arrive for a particular kind of shipment (paper, separates, etc.), use the shipping list page on the FDLP website at <https://www.fdlp.gov/34-collection-tools/121-shipping-lists> to determine whether you have received all the shipping lists for that year for the kind of shipment in question. If they have started putting up the next year’s shipping lists and then the last shipping list number up for the current year is as far as the numbers will go. If their highest number is the same as the highest number checked off on the card, run a straight vertical line through the remaining numbers and write Complete in the upper righthand corner of the card. If they have a higher number, view the shipping list, check the date on it, check the items against the selected/non-selected list, and if any are selected, wait to see if they arrive but make sure you claim them before you get to 60 days past the shipping list date. If none are selected, print out a copy and process as usual. For instance, if you receive shipping list 2019-0001-P and the Papers card for the 2018-0400’s is only checked up through 479, go to the FDLP shipping list page. If they have started listing the 2019 Papers shipping lists and the highest numbered 2018 shipping list they have up is 2018-0479-P, then you would draw the vertical line and write Complete on the card. If the highest one they have is 2018-0480-P, then you would view it, note the date at the top, check its items against the selected/non-selected list and if there are any that are selected, wait to see if it comes but make a claim before the 60-day mark if they don’t arrive.

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V. The Selected/Non-Selected List needs to be printed annually.

You will normally know when you need to do this because students will start to have trouble finding item numbers when checking missing items or you will notice discrepancies between the printed list and the list on the FDLP website when going through your claiming procedures. Cut and paste the list into Word so that you can adjust it to be a large enough font for the students to use it without ergonomic concerns.

Appendix A: Sample Email for Microfiche Claims

To: gpoclaims@dmi-inc.com

Subject: GPO Claim for Michigan State University Libraries

To whom it may concern:

I would like to file a GPO microfiche claim for:

Shipping list number: 2018-0076-M

Date: 3/6/2018

Item no.: 1011-A

Classification no.: Y 4.AP 6/1:AG 8/2018/PT.5A

Title: Agriculture, rural development, food… Hrgs… Part 5A… Com. On Appropriations, U.S. House of Reps… 115th Cong., 1st Session

On behalf of:

Michigan State University (Depository Library #0274)

Acq.-Government Documents

366 W. Circle Drive

East Lansing, 48824

See also attached scan of shipping list.

Thank you!

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