Inventory Using Existing Evergreen Functionality #

What you will be doing is either checking in all items on the shelf to set an inventory date or setting the inventory date in Item Status.

After you have done that, you then run reports to find items in “Available” status without a set inventory date, if it is your first inventory, or a last inventory date if you have done previous inventories. This report will identify items in the database not inventoried. During the inventory, you will also be able to ascertain other issues needing resolution.

Use the reports and data gathered during the inventory to follow up with a shelf check and other processes to resolve identified issues.

If you use the Check In screen, you will check in to update the inventory date for each item from your shelves. This means that transit and holds slips may print automatically, items will be moved to some statuses like “Reshelving” or “Available,” and other statuses such as “Lost,” will stop the process. Since you will not know what status the item is until you check it in, you have to make broad plans for handling exceptions.

If you use the Item Status screen to update the inventory date, you can sort items by status and resolve issues outside of automated processes. However, some things will not be discovered, like items with holds and others may be more difficult to resolve, like items with a barcode but no record in the catalog.

In this section we will look at:

1. What this process does
2. What this process can’t do

What this process does #

• Identify items marked as available (prior to a specific date) that aren’t on the shelves.
• Set an inventory date and identify the inventory workstation.
• Reset missing, discard/weed, bindery to reshelving/available.
• Allow you to locate and resolve items on the shelf still checked out or lost.
• Allow you to run reports to identify items potentially not on the shelves.
• Identify items with barcodes but not in the database (which may be in the database with an incorrect barcode).
• Identify items without barcodes (which may be in the database with an incorrect barcode).
• Identify other problems with items or bibliographic records.

What this process can’t do #

• Can’t notify you of items out of call number order or in incorrect shelving location.
• Can’t identify items on the shelf but from some other library except to put them In Transit.
• Can’t flag problems in the database.
• Can’t always automatically correct some statuses to Available, unless you are inventorying using the Check In interface.
• Can’t be set up to both automatically void or suppress fines and report on actions around fines.

Suggested Preparation #

• First, decide what you want to inventory (e.g. an entire floor of the building, specific shelving locations, a chunk of nonfiction by Dewey number, etc.) and break it into manageable sections.
• Optional: If you’d like a preview of the collection you’re inventorying before you get started, run a “List Items” report. Suggested reports include:
  • Shared > EGIN-Admin-Reports > New Reporter > Inventory > “List Items by Shelving Location”
• Next, decide on a workflow. You could pull the items from the shelf and take them to a workstation, or set up a portable workstation with everything you need and take that to the shelves. This will depend on what technology you have, and whether you feel one process or the other would be more disruptive to patrons if you remain open while conducting the inventory.
• Since the inventory date is being set on the items, you can check items for the start date.
• It is highly recommended that you read shelves and put them in call number order first. While this is not strictly necessary, it is a good standard first step in any inventory process. It is especially important in this no frills process since the steps you will be using here will NOT inform you if a given item has been misshelved: instead, it will simply appear as though the item has not been inventoried, and is as good as missing.
• Weed, if needed. You can also weed for condition as you go, but if you need to weed for other collection management purposes, you’ll want to do that before handling every single item, to save yourself time and effort.
• Determine how you will handle problems such as: items not in the database, both with and without barcodes, items with incorrect statuses not resolved by the process, bills, damaged items, etc.
  
  This includes how you will identify specific problems for specific items. Establishing these procedures before you begin will streamline the overall process; but, don’t be afraid to make changes later if you need to. You could put color coded or preprinted bookmarks for specific problems in the items or keep specific problems on specific book trucks, for example.
• Make provisions for unexpected problems.
• Make sure ALL inventory staff understand the process, especially problem and exception handling. Depending on your library’s practices and policies, some resolutions may be handled by other staff. These should be among the items set aside for later staff intervention, with clearly marked information on exactly what those problems are.

Prepare and Choose a Workflow #

Set Up Equipment: Three Options #

1. Take a laptop with Evergreen access & a scanner directly to the stacks.

If you have Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi capable laptops or workstations, this is probably the most efficient. However, it may be disruptive if you are open.

2. Pull all items (in shelf order) and take them to an Evergreen workstation.

If you don’t have Wi-Fi capability, this is a good option. However, this workflow may add time to the whole process.

3. Offline Process: Take a barcode scanner and laptop or other device to shelves and scan into a text file (notepad) to build a file.

Efficient if you have the equipment, but may be disruptive if you are open.

Still, you may wish to use this method if you don’t have a good Wi-Fi connection in your stacks, or if you are delegating this portion of the inventory process to someone who shouldn’t have access to the wider staff client (e.g. volunteers, pages, or other part-time staff as designated by your library.)

This method allows you to build a list of barcodes that you can later upload and import into Evergreen in a batch.

Equipment & Materials You May Need #

• Workstation or device(s) with necessary software (i.e. Evergreen), and Wi-Fi capabilities.
• Barcode scanner(s).
• Receipt printer(s) (for any items that may generate Hold or Transit slips).
• Portable cart, table, or book truck if you are working in the stacks.
• Book trucks or other means to collect problem items.
• Pens, paper, removable labels, or other supplies for notes to include with your problem items.
• Any other supplies or equipment you identify for your specific practice.

Potential Problems to Watch for #

Some of these problems or exceptions may be found as you check in items or look at them within the Item Status screen. Others will only become apparent in reports and subsequent shelf checks. Watch out for items that have/are:

• Still checked out to a patron (especially if there are any bills associated with them).
• In the database, but have no barcode on the item.
• A barcode in the database which doesn’t match the barcode on the item.
• On the shelf, with or without a barcode, but not in the database.
• In the database but not on the shelf.
• Incorrect circulation modifiers.
• Incorrect statuses that required a click through dialog response to proceed.
  • Some of these items can be checked in without further staff action (e.g. Missing). Others may or may not require further staff action for resolution: Cataloging, Damaged, Lost, Long Overdue, etc. may need to be set aside for further investigation, or for other staff to determine an appropriate response.
    
    For example, an item with “Damaged” status may have been repaired so that inventory staff can force the action and leave it on the shelf. Or, it may NOT have been repaired, so needs to be set aside for further action.
• In the wrong place – e.g. the wrong shelving location, or out of call number order.
• Incorrect call numbers, or a mismatch between the catalog and spine label. One or both could be incorrect.
• Obvious errors in the bibliographic record. But remember: the title on the cover or spine may not match the title page, and thus the title in the bibliographic record.
• Holds that will be marked “In Transit” by the process.
• On the shelf, but belong to other Evergreen Indiana libraries, and therefore will be marked “In Transit” by the process.

The Inventory Process Using the Check In Interface #

🌲 Watch the screen as you scan! 🌲

Once you’ve decided how to proceed and have everything setup, you can start the process. You still have a little bit of set up in the Staff Client.

• Note your start date. This is the date you will use in reports. The inventory date on items will be updated. If you forget this step, the dates are recoverable.
• Log in to Evergreen using a Circulation login.
  • Make sure that staff conducting the inventory have the appropriate permission level to clear up any problems you want to be resolved during the inventory process.
  • If problem items require a different permission level, remember that those items will need to be set aside for further review and resolution by appropriate staff.
• Open Check In.
• Configure the columns to show those elements you consider useful for the process, such as these suggestions: Call Number, Author, Title, Location, Barcode, Circulation Modifier, and Inventory Date and Workstation. You may prefer to include more or less information.

• After choosing your columns remember to save the configuration!

Checkin Modifiers #

Some of the following modifiers are necessary, and some are optional.

• Update Inventory: critical to the inventory process!

• Amnesty Mode: Select if you wish to suppress fines. This decision will depend on your own library’s specific policies.
• Auto-Print Hold and Transit Slips: This will make it easy to catch holds and transits to set aside for further processing.

Remaining Set-Up and Next Steps #

• Make sure the Trim List option is NOT checked off.
• Make any other Check In adjustments that will streamline your process.
• Scan in items.
• WATCH THE SCREEN so that you can spot problems that need to be rectified, as they come up.
• WORK IN SHELF ORDER.
• DO NOT SKIP SHELVES.
• Pull or mark items according to the procedures you’ve established to resolve problems.
• Make sure you mark or record where you stop at the end of each work period so that you know where to pick up next time (or so that the next person will know where to pick up).
  • For example, you can run the report “List Items Inventoried by Date Range INV2 001.0” to get a full listing of what was inventoried already.

The Inventory Process Using Item Status #

This method is ideal for use when you have scanned your barcodes into a text file, such as in the offline process. However, you can also scan barcodes directly in.

• Similar to the previous section, configure your columns in Item Status to show those elements you consider useful for the process. Suggested columns include: Call Number, Author, Title, Location, Barcode, Circulation Modifier, and Inventory Date and Workstation. Again, you may prefer to include more or less information.
• Scan barcodes directly into the barcode field on the Item Status screen; OR
• Compile your text files of barcodes in shelf list order to be uploaded.

🌲 Take care if you are directly scanning into Item Status. It is easy to refresh the page, resulting in a total loss of progress. 🌲

• Do not enter more items than you can easily manage – we recommend batches of 50 at a time.
• Click the “Item Status” column heading to sort by status, so you can evaluate items for any issues that need to be resolved.
  • If you do not have these items in hand, pull them from the shelf and/or mark them according to the procedures you’ve established to resolve problems.
• Click the checkbox at the top left of your table, to select all items in the list.
• Open the “Actions” menu and select “Update Inventory.”
• Make sure you mark or record where you stop at the end of each work period so that you know where to pick up next time (or so that the next person will know where to pick up).

Reports #

After you have completed the inventory, run a report (or reports) to identify all items with the current inventory date and/or items that were NOT scanned. You can find the relevant reports via this pathway:

Reports → Shared Folders → Templates → EGIN-Admin-Reports → New Reporter → Inventory

For example, “List available items by shelving location and latest inventory date” will provide a list of items with the following traits:

• Not deleted
  • Filter “Is deleted” equals FALSE
• Status of “Available”

• Owned by your library
  • Filter “Org Unit” in list
• Within a particular shelving location
  • Filter “Shelving location” in list

You’ll want to manually remove any items that have your current inventory dates.

From there, you may create a plain text file listing all of the barcodes, and upload that list to Item Status for further processing (e.g. mark “Missing,” delete, etc.)

Shelf Check #

Use the inventory report(s) and check the shelves to verify items listed as available (with either no inventory date set or the date of your previous inventory) are on the shelves – and also to verify items still marked as “Missing” are not actually on the shelf. A shelf check may resolve other problems in due course.

• Remember to check the problem items pulled for resolution, including those with barcodes and not in the database, as well as items without barcodes at all.
• Remember to always verify barcodes against the report.

Final Steps #

After resolving issues, run the report again, and sort your spreadsheet by status.

Are there any outstanding issues? If so, at this point you can either do a second shelf check or you can resolve those issues in the database.

• For items in the database and marked “Available,” but not found on the shelf: set to “Missing” or delete them, depending on local policy.
  • If you are inventorying only a section of your library, you may want to shelf check other sections, or set the items to “Missing” and see if they show up when you inventory the other sections.
  • Remember to resolve these after the entire process is finished. You could run a report for the items set to “Missing” during the inventory, if desired.
• For resolution of items still “Missing” after shelf checks:
  • You may want to delete those items that have been missing longer than a specific period, as determined by your library policy.
  • You may want to institute a regular shelf check schedule for “Missing” items. One example may look like this:
    • Run a monthly report of “Missing” items.
    • Check the shelves for those items on the list.
    • If found, scan the items in so they will be marked “Available.”
    • If not found, make a note (e.g. a copy alert, or keep a paper file).
    • If you cannot find an item after 3 months, i.e. 3 searches, delete.
• For items with barcodes and not in the database, verify again that they are not in the database with a different or incorrect barcode. Handle according to local policy (e.g. if found, fix the barcode).
• For items without a physical barcode AND not in the database, handle according to local policy.
  • If you are inventorying only one section of your collection, verify that they are not in the database under another shelving location.