Twice a year we run cumulative reports of items that have certain problem items statuses that are eligible for batch deletion, according to SCLS procedure. These reports help libraries keep track of older, problem items and give them the chance to take appropriate action on these items, according to their local policy, or leave them for the annual batch deletion.
Typically, those reports are run each November and May. Items that appear on the May reports but are not modified or resolved are batch deleted in July.
Last May we discovered that the 4.18 upgrade had converted all our timestamps to 4/16/2014, so we could not run the semi-annual problem item reports for the Annual Batch Deletion process. Because of that timestamp change, we could not batch delete older, problem items in July. We came up with a plan last November and were able to batch delete items that were unchanged from the Nov. 2013 report.
Given that we now run monthly “problem item” reports, we needed a better way to label these semi-annual reports. In conjunction with the changes to the Reports page we have come up with some changes that we hope will provide clarity. We missed our May deadline but will be back on track this November.
For this current cycle, the first round of ABD (Annual Batch Deletion) Problem Item reports were run and posted on June 22, 2015. SCLS Staff will re-run these reports in late August. If any of these items are unmodified, we will mark them for batch deletion at the end of August.
Libraries need to review these reports and
- Decide if they are going to keep the record of the item, or the item itself in the case of Damaged items, or
- Delete the record from the database or
- Leave it and let the annual batch deletion process delete the record the database.
If a library does not already have workflow for reviewing these reports, here are some questions to ask to see if the status of the item can be changed. This list is not exhaustive.
- Were broken items mended?
- Were replacement parts ordered?
- Did patron pay for damages?
- Were magazines with Current Issue/No CKO status correctly updated?
- Were items marked as In Processing correctly checked in?
- Do patrons with “Lost items” need to be reminded about payment?
The June 2015 Annual Batch Deletion problem reports are:
- ABD Damaged. This report is posted on the Reports page, Batch Deletion folder.
- ABD Other (Missing Inventory, Lost in Transit). This report is posted on the Reports page, Batch Deletion folder
- ABD Lost (Lost, Missing, Trace). A "hidden" link to this report is emailed to the Director of each library because it contains patron information. This report is not posted on the Reports page.
Items with a status of Claims Returned, AV Repair, Defect Reported, Mending, In Processing and Parts Missing are not included in the Annual Batch Deletion.