All books currently received are having ownership stamps and security strips applied to them before being cataloged. New books are thus much more secure right from the beginning of the acquisitions process. New label stock has been purchased so that call number labels can be affixed to books at the point of cataloging. Acquisitions began a 'fast cat' operation this year for approval books. All approval books with Dewey 21 call numbers in most subject areas are classified and their records added to OCLC in Acquisitions.
Departmental libraries receive approval books within a week of selection.
This is an improvement in service and has provided a growth opportunity for Acquisitions staff. We have worked very closely with the Director of Electronic Resources to procure needed electronic resources. The purchase of electronic resources and setting up trials for electronic journals took an ever-increasing amount of time. Despite staff shortages, we worked very hard with the Library Business Office to insure that all money was spent by the end of the fiscal year. This year, as in the previous year, we accepted almost 10,000 gift books for the collection.