Posting #2--Comments on Draft of New Disposition Instructions

As mentioned in my recent posting on Bayoudoc, I have sent you a draft copy of the Updated Disposition Instructions and am hoping you will make comments/suggestions about that draft here in this posting. 

If I don't hear anything from anyone else by the end of this month, I'll just take Lori's suggestions and make some changes based on those.

Here are the comments/suggestions made by Lori Smith on May 16th:

* The policy doesn't mention the fact that superseded items exist, and doesn't say whether or not we still need to offer them.  If we do, is it just specific items, or is it everything?

* The asterisk leading to the note about the "Five-year rule" is confusing.  I expected the note to be at the bottom of the page like a footnote, but it was in the middle of the page.  Maybe you could just put the note in parentheses after the sentence that now ends with the asterisk.

* Is it really necessary to put within the discard instructions all the nitty-gritty details about creating and posting lists to the site?  Theoretically we should normally be reviewing and updating the instructions every five years when we review the rest of the Plan.  Those details about posting lists may change a lot more frequently than that.  Is there anything in the draft that people couldn't find in the ASERL LibGuide?  If not, it seems it would be much easier just to refer people to the LibGuide rather than repeat (and have to update) all the step-by-step instructions here.

* In the timelines section, to make it clearer how the phased in access to offers works, it might be helpful to add something like:

Primary Regionals - Have access to offers days 1-45.

Primary Selectives - Have access to offers days 6-45.

CoEs - Have access to offers days 11-45.

Other Regionals - Have access to offers days 26-45.

Other Selectives - Have access to offers days 31-45.

 

* When the policy says "Any offers which have not been selected after 45 days will be expired from the system," it might be helpful to add "After they have expired, offered items can be discarded.  They may not be sold, but can be offered to other libraries or to the public free of charge."

* I suggest rewording the paragraph that starts "Within 24 hours of posting...," as follows:  Within 24 hours of posting your list, both Regionals (LSU and Tech) have access to the list and we are the only libraries that can request things from that list for 5 days.  If we have a problem with your withdrawing something from your collection, we will contact you to discuss that item.  After that discussion, if we have denied you permission to withdraw that item, you would remove it from your list.  Otherwise, or if we raise no objections during that five-day period, you automatically have permission to withdraw the listed items and they will stay on your list until someone else requests them or forty-five days have passed--whichever comes first.

* I think it will just confuse people if anyone continues posting their lists on Bayoudoc.  I think we should either ask selectives to announce it on Bayoudoc whenever they've posted a new list to ASERL, or simply encourage the selectives who wish to fill gaps to check ASERL once a week for new items.

* The instructions don't mention postage at all.  I think it would be helpful to say that offering libraries are generally expected to pay for postage but they can make other arrangements with requesting libraries as necessary.  (That is the ASERL policy, right?)

* The instructions don't say anything about the national needs and offers list.  I don't think it could hurt to say that it exists and that selectives might want to offer large sets or rare titles there if no one in ASERL requests them.