Proposal of Dewey Project

Dewey Books Committee
Revised on October 19, 2000

SITUATION:

Inventory was finished on June 8, 2000. We have:

100’s: 2,280 books on the shelves;

200’s: 216 boxes, about 7,560 books;
300’s: about 1,650 books on the shelves and
298 boxes, about 10,430 books
total 300’s: 12,080 books;
500’s: 1 box, about 35 books;
600’s: 2 boxes, about 70 books;
800’s: 1 box, about 35 books;
900’s: 309 boxes, about 10,815 books.

Total number of Dewey books which need to be reclassified: 32,875.

If we weed 25% (damaged, duplications, old editions, etc.), the number of total Dewey books which need to be reclassified is 24,656.

If 15% of them require original cataloging, the original work is about 3,656.

Among those 21,000 copy cataloging books, we need to assign an LC classification number to each record and add LC subject headings to most of them; this is why the copy cataloging work is more difficult than the normal DLC copy cataloging process.

I suggest we add this explanation since the reclassification is both copy cataloging and original cataloging:

STEPS:

We will shelve, review, and catalog 100’s, 200’s, 500’s, 600’s, and 800’s first (about 9,980 books). When this is done, we will shelve, review, and catalog 300’s books (about 12,080 books). Then we will shelve, review, and catalog 900’s and other books (about 10,815 books).

  1. Inventory, 5/24/00 – 6/8/00 (Done).
  2. Shelve 200’s, 500’s, 600’s and 800’s in the stacks, pack 1,650 300’s books into boxes, and reorganize 300’ and 900’s boxes (a student works for 100 hours).
  3. Ask faculty and library liaisons to evaluate 100’s (2,280 books), 200’s (7,560 books), 500’s (35 books), 600’s (70 books), and 800’s (35 books) within two months. Weed these books according to the evaluation of faculty and liaisons.
  4. Catalog 100’s, 200’s, 500’s, 600’s, and 800’s (about 7,485 books after weeding)
  5. Shelve 300’s (a student works for 50 hours).
  6. Ask faculty and library liaisons to evaluate 300’s (12,080 books) within two months.
  7. Catalog 300’s (about 9,060 after weeding).
  8. Shelve 900’s (a student works for 50 hours).
  9. Ask faculty and library liaisons to evaluate 900’s (10,815 books) within two months.
  10. Catalog 900’s (about 8,111 books after weeding).

REVIEW OF DEWEY MATERIALS:

  1. Liaisons of each department will be responsible for getting their faculty to review books in each classification.
  2. Invite Hilda to review any rare books, Susan to review United Methodist Archives, and Kay to review OWU Historical books.
  3. Check all OWU Faculty, Alumni and Presidential Publications (40 student hours) .
  4. Use the previously prepared slips for evaluation.
  5. In the mean time, library liaisons will also review their areas and use slips for recommendation.
  6. Firm dates to finish reviewing (two months).

POSSIBLE WAYS OF RECLASSIFICATION

  1. OCLC TechPro
  2. COPY CATALOGING

    OCLC TechPro charges @$3.95 for each BPO (Basic Price Option) record, plus adding one subject heading for each record (costs $2.00). Most OCLC records for Dewey books do not have an LC call number; we will pay an extra cost ($1.95) for adding it. The total price for each copy cataloging work is about $7.90. TechPro charges for finishing the 21,000 copy cataloging books would be $165,900.

    ORIGINAL CATALOGING

    OCLC TechPro charges @ $19.95 for each record. Original cataloging of 3,700 original records would be $73,815.

    Total estimated OCLC TechPro costs to finish the project is about $239,715.

    In addition, additional staffing for checking CONSORT, labeling, barcoding, and targeting work will be needed.

    Although we could finish this project in one or two years if we were to choose TechPro, the Dewey Committee does not recommend it because of the high cost.

  3. Hire Kent State students
  4. The Committee discussed the possibility of hiring MLS students from Kent State University. It would be time consuming to train students each semester. Their schedules would probably allow them to work only during evenings and weekends which would leave them without supervision. Since this is an economical solution, we will try to hire one KSU practicum student in the spring semester. If it works, we will hire more students in the future.

  5. Hire part-time catalogers
  6. The Library could hire an experienced part-time cataloger at 17.5 hours per week to do copy cataloging work. The cataloger can finish 10 Dewey books per hour, 175 books per week, 8,085 books per year (estimated 231 working days). In 2 years and 7 months she/he can finish all the copy cataloging work.

    The Library would pay the cataloger at about $10.50 per hour, $183.75 per week, $9,555 per year (52 weeks), and $24,818 for two years and 7 months.

    The Library could hire a part-time senior cataloger for 17.5 hours per week to catalog about 3,656 original books. The cataloger could finish 2 original cataloging books per hour (on an average) 35 books per week, 1,617 per year. In about two years and three months she/he could finish the entire original cataloging work.

    The Library would pay the senior catalog at about $15.00 per hour, $262.50 per week, $13,650 per year, and $30,849 for two years and three months.

    The estimated budget for hiring part-time catalogers to catalog all 24,656 Dewey books is $55,667.

  7. Cataloging staff work

Technical Services staff now are busy with their own duties. If the Library could hire a Government Document Manager and the Manager takes the Original and Historical Cataloging Project for Government Documents, Ohio Wesleyan's Government Documents cataloging assignments from OH5, and the Government Documents continuation work, the Cataloging staff could start to catalog Dewey books as the follows:

Judy can reclassify Dewey books one hour every day. We estimate she could finish 15 copy cataloging Dewey books per day and 3,465 per year at 231 working days, or 2 original cataloging per day and 462 per year. Upon completion of the CRC cataloging project projected for December 2000, Judy could work an additional 2 hours per week to reclassify Dewey books. She should complete 45 copy cataloging per day or 10,350 per year at 231 working days or 6 original cataloging per day and 1,386 per year.

After training, Joyce Laurence can copy catalog Dewey books for two hours every day. She will finish 100 books per week and 4,620 per year.

Xudong will try to work two hours per week on Dewey books original cataloging. He will do 3 original cataloging records per hour, 6 per week, and 276 per year.

If we choose to do the project using existing staff, Judy can spend 1 1/2 hours per day on copy cataloging and 1 1/2 hours per day on original cataloging for her Dewey work time. Carol Hallenbeck can work 4 hours per week on Saturdays doing copy cataloging. We can finish 21,000 pieces of copy cataloging work in about one year ten months (5,175 by Judy, 4,620 by Joyce, and 1,840 by Carol, total 11,635 per year). Original cataloging will go much slower. We will finish 969 pieces of original cataloging per year (Judy 693 and Xudong 276). It will take three years and nine months to finish 3,656 pieces of original cataloging work.

RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE COMMITTEE:

  1. Do not send the project to OCLC TechPro.
  2. Use one Kent State University student next spring semester and maybe two after that.
  3. Hire a Government Document Manager ASAP.
  4. Hire a part-time original cataloger/catalogers (at 4 hours per week) if possible.
  5. Hire a student to check OWU faculty and alumni publications (40 hours).
  6. Library staff volunteer half day work in September and October (three times, preparing masks, gloves, and a pizza lunch).
  7. When cataloging Dewey books, we will assign an LC call number and check or add only one LC subject heading to each record. For original cataloging, we process only K level cataloging.

TIMELINES TO FINISH THE DEWEY BOOKS PROJECT

  1. If the library hires a Government Document Manager on January 2, 2001 and a KSU student in spring semester (100 hours) and two students after that (200 hours per semester), we may be able to:
  • After 3 half days volunteer work and Xudong’s student Tim’s work, we will finish to shelve 200’s, 500’s, 600’s and 800’s to the stacks (October 15, 2000).
  • Review 100’s (2,280 books), 200’s (7,560 books), 500’s (35 books), 600’s (70 books), and 800’s (35 books), total of 9,980 Invite Hilda to review any rare books, Susan to review United Methodist Archives, and Kay to review OWU Historical books; Check any OWU faculty, alumni and presidential publications; Liaisons ask faculty to come and evaluate within two months; In the mean time, library liaisons will evaluate their areas. (December 15, 2000).
  • Weed these books according to the evaluation of faculty and liaisons and catalog the rest of them. If weeding 25% of 9,980 books, we will have about 7,984 left. Among them, if 15% of them require original cataloging, the copy cataloging work is about 6,784 and original cataloging is about 1,200.

We plan to catalog 7,984 Dewey books by September 30, 2001.

  • Shelve 300’s (October 31, 2001).
  • Review 300’s 12,080 books. Invite Hilda to review any rare books, Susan to review United Methodist Archives, and Kay to review OWU Historical books; Check any OWU faculty, alumni and presidential publications; Liaisons ask faculty to come and evaluate within two months; In the mean time, library liaisons will evaluate their areas (December 31, 2001).
  • Weed these books according to the evaluation of faculty and liaisons and catalog the rest of them. If weeding 25% of 12,080 books, we will have about 9,060 left. Among them, if 15% of them require original cataloging, the original work is about 1,360 and copy cataloging is about 7,700.

We plan to catalog 7,984 Dewey books by October 31, 2002.

  • Shelve 900’s (November 30, 2002).
  • Review 10,815 900’s books. Invite Hilda to review any rare books, Susan to review United Methodist Archives, and Kay to review OWU Historical books; Check any OWU faculty, alumni and presidential publications; Liaisons will ask faculty to come and evaluate within two months; In the mean time, library liaisons will evaluate their areas (January 31, 2003).
  • Weed these books according to the evaluation of faculty and liaisons and catalog the rest of them. If weeding 25% of 10,815 books, we will have about 8,111 left. Among them, if 15% of them require original cataloging, the original work is about 2,027 and copy cataloging is about 6,084.

We plan to catalog 7,984 Dewey books by November 30, 2003.

  1. If the library does not hire a Government Document Manager and we use a KSU student in spring semester (100 hours) and two students after that (200 hours per semester), we may be able to:
  • After 3 half days of volunteer work and Xudong’s student Tim’s work, we will finish shelving 200’s, 500’s, 600’s and 800’s in the stacks (October 15, 2000).
  • Review 100’s (2,280 books), 200’s (7,560 books), 500’s (35 books), 600’s (70 books), and 800’s (35 books), total of 9,980 Invite Hilda to review any rare books, Susan to review United Methodist Archives, and Kay to review OWU Historical books; Check any OWU faculty, alumni and presidential publications; Liaisons will ask faculty to come and evaluate within two months; In the mean time, library liaisons will evaluate their areas. (December 15, 2000).
  • Weed these books according to the evaluation of faculty and liaisons and catalog the rest of them. If weeding 25% of 9,980 books, we will have about 7,984 left. Among them, if 15% of them require original cataloging, the copy cataloging work is about 6,784 and original cataloging is about 1,200. We plan to catalog 7,984 Dewey books by July 31, 2002.
  • Shelve 300’s (August 31, 2002).
  • Review 300’s 12,080 books. Invite Hilda to review any rare books, Susan to review United Methodist Archives, and Kay to review OWU Historical books; Check any OWU faculty, alumni and presidential publications; Liaisons will ask faculty to come and evaluate within two months; In the mean time, library liaisons will evaluate their areas (October 31, 2002).
  • Weed these books according to the evaluation of faculty and liaisons and catalog the rest of them. If weeding 25% of 12,080 books, we will have about 9,060 left. Among them, if 15% of them require original cataloging, the original work is about 1,360 and copy cataloging is about 7,700. We plan to catalog 7,984 Dewey books by April 30, 2004.
  • Shelve 900’s (May 31, 2004).
  • Review 10,815 900’s books. Invite Hilda to review any rare books, Susan to review United Methodist Archives, and Kay to review OWU Historical books; Check any OWU faculty, alumni and presidential publications; Liaisons will ask faculty to come and evaluate within two months; In the mean time, library liaisons will evaluate their areas (July 31, 2004).
  • Weed these books according to the evaluation of faculty and liaisons and catalog the rest of them. If weeding 25% of 10,815 books, we will have about 8,111 left. Among them, if 15% of them require original cataloging, the original work is about 2,027 and copy cataloging is about 6,084. We plan to catalog 7,984 Dewey books by February 28, 2006.

Xudong Jin
Carol Hallenbeck
Judy Orahood

 

The Five Colleges of Ohio    OhioLINK

L
ast updated on August 20, 2002
Send questions & comment to Web Manager
© 2002, Ohio Wesleyan University Libraries

L. A. Beeghly Library
43 Rowland Ave.
Delaware, OH 43015
Telephone: 740-368-3225 Fax: 740-368-3222

The information on this site is for the use of staff members of the Ohio Wesleyan University Libraries.