Receiving Checklist

1)      Check mailing label for ‘Serials Department’, or Acquisitions, or current or former Content Services Employees' name.  Watch especially for labels addressed to specific personnel in other departments of the library; it may be a personal copy.

2)      Search Journal Title in ALMA.  If not found, use a Title Search, Keyword, ISSN, or Author Search (the name of the organization publishing the journal often gets results). If still not found, check the Unsolicited gifts spreadsheet. If not on HSD, follow the no record procedures.

3)      Verify title, volume, issue number, and cover date on the piece with the check-in card to ensure you are in the correct record. It may also be necessary to review the bibliographic record to confirm you are in the correct record.  Report changes to frequency, format, title, or format of the enumeration.

4)      Read all record notes, both in the POL and the bibliographic record and any item specific notes, paying attention for special receiving directions in Alma; for example, when you need to create an item record. Look for if this is the last expected issue for the journal.  If you find a note you have not seen before and/or are unsure of how to proceed, then ask the Materials Processing Coordinator or bring to the weekly question/answer meeting.

5)      Review item for:

• Any loose mailers or advertisements inside the item that can be discarded, or ads on the front that can be easily removed.
• Any glued-in items, some of which can be discarded (advertisements), but some may be journal supplements that will be checked in. Send any new supplements to the Materials Processing Coordinator.
• Any scented product samples that should be removed.
• Check for any loose indices or supplements.
• Once a year, preferably in the first issue of a volume or year, verify publication details for frequency changes, publishing schedule changes, or changes in enumeration/cover date pattern. Continue to be mindful of these possible changes throughout the year; refer changes to the Materials Processing Coordinator or to Metadata.
• Check for title changes and alternate titles and refer changes to supervisor.
• Watch for skipped issues.  For skipped issues, claim on Harrassowitz and update the Expected receiving date for the item in ALMA.  If vendor is not Harrassowitz, then alert the Materials Processing Coordinator of the missing issues via email for claiming.
• Watch for a box showing that an issue has been claimed (resolve the claim in Harrassowitz once a claimed issue is received).
• Review item for incorrect cover dates or enumeration. Correct details in Alma to match the piece.  This is also an indicator of a possible frequency change.
• Evaluate for damages and flaws. Do any minor repairs or consult with Materials Processing Supervisor or Preservation for major damages.

6)      Once you have completed the above steps, receive the serial in Alma. 

7)      Create expected items if using the last receiving line in Alma.  If you are unable to create appropriate predicted items, refer the title to the Materials Processing Supervisor.  

8)      Receiving line maintenance may be needed:

• For instance, if you need to change the enumeration and/or date because you're checking in a double issue that was previously expected as a single issue, make sure the next box correctly reflects the next date/issue after the current one.
• Create predictive items in Alma if the last receiving line is used. Remember to update the copy number and item policy for the Predictive items; Alma does not add that information to predictive items.  Refer to Alma analytics "No copy ID" and "No item Policy" reports for finding missed updates of these fields.
• If you notice something that should be monitored in the future; for example, if the issue or an accompanying letter mentions a supplement that will arrive with the next issue, add notes to the POL for the record alert others doing receiving of the needed monitoring.
• Withdraw any received items that are discarded limited retention items or supplements in Alma.
• Refer any questions to the Materials Processing Coordinator or share questions in weekly Receiving Questions Meeting.  When in doubt, always look for previous patterns and remain consistent.  If you still have concerns or need clarification, ask your supervisor or coworker for help.

9)    Review the bib record for any URLs in the 856 field. Check these for functionality and report any issues to the through the Report a problem link in Primo.

10)    Save edits in Alma, be sure to update "Expected receiving date" after materials are claimed in Harrassowitz to reflect the 8-week needed follow-up if the item is still not received.

11)    Label the item.(Pay attention to ARKCO titles as they require special labeling instructions).

12)   Close out of the record when you no longer need to be in the record in the MDE and release the record so others know you are done working with it.

13)  If this was the last expected issue, notify the Serials Cataloging Supervisor and the Binding and Preservation Assistant that we have received the final expected issue so that the Alma/Primo record holdings can be updated and the title volumes can be transferred to the appropriate location.

Included are lists for high frequency titles and newspapers that we currently receive at our library.  Current Newspapers list is in Teams at 

Newspaper_list__20221010.xlsx

Below you will find a guide to commonly used abbreviations encountered when navigating records. These will also pop up in correspondence (post-it notes, instant messages, e-mail, etc.).