Our Client, a new 4-year college, expanded their library to meet the requirements of accrediting agencies. This expansion saw the core collection grow from 8,000 volumes to over 125,000 volumes in 2 years.
Initially, the Client engaged LAC for assistance in cataloging the 100,000 volume+ acquisition but as the needs of the Client changed, so did the services we provided. A LAC Technical Services Project Manager assisted in the design and implementation of the integrated library system (ILS) (DBTextworks), while a seven member project team processed the collection, converting catalog cards, reclassifying from Dewey Decimal to Library of Congress Classification, and cataloging the books in hand, as required. The resulting records were de-duplicated -- the expansion was the result of acquiring several smaller collections – and loaded into the ILS. The Client handled the physical processing of the newly integrated collection concurrently and engaged LAC’s staffing services to assist in the effort.
A LAC Project Manager supervised a team of volunteers, student workers, and LA staff. The team of 12 identified rare materials, identified items needing repair, labeled/re-labeled volumes, and affixed cards and pockets to volumes. Concurrently, the collection was mapped to occupy a multi-floor library and their library set up.
As this first project came to a close, the Client was awarded candidacy status with two organizations, and accreditation by a third. Based on our performance on the first project, when a second project was begun 2 years later, LAC was selected to provide copy cataloging and record enhancement services for the approximately 12,000 monographs that the Client had acquired subsequent to the first project. These materials were cataloged from surrogates in OCLC – Client had recently become a member – with each MARC record having a Library of Congress call number and at least one Library of Congress Subject Heading. LAC’s cataloging staff further modified the record to the Client’s specifications so that each record reflected current standards in MARC records, ISBD punctuation, AACRIIr, and local call number practices.