Abstract:

Workflow analysis provides a deeper understanding of the processes laid out in the collection life cycle. Dissecting the functions of multiple departments and employees illuminate inefficiencies and create a quality check on library processes. A thorough understanding of a library’s processes can save resources and improve efficiency.

Key words

workflow analysis

lean

efficiency

streamlining

ergonomics

quality assurance

selection

purchase orders

RFID

collection life cycle

Selection

If you ask selectors how they select items for inclusion in the collection, they may say that they read review journals and choose what to buy. In reality, there are a lot of steps taken between reading reviews and actually placing a title in an order cart. Let’s detail those “missing” steps in a sample workflow analysis.

The best way to get a handle on this procedure is to start by interviewing the selectors. Create, in writing, the actual “how to” of the selection process. This can be a general outline. Once you have the overview, then begin to dig deeper. Fill in the details and ask about different steps. Don’t expect to master the procedure immediately. Both the selector and the workflow analyst will remember different things at different times. As the details come together throughout the conversation, the workflow will be better understood. Avoid judging the process until the workflow has been detailed thoroughly.

The selection process is actually more complex than one might initially realize, even in a small library. Selectors have many avenues from which to choose materials. The analysis could begin with “Selectors consult Publisher’s Weekly, Booklist, and Library Journal, or even newspapers and popular magazines as review sources.” That statement is then broken down even further: How often does the selector consult these resources? Where are the journals stored, and who has access? The analysis could continue with:

This tells us that in our example, library review journals are shared and that they are passed from one person to the next. We still need to know what selectors do with the journals while they are in their possession. Let’s continue.

Now we know how selectors mark titles they intend to purchase for their own collection areas, as well as how they collaborate with selectors in other collection areas. The analysis is getting more and more refined the more we question exactly how each step is completed.

One can see how analysis of each step of the selection process includes an action, such as making a list of titles to be purchased, and also a description of why that action is taken. As various selectors are interviewed about their process, different actions could be introduced (maybe one selector skips the list step and goes straight from reading reviews to placing titles in an online shopping cart with a vendor). As the actions and their explanations are analyzed, the efficiency of one process over another can be determined.

This answers the question of where review journals are stored, who has access, and for how long.

The process of selecting materials begins with finding out what titles are available and ends with making the final choice to purchase them. The goal of the selection workflow is to select materials for inclusion in the library collection, but there are budget and organization implications that will help selectors reach that goal efficiently. In our sample library, the process of keeping track of what has been selected and their costs falls within the selection workflow because the selectors are responsible for tracking that information.

Now we can see where two workflows overlap. Selectors have to keep an accurate budget tally so that they know the balance of their collection budget. However, if a different person submits a purchase to the vendor than who selected the titles, they must communicate details to each other and reconcile any changes or differences between the final order and the one submitted by the selector to the purchaser. They will also have to agree on who has authority to make last minute, executive decisions about the order. Can the purchaser make certain judgment calls on an order at the time it is placed, or do they need to consult with the selector every time any slight change comes up? For example, if the selector needs a title for a program by a certain date, but when the order is placed, the purchaser sees that it will not arrive on time from the chosen vendor. Can the purchaser find another vendor who will get the material to the selector on time – even if there is a small price difference between vendors? Or, should the purchaser ask permission, possibly holding up the order even longer while waiting for communication with the selector?

Another instance of overlap could be between two selectors. Selectors of different formats may want to communicate to each other which titles they plan to add to their collections. If a title is selected by the audio book selector, perhaps the selector for the e-book collection will choose different titles to diversify choices for library users. In a university, selectors for various disciplines might be interested to know that the same title is going to be used in two different classes for two different academic programs. To take this example full circle, when the titles arrive, catalogers may wonder why the same book has been assigned two completely different call numbers and question the selectors to find out if both of them...