Written by Wally Johnson

The purpose of this document is to describe the purpose and process of inventory in Alexandria v5.

The Purpose of a Complete Inventory

For collections that maintain materials that are loaned, it is critical to periodically account for those items. Reasons to account for those materials are:

The purpose which stands out above all others is to correct and update the catalog listing. There is nothing more important because patrons rely on the catalog listing to find materials. If the catalog is outdated, then items that are no longer in the collection will still show as available, and patrons will waste time looking for resources that are not there.

The Inventory Process in Alexandria v5

In Alexandria, inventory is based on dates. Each time an item is circulated or entered in Inventory mode, Inventory Bookdrop mode, or Statistics mode, the Inventory Date for that copy is updated with today's date. Once the entire collection, or a specific range, has been processed in the above mentioned entry modes, inventory reports may be run. The reports show which copies have an Inventory Date within a particular date range and which copies do not.

To enter Inventory mode, type I and then <Enter> in the command line of Alexandria. Once in this special mode, barcodes can be scanned or hand-entered to process them as inventoried today.

Inventory Bookdrop is another inventory mode. Along with updating the copy's Inventory Date, copies scanned in this mode are also checked in. To start Inventory Bookdrop, type IB and then <Enter> in the Alexandria command line.

Inventory vs. Inventory Bookdrop

Many librarians wonder when it is appropriate to use Inventory Bookdrop (IB) instead of Inventory (I), and vice versa.

When performing a complete inventory of items that are still on the shelf, it is a good idea to use Inventory Bookdrop (IB) so that items which were checked out to students or a system patron (such as the Lost Items Patron) will show as available again.

If an item, or items, need to remain checked out to a patron, such as a classroom set for a teacher, then using Inventory mode (I) is appropriate. All materials scanned, or typed, in this mode will show as inventoried but, will remain checked out to the patron.

Entering Items

To inventory a collection, the collection must be brought to the computer or the computer must be brought to the collection. Some librarians prefer to process all the items by transporting them from the shelves to the Alexandria Data Station or Alexandria Librarian Station. This allows the librarian to check each item for damage, discard old materials, put the items in the correct shelving order, and clean the book shelves. While this method of inventory is thorough, it takes a long time to perform.

Other librarians will place the data station on a cart and then move throughout the library scanning item barcodes. This method may be preferable to the previous one, but because the cart will need to have a power cord run to it, this arrangement places equipment, staff, and data at risk. If the cord should become unplugged, the database may be damaged. This method also makes circulation difficult because patrons must "hunt down" the data station, rather than bringing their books to a central location. If this is the only available method, then the data should be backed up frequently and caution used while equipment is moved.

Some librarians copy their data to a laptop and move throughout the library typing or scanning item barcodes. This process, while faster than the previous methods, can lead to confusion because two data stations are now installed and two versions of the data are being kept. Users that select this method must remember to only use the remote machine during inventory, even for circulation. After the process is complete, the data must be copied back to the original data station and the software removed from the remote machine.

While an inventory can be successfully performed with any of the above methods, each has its perils. Thankfully, modern technology has made it possible to bring the computer and the collection together without physically moving either.

The three safest and easiest methods for processing inventory are as follows:

If a Librarian client is installed on a laptop with a wireless connection, the laptop can be moved throughout the library without a power cord or network cable following the cart. This also allows circulation to continue at the Data Station or other Librarian Workstations without interrupting the inventory process. Installing a Librarian Workstation avoids the confusion of having two Data Stations. This also allows the user to review the Transaction Log immediately and correct errors.

Wireless scanners are increasing in reliable range all the time. If a wireless scanner is available and can reach all the shelves in the library while in "live" scan mode, then items can be processed using this method. Please be aware that error dialogs will stop the inventory process. If the wireless scanner is used in "live" mode, an assistant should watch the circulation window for errors, or the sound events should be turned on and the computer's speakers turned up loud enough that the person scanning items can hear any error message sound events that might occur. To avoid error codes, the wireless scanner could scan into another program and a script file could be created.

Creating and Processing Script Files

Another method of processing inventory is to create a script file. A script file is a text file that contains a list of barcodes in which each barcode is separated by a carriage return. A Symbol Palm Scanner with the SmartScan program loaded is capable of generating such a file. The method of setting up, scanning, downloading, and importing script files made by the Symbol Palm Scanner is explained in the Tech Note found here.

Each operating system comes with a program capable of generating a text file. Windows is equipped with Notepad, OS 9 comes with SimpleText, and OS X has TextEdit. By scanning or typing barcodes into these programs, a list can be created that can then be transferred to any machine that is running an Alexandria Data Station or Alexandria Librarian Workstation software.

By default, Alexandria processes any script file in Inventory mode. If another mode is desired, it's command must be included in the file. Adding IB, followed by a carriage return in the top of the script file, will put Alexandria in Inventory Bookdrop mode.

To process a script file, type an asterisk (*) in the command line of the circulation window, and then <Enter>. This will bring up an Import Commands window. Click on the Add File button and then locate the script file. Once the script file has been added, click Run to process the file.

Once the script file is processed, it is important to review the Transaction Log. In 5.4.4.3 and earlier versions of Alexandria, the Transaction Log in the circulation window only stores 500 lines. The log is saved to a file which can be accessed at any time, however, it is recommended that 400 or less barcodes be processed per file. This ensures that the script file, in its entirety, can be viewed from the circulation window.

Alexandria Log

During the inventory process, it is crucial that the Transaction Log be checked for errors. The most common error occurs when items are not in call number order. Alexandria monitors the items that are being scanned while in Inventory and Inventory Bookdrop mode. Alexandria expects that inventory is being performed shelf by shelf from the beginning call numbers to the end. As the inventory progresses, if an item is scanned which has a call number less than the call number which precedes it, two question marks (??) will be placed in front of the log entry for that item. If the question marks appear in the log, the item that was scanned, and the item preceding it, should be examined to determine if they are out of shelving order.

Another common error message is a pop up alert noting that an unknown barcode has been entered. First, check to make sure that the item actually belongs in the collection. Sometimes unknown barcode errors are generated because the item actually belongs to another collection. Next, enter the barcode once again by scanning or typing to ensure that it was correctly entered. Scanner technology continues to improve, but mis-reads are still possible. If the same error message occurs, go to Show and then Items and search for the item by title. If a title entry appears, but the copy with this particular barcode is missing, add a new copy with the barcode of the item. If the title does not exist, the book must be cataloged. In order to complete the inventory process quickly, it may be wise to set any items that need to be cataloged aside for processing after the inventory is complete.

When processing in inventory mode, it is important to watch the status. Items that are currently on the shelf should normally have a status of available. If an item shows as Checked Out or Lost or Discarded, it is important to find out why the item has such a status. Items which have a Lost status may need to be bookdropped and returned to circulation. Items that are Checked Out might need to be checked back in.

As previously discussed, when in Inventory Bookdrop mode, items that are checked out will be checked back in. If inventory is processed in Inventory Bookdrop mode, the Transaction Log should be reviewed for status changes. Items that were previously designated as Lost or checked out will change to available. Such changes may require that a refund be issued or a fine adjusted.

Reports

The two most commonly used reports are the Inventoried Items Report and the Not Inventoried Items Report. Both reports can be found by going to Reports and clicking on Item Reports and then changing the Report Name to Inventory. The Inventoried Items Report is the default Format of this report. This can be changed to Not Inventoried by clicking on the drop down menu for Format.

All inventory reports require a date range. The default Starting Date is set for one month ago today and should be changed to the day inventory began. The Ending Date should always be today.

The inventory report will generate results based on the Inventory Date for each copy. Because the Inventory Date updates each time the copy is circulated, using an Ending Date other than today will include items that have been circulated after that Ending Date as not inventoried. This also means an inventory that was run more than a month ago will be outdated.

When running the Not Inventoried Items report, it is often helpful to exclude items that are checked out or are already marked Lost or Discarded. To exclude such items, a second selector of Copy Status can be used to display only Available Items. To add this selector, click on No Selection and choose "And." From the new selection list, choose Copy Status and set it to Available. The list that is generated will show all items not found during inventory that are marked as Available in Alexandria.

Item Reports - Inventoried Items Report

Utilities

For Alexandria users running 5.4.4 and higher, there are utilities which can be used to check out items to the Lost Items Patron or the Discarded Items Patron.

Item Utilities – Check Out

To run the Check Out Utility, go to File and Utilities and then change the Operation to Check Out. Under To System Patron, choose the appropriate patron: Discard or Lost. Under Select By, choose Not Inventoried Date and then enter the inventory date range. To limit the utility to items that were not found during inventory a second selector of Copy Status should be added by clicking on No Selection and choosing "And," and then selecting Copy Status. Choose Available as the copy status. Click on Run to start the Utility.

NOTE: AS WITH ANY UTILITY, A CURRENT ARCHIVE OR BACKUP SHOULD BE MADE PRIOR TO RUNNING THE UTILITY.

For users that are still running Alexandria 5.4.3, not inventoried items may be checked out manually to the Lost Patron.

Items that are checked out to either the Lost Items Patron or the Discarded Items Patron can be removed by running the Remove Discarded Copies utility or the Remove Lost Items Utility.

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW TO CONDUCT AN INVENTORY IN ALEXANDRIA, PLEASE CALL TECHNICAL SUPPORT AT 1-800-347-4942, OR EMAIL SUPPORT@COMPANIONCORP.COM.