Tip for: 10.27.2003

Emphasizing Accountability with Alexandria

Summary: Librarians sometimes encounter a few unique people who think that all we do is check out books and eat bonbons while we read magazines. With the emphasis on accountability, it is extremely valuable to show principals how we spend our work time. It is possible to do this using Alexandria.

• Establish a group of barcodes to be used for the "Accountability Items." These barcodes must not fall in the item, patron, or temporary barcode ranges.

• Establish a policy called Accountability with everything set to "0" or turned off.

• Make an item record for each of the accountability areas you wish to use (Shelving, Teaching, Processing Materials, Playground Duty, etc.) and assign each one only one of the designated barcodes.

• Create a medium called Accountability and assign each accountability area to it.

• On the Statistics tab, check the Don't Show in Researcher box.

• Run a report (Reports – Item Reports – Barcodes sorted by Barcode and selected by Barcode Range (100-120)) and print the sheet. This page can be placed in a plastic "pocket" and kept at the Librarian Workstation.

• Determine in your mind what unit of time each statistical "count" represents. For instance, each statistical count represents 15 minutes, 1/2 hour, or 1 hour.

• Enter the Y command in the Command Line and press enter. While in the Statistics mode, scan the appropriate Accountability barcode the number of times necessary to represent the total time spent in that activity. It is necessary to answer "Enter" to the dialog window's question when the same barcode is scanned two or more times in a row.

• To generate a report showing the Accountability/Time statistics, go to Reports – Item Reports – Copy List – One Line and sort by Barcode and select by Barcode Range (e.g. 100-120).

• Open the report as a word processing document and add a statement that says what each statistical count equals (e.g. Each count equals 15 minutes.

Happy reporting,
The Alexandria Staff Librarians