Technical Services Manual

Welcome to Technical Services! It's helpful for student employees to understand the role Technical Services plays in acquiring materials for the library's collection. It will help you see how your work fits into the big picture.

When a member of the Hope College community requests a resource be added to the library, their request is evaluated by the appropriate Research and Instruction Librarian. If the request is approved, the order begins in Technical Services!

• Our Purchasing Specialist reviews the order and determines the best source, then places the order. When the order arrives, they assign a barcode to the material and add any flags to the book to indicate additional steps required in processing the material.
• The Metadata team catalogs the material and follows up on any necessary steps to update the library's records.
• This is where our student employees come in! You will physically process the materials, adding the appropriate accoutrements and updating any records that are required.
• From there, materials are brought to the Circulation team for shelving in the appropriate location.

In addition to this acquisition process, student employees will also (1) ensure materials are protected before going out to the shelves by adding Easy Covers and Easy Jackets to books; (2) mend books that are still in circulation, but require repairs; (3) assist with special projects in regards to the library's collection; and more!

Please review each section of the Technical Services Guide to better understand your role and responsibilities, and refer back to them as you learn the processes.

If you have any questions, please reach out to your supervisor, or any member of the Technical Services team for help.