Hi there, Everyone.

  Sort-to-light delivery has been underway for a while now and one thing is for sure: mutli-piece items are checked for completeness and correctness less than before. If an item is opened at check-out some staff have looked very silly on several recent occasions when there’s nothing inside.

Please don’t assume that the contents were checked previously. Always check again. Don’t just note that there’s a disc inside, but the correct disc(s).

Just take a peek at, say, the last 2 digits of the barcode and flip thru the discs verifying that those 2 digits are on each disc.

Check at check in.

Check at check out.

Check when items come in delivery.

Check when processing holds.

Even if the item came from another library and we can’t call the last patron to fix it, the problem needs to be discovered so that it doesn’t get passed on to another patron who may get blamed for it.

Even if it seems that very few mistakes are discovered, check anyway. Mistakes do happen here and in other libraries sending items here. It takes a lot of staff time to sort out missing discs or swapped discs and it takes mere seconds to verify the contents. Please, at every opportunity: check, check, check, check.

Stay Vigilant, My Friends!

Deb

Sort to light info for the Minuteman Network

Wow!  The word is that the Minuteman Network has reached 90% barcode on the front left of our materials.  This has been determined based on the materials that are being sorted by Optima.

• On Tuesday, October 11th, the "sort to light" system will go live with two libraries.  These will be smaller volume libraries.
• On Monday, October 17th, the system will go live with five additional libraries.
• On Monday, October 24th, "sort to light" will go live with five more libraries.
• Finally, On Monday, October 31st, the "sort to light" will go live with all of the remaining libraries.  This means the Waltham Public Library!

What is sort to light, you ask?      

Click here to find out!

What will be different for us?

• When deliveries arrive, returns and holds will already be separated!  All we have to do is route them in! 
• We will no longer be printing in transit slips!  This will save paper!  When you get the prompt asking if you should print a slip, "Just say no!".  Of course, if it is a hold, print that slip! 
• We will be setting up "carts" of some type at the circulation desk with grey bins right there.  This will enable us to put the "in transit" items directly into a grey bin.  Since there is no longer an identifying slip, this will prevent error.

• Beginning now, be sure to get in the habit of placing materials in the bins with the barcode "up".  This will enable the sort to light system to work more effectively.
• We will still be printing hold slips
• We will still have one Newton dedicated bin at Rear Circ.
• Virtual catalog materials, magazines in packaging, or damaged materials in packaging will require a slip as they can not be read by sort to light

Questions?  Comments?  Thoughts?  Let me know!