Scope: This procedure summarizes the Physical Processing workflow, instructions for plating and marking, including special formats, general guidelines and special cases and exceptions.
Contact: Susan Cobb
Unit: Physical Processing
Date last updated:
Date of next review: August 2024
Incoming Materials From LTS
Hardcover
Softcover
Serials
Music
Non-book Formats
Rush books
Storage
Incoming Materials From Other Departments
Access Services
Preservation & Conservation
Unit Libraries
Distribution of Materials
O/K/U Stacks
Departmental Libraries
Pink Flyer
Storage
Special Formats Processing
DVD & CD Formats
Sound Cassettes
Video Cassettes
General Guidelines
Plating
Stamping (Mark of Ownership)
Creating a Pocket
Errata
Bookplates
A. Incoming Materials From LTS
Hardcover
From Cataloging and Acquisitions
Cataloging and Acquisitions staff will place hardcover books to be processed on the appropriate "Hardcover" truck in their area. The truck(s) will be delivered to Physical Processing when full.
Softcover
From Cataloging and Acquisitions
Cataloging and Acquisitions staff will place all softcover books to be processed on the truck marked "Softcover" in their area, with the exception of all serials and music scores. Commercial Binding Office/Physical Processing staff will pick up the softcover truck once a day.
All softcover monographs will be sorted by the Commercial Binding Office/Physical Processing staff. The decision whether or not pamphlet bind will be determined by the quality of the cover, thickness, dimension, and thickness of the item. If a volume will hold up to circulation and meets the needed criteria, it will not be pamphlet bound, but will be returned to physical processing for marking.
Criteria for Pamphlet Binding (approved by LibExec as cost-cutting measure in spring 2015)
- Items for reserves
- Items without covers or a spine (that is, pages stapled together through the fold)
- Items less than ¼” thick and under 8” tall
- Items with very flimsy paper covers (that is, not cover stock)
Serials
Serials staff place materials to be processed on the truck marked "Serials" in the Physical Processing area. Physical Processing staff will replace the truck as needed.
Music Scores
Music scores are never pamphlet bound.
Non-book formats
Place non-book formats on the hardcover truck except Microfiche and Microfilm which are not processed by Physical Processing staff. See LTS Procedure #28a Microforms Processing.
Rush books
ALL "RUSH" books from Acquisitions and Cataloging staff should be placed on the top shelf of the "RUSH" truck located in front of the Physical Processing area as soon as they are ready to be processed.
Storage
Acquisitions staff will bring non-fastcatted materials that have been set to storage, to the truck marked "Storage" at the back of room 110
B. Incoming Materials from Departments other than LTS
Access Services
Access Services staff will bring items to Physical Processing as needed for remarking.
Unit Libraries
Books are sent to Physical Processing to be marked or remarked as needed.
C. Distribution of Materials from the Physical Processing Area
Olin/Kroch/Uris stacks including Reference
Two trucks are designated for these materials, sorted by library and format:
- Materials for: Olin, Uris, Icelandic, Documents including Reference, videodiscs and DVD materials for Olin, Kroch and Uris.
Remarked "Do Not Count" material for Olin, Icelandic, Kroch, and Uris should be placed on the top shelf of the truck located on the other side of the divider by the Olin/Uris/Kroch truck. - Materials for: Kroch Asia, sorted by library collection (Echols, Sasa, Wason) including Reference, CDs and CD ROMS.
Staff from Access Services will pick up this material on a daily basis.
Departmental Libraries
Two trucks are designated for these materials, sorted by library. Shipping room staff pick up these trucks every afternoon and deliver the materials according to their shipping schedule. (Subject to Change)
Shipping Schedule
- 8:00 - 9:00
- Management
- Law
- Music
- Hotel
- 10:00 - 12:00
- Annex
- Mann-Vet-Entomology
- Engineering
- Fine Arts
- 1:00 - 3:00
- ILR
- Africana
- Math
- Geneva-drop off at Kennedy
- Annex
- Mann
Pink Flyer
Pink flyer (Patron Requested) rush material is delivered to Access Services by Physical Processing staff after processing.
Storage
Storage truck is located at the back of Room 110 and is distributed by catatoging staff
D. Physical Processing of Non Book Formats
DVD and CD formats
DVDs and CDs should be processed according to each library's requirements. The call number should be written on the label side of one sided (one side silver and one side with label) CDs and DVDs with a permanent marker. For two sided discs, do not write on the disc itself; the call number should be written on the inner circular area. A computer generated label is applied to the spine of the case, preferably, if not, to the upper left side of the front of the case.
See LTS Procedure #19 CD Processing.
Sound Cassettes
Sound cassette should be stamped and labeled according to the specific requirements of each library. Each sound cassette should have a case. If not, there are plastic cases available in the cabinet in the Physical Processing area...
Produce two machine generated call number labels for each tape. Apply one to the case and one to the tape; avoid covering any printed information.
If there are multiple tapes, each label should include enumeration specific to each tape.
If the cassette is accompanying material to a book, apply a machine generated call number label to the cassette, the book and/or the case.
See LTS Prcodedure #17 Sound Recordings Processing.
Videocassettes
Videocassette should be processed according to the specific requirements of each library. Videocassettes should be stamped and labeled. Avoid covering any printed information.
Produce two machine generated call number labels for each tape. Apply one to the case and one to the tape, in the left window, if possible.
See LTS Procedure #33 Videorecording Processing.
E. General Guidelines
Call number labels are trimmed to fit on the spine, applied 1/8" - 1/4" from the bottom. If spine is narrow, label is applied to upper left corner of cover, at least 1/8 " - 1/4" from corner. When jackets are present: For departmental libraries they are folded and inserted into the back of book. Jackets for O/K/U books are discarded unless the book is for New and Noteworthy. Spine labels are attached directly to the book, not the jacket.
If multi-part items are contained in a box or mm case, the box/mm case is labeled with the contents (v.1-5) and each item receives a call number label. If single items are boxed, both the box and the item are labeled.
Label covers are used to cover spine labels on glossy or cloth materials, on which the label does not adhere well to the surface. An exception is The Music Library which prefers that no labels be used.
Looseleaf material without a binder should not be marked. Stamp only and send to the appropriate unit without a label. Looseleaf items with a binder are processed as usual.
Rare materials should not be marked in any way. Send Rare material directly to RMC.
Reference Labels (R stickers) are applied to reference items with the subloc REF in the call number written inside the book. Do not use R stickers on Hotel, Engineering, Math and Mann reference items.
Plating
Process Rush books, including Reference and Coutts approvals, as a priority.
Process trucks in order of receipt, working on the oldest first.
Do not process Rare books, Music scores, Microfiche or Microfilm.
Stamping each book (CUL Mark of Ownership Stamp)
Keeping in mind that some books read from "back to front", stamp the back of the title page of every book with the Cornell University Library stamp. Use the Cornell University stamp instead of a stamp on videocassettes and sound cassettes. Stamp accompanying material and write the call number on the back if not completed by the cataloger.
Creating a pocket for accompanying material.
Use one of three sizes of manila envelopes found in the supply cabinet. Measure the material against the envelope and draw an outline on the envelope.
Trim the envelope with the manual paper cutter to just smaller than the material and cut a diagonal cut on the left-hand corner.
Glue the envelope to the inside back cover, making sure the open side faces in.
Do not make pockets for erratas, books with inside covers which contain essential information, advertisements or booklists. Erratas will be tipped-in where appropriate. Essential inside cover information will be photocopied and tipped-in where appropriate. Advertisements and booklists are discarded.
Any material destined for the ANNEX that has a CD/DVD in a pocket must be separated from the accompanying material. When necessary, return material to cataloger to have CD/DVD put in a case, an item record created and the piece count corrected.
Errata
Errata should be "tipped in" behind the title page. Apply a thin bead of glue to the edge of the errata page and insert it into the seam of the book behind the title page.
Bookplates
Bookplates that are inserted at the time of plating should be glued to the center of the inside front cover. Take care to avoid covering important information. To avoid covering information, apply a thin bead of glue to the top edge of the plate and apply to the upper edge of the front cover, or place on the front of the first page.
During typing, when bookplate funds are displayed by the label printer, plates are pulled from the cabinet or boxes and glued to the inside of the front cover. If the plate cannot be put on the back of the front cover, it should be either tipped in behind the title page or placed on the first page. (This process has been scaled back and is seldom used anymore.)
F. Congressional Hearings
White / No Cover
Post Cataloging staff will add a paper cover to hearings that are too thick to pamphlet bind. University ownership stamps are applied when they come to the physical processing area. Items that are thin enough to be pamphlet bound are treated like any other pamphlets in physical processing.
Green Paper Cover
Congressional Hearings received with a cover do not go to Preservation Conservation. The cover is colored paper, usually green.
Physical Processing staff will add Cornell University ownership stamp.
G. Marking Pamphlets
When pamphlets are received for physical processing, a duplicate barcode must be made and added to the upper right hand corner on the outside of the pamphlet. Then they may be typed and labeled with the call number placed in the upper left hand corner.