UPDATE: Centralized Floating

Hello,

The LMS Centralized Floating Team is now accepting items for redistribution (i.e., float items) from all HPL units.

Below are guidelines regarding floating items to Central. They have been added to the Staff Links portion of the group blog.

Please remember that before you send items to Central for redistribution that you should seek managerial approval.

Sara Karow in LMS is available if you have any questions regarding centralized floating. If you have any questions about floating items at either location, please let me know.

Thanks,

MR

HPL CENTRALIZED FLOATING FAQs (5/2015)

HPL’s Library Materials Services Division has a new department responsible for managing the redistribution of HPL’s floating collection.  Some of the benefits of centralized management of floating are:

•  Facilitates system-wide collection management.
• Relieves NL units that have been helping one another by acting as Float Hubs.
• Reduces workload for FIDS by reducing the number of delivery trips items make between locations and how they are shipped.
• Less delivery time results in improved availability for customers since floating items make the trip from one location’s shelves to their new homes faster.

THE CENTRALIZED FLOATING TEAM:

• Sara Karow – Centralized Floating Coordinator (Librarian III)
• Robert Harrison – Inventory Management Clerk
• Mary Stanton – Juvenile Specialist, Collection Development (Librarian III)

FLOAT NOTES:

NL units may send up to 3 bins of items to the Float Team per week, unless otherwise instructed or by prior arrangement with a member of the Float Team or Collection Development Team.

NL team members are encouraged to continue to:

• Make use of existing trading partnerships, both within their management groups or other units.
• Post offerings and requests for materials on the HPL Float Blog (http://hplfloat.blogspot.com/) and the HPL - Collection Development and HPL – Youth List email lists.
• Monitor the Float Blog for items they can share or accept.
• Use Collection HQ tools to ‘shop’ for items and distribute requested items to new locations. (http://collectionhq.com/login) 

v  Central Library, Special Collections, and CMH staff with items available to share with floating locations should consult with a member of the Float Team.  (Items from those non-floating collections must be transferred in Sirsi by the Float Team before being floated to NLs.)

v  If instructed to do so by a member of the Float Team, NL staff may float items from their collections directly to other units.

v  NL staff may find it useful to create a monthly plan for submissions to the Float Team based on the areas of highest need in their collections.

v  Floating is not a substitute for weeding.  Do not send items to be floated that are candidates for withdrawal, either due to condition or content.

SHIPPING & RECEIVING GUIDELINES

PACKING:

• Use open gray delivery bins for both inbound and outbound items whenever possible, rather than labor-intensive boxes.  Individual items within bins bearing FLOAT labels marked “To: LMS” do not need additional bundling/labeling.
• Please follow the 2/3-full / 20-pounds guideline for bins and boxes to help prevent lifting injuries (the same as for Friends/Discards boxes and anything else shipped across the system).
• Pack similar items together when possible.
• If individual bundles are created for small numbers of items, secure them with rubber bands only – please do not tape rubber bands to affix labels to items.

LABELING:

• Use the green FLOAT labels to send materials in to the LMS FLOAT Team and between NLs.  (Green FLOAT labels are a system supply item.) 
• Address FLOAT labels for items being directed to the LMS Float Team “To: LMS” not “To: CEN” - so that they will reach the LMS Division rather than Central Library.
• Outgoing items from the LMS Centralized Float Team may be bundled with yellow FLOAT labels or sorted directly into FIDS NL delivery bins without labels.
• If items are intended for a particular member of the Float Team or one of the Collection Development Selectors, include that person’s name on the label’s “Attn:__” line. 

RECEIVING:

All items received at NLs must be properly checked in upon arrival so that Sirsi reflects that they are on-shelf at their new locations.

CONTACTS:

o   Sara Karow – x31480, Sara.Karow@HoustonTX.gov

o   Mary Stanton – x31478, Mary.Stanton@HoustonTX.gov

o   Robert Harrison  - x31617, Robert.Harrison@HoustonTX.gov