Liaisons' FAQ

What are the duties of the liaison?

The liaisons selects and orders library materials in support of the curricular and research needs of their department. The liaison approves all book and media requests placed by or for their department. The liaison monitors its department's spending.

When are the fiscal year 2011/2012 ordering deadlines?

Friday December 7, 2012: 60% of funds must be encumbered.
Thursday February 28, 2012: 100% of funds must be encumbered (unused funds will be re-allocated to other departments).
Ordering deadlines calender http://aok.lib.umbc.edu/collmanagement/mono.php

How do liaisons place orders?

Use the online "Library Book Request Form" on the World Wide Web. Login to the World Wide Web book request system at http://aok.lib.umbc.edu/bookorder/bookapprove.php. If you are not logged in to the system when you place orders, you'll have to log in later to approve them. Click on "Order a Book". Fill out the form as completely as possible then click "Send Request Now".

You may also place orders using an approval plan on Yankee Book Peddler's GOBI website at http://www.gobi3.com/Pages/Login.aspx. Approval plan orderings is an extremely efficient method of ordering because all of the information is provided for you, completely eliminating the need for both filling out forms and finding books to order. For information on this, contact Robin Moskal, the Collection Management Librarian, at X5-2341 or at Moskal@umbc.edu. In depth instructions will be posted shortly.

How do other people place orders?

Others in your department can place orders through the World Wide Web by going directly to the "Library Book Request Form" at http://aok.lib.umbc.edu/bookorder/bookreq.php. They should fill out the form as completely as possible and retain a record of the order. You will be notified that there are requests waiting. You must approve those orders by logging in to the World Wide Web book request system at http://aok.lib.umbc.edu/bookorder/bookapprove.php. You retain access to all of these orders through the World Wide Web system, so you need not retain any copies of them.

As your department's Library Liaison, you must authorize all of your department's orders. This allows you to monitor and control your department's spending, and, when necessary, to prioritize your department's orders.

Why worry about things already owned by other USMAI libraries?

Since we have a very small book budget, we are extremely limited in the number of books we can buy. However, all UMBC faculty, staff, and students can borrow books from any of the sixteen USMAI libraries and have them delivered to the library here very quickly (with no charge to the patron or the library). By relying on this service for non-core materials, we can stretch our budget further while purchasing unique materials that aren't available for quick delivery from USMAI libraries. This substantially expands the depth and the breadth of the materials readily available for our use.

What are priority levels? When and how should I use them?

By assigning a priority level to your orders, you can let Library Acquisitions know which orders are most important to you. This allows Acquisitions to make sound decisions when prioritizing, queuing, or backlogging orders in order to best meet your needs.

You may choose any of three priority levels for orders:

1. Rush orders are usually placed within one or two working days and the items usually arrive within a month. Use this for items needed in 1-2 months. Items purchased this way usually cost more.
2. Priority orders are usually placed within 2 weeks and the items usually arrive within 3 months. Use this for items needed in 3-6 months.
3. Collection Building orders are also usually placed within 2 weeks, but may take much longer. The items also usually arrive in 3-6 months, but may take longer. Use this for quality items for the Library collection.

In order to assign a priority level to your order:

On World Wide Web orders, click the button for the appropriate level when entering your order. If you don't assign a level, your order will automatically be assigned the lowest priority level, "Collection Building".

In Collection Manager, type "Rush" or "Priority" as appropriate in the note field. If you don't assign a level, your order will automatically be assigned the lowest priority level.

How do I request an item for reserves?

Do not submit orders for materials for reserves through the Web Order System. Reserve requests for books should be ordered through the reserves website at http://aok.lib.umbc.edu/reserves/. If the item needs to be ordered, Library Circulation or Library Media staff will submit the order to Library Acquisitions.

Items purchased for Reserve via Library Circulation or Library Media are not charged against your department's funds. However, if you submit Reserve requests directly to Acquisitions as approved orders for your department, your department will usually be charged for the items.

How do I know when a book is in the library? How do other people in my department find out?

Acquisitions no longer provides a notify service for liaisons or requestors. You can search the library catalog at http://catalog.umd.edu to find the status of an order.

We do provide a special hold service. If an order includes a hold request, the item does not go to library stacks for general use. Instead it is held at the Circulation Desk. A notice is sent to the requestor indicating that the item is now in the library and on hold for him/her. If not picked-up and checked-out within 14 days the item will be moved to the stacks for general use. Request our hold service by either clicking the appropriate button on the web order form or by putting a "library note" in your request when ordering the Collection Manager Approval Plan.

When I send an order to Acquisitions, when will it be placed? When will the book get here?

Mid Sept. through the ordering deadline (February 28, 2013): So long as your department has funds, priority orders will normally be placed within two weeks of arriving in Acquisitions. Collection Building orders will also usually be placed within two weeks of arriving in Acquisitions, but may occasionally be queued because of staffing shortages or other special circumstances. Items usually arrive within three months, but Collection Building orders may take substantially longer.

Ordering deadline through June: All library funds are encumbered and orders are normally queued until the new fiscal year. Priority orders go to the front of your department's ordering queue and Collection Building orders go to the back.

July-Mid Sept.: Queued orders are placed. Your priority orders are given preference while your Collection Building orders go to the end of the queue.

Please do not assume that any items ordered in the spring will be available in time for fall classes. Because we are queuing orders after February, they may not be placed until late summer and not arrive before fall classes begin.

How do I monitor my department's spending?

Your department's free balance is always displayed to you when you log in to the Web Order System. You may lose any funds not encumbered by the ordering deadline (February 29, 2012). Please direct any questions regarding your department's free balance to the Acquisitions Librarian, Michelle Flinchbaugh, at x6754.

The Acquisitions Librarian is responsible for monitoring all departmental book funds. When your money is gone, orders will be queued for ordering in the next fiscal year. You will want to have some money left for Spring orders, but again, you may lose any funds not encumbered by the ordering deadline (February 28, 2013). If you're saving money for something special you want to get after the deadline, you should let the Acquisitions Librarian (Michelle Flinchbaugh, x6754) know so that your money won't be spent. Extensions are sometimes granted to allow departments to encumber all their funds, but the more time that passes from the ordering deadline, the more likely it becomes you will lose your funds.

Sometimes your free balance will be a negative number. We normally over-encumber funds by 10%, which allows for all of your money to be spent despite some items not coming in and being paid for in the current fiscal year.

What are the roles of Collection Management, Serials, and Acquisitions in the ordering process? Which department do I contact with other questions?

Collection Management: http://aok.lib.umbc.edu/collmanagement/

Provides direct support to faculty and liaisons in selecting library materials.
Offers training and assistance in using the library's ordering systems.
Shapes the library collection by establishing purchasing policies and adjusting departmental allocations for one-time and database purchases.

Serials:http://aok.lib.umbc.edu/serials/

Provides direct support to faculty in selecting and de-selecting library journal subscriptions at the beginning of each academic year.
Manages library subscriptions by insuring that items on subscription arrive and by claiming missing items.
Shapes the library collection by establishing purchasing policies and adjusting departmental allocations for subscription purchases.
Maintains departmental serial fund balances.

Acquisitions: http://aok.lib.umbc.edu/acquisitions/

Supports other library departments and programs such as reserves and media.
Manages purchasing of requested library materials, including books, media, and scores.
Maintains departmental monographic fund balances.

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