WITHDRAWAL/DISCARD PROCEDURES FOR CATALOGING STAFF

The term withdrawal is typically associated with missing or lost items that are not physically in our hands, and are being removed from the catalog. The term discard typically means we have a damaged item in our hands and are throwing it away and removing it from the catalog.

Missing Items

If an item is missing and the item status is "-" (Available), report it to Circulation Department staff. You can't just change the item status to "m" "Missing" or it will never make it to the search list. Circulation Staff must put a hold on the item and indicate that it is missing. This procedure sets the item status to "i" and causes it to appear on the Missing Items Search List. Each month Arlene receives a list of missing items that have been searched for 3 months and she makes the replacement decisions.

Lost Items

When a book is lost, the user is billed for the replacement cost of the material. If they pay for the item, the item status is changed to "$" "Lost and paid." If they don't pay, the bill is eventually transferred to the Business Office and that changes the item status to "p" "Lost and transferred." Each month Arlene receives a list of "Lost and paid" and "Lost and transferred" items and she makes the replacement decisions.

Damaged Items

When materials are damaged, Circulation staff change the item status to "d" "Damaged" and they give the damaged material to Arlene who makes the replacement decisions.

* * If replacements are ordered, cataloging staff normally withdraws the missing or lost items when the replacement material is received. Damaged items are usually discarded when the replacement is ordered. Some missing, lost, or damaged items may not be replaced, and they are withdrawn or discarded when the decision not to replace is made. Out-of-print materials may be replaced with newer editions or with other titles that cover similar subject matter.

HOW TO WITHDRAW OR DISCARD AN ITEM:

** If UNCW has no other copies and FSU & UNCP do not have bib locations or attached records:

Bib Record:

Change bcode3 to "n", which suppresses the bib record.
Change the bib location from "multi" to "c", removing any UNCW locations. This ensures that our locations will not be present if FSU or UNCP use this record after we have suppressed it.
Delete holdings in OCLC

Item Record:

Change icode2 to "w"
Add a note in the item record: "Withdrawn, OCLC holdings del. + your initials + date" or "Discarded, OCLC holdings del. - your initials + date"
If Withdrawn (item not physically in your hands), add this message to the item record - "Bring to Cataloging if found"
If the item is found, undo the previous steps and don't forget to update OCLC holdings and change the item status to "-" "Available."

**If UNCW has no other copies and FSU & UNCP have bib locations and attached records:

Bib Record:

Remove UNCW bib locations
Delete holdings in OCLC

Item Record:

Change icode2 to "w"
Add a note in the item record: "Withdrawn, OCLC holdings del. + your initials + date" or "Discarded, OCLC holdings del. + your initials + date"
If Withdrawn (item not physically in your hands), add this message to the item record - "Bring to Cataloging if found"
If the item is found, undo the previous steps and change the items status to "-" "Available." Don't forget to add back UNCW bib locations and update OCLC holdings

**If UNCW has other copies:

Bib record:

Don't do anything unless the item being withdrawn has a different location than other copies, then you'll probably need to delete a bib location. An example would be discarding a book from Rec. Reading that is also in General Collection. Remove the Rec. Reading bib. location if there are no other copies left in Rec. Reading.

Item record:

Change icode2 to "w"
If the item is lost or missing (not in your hands) add a note in the item record: "Withdrawn -- your initials + date" and a message in the item record: "Bring to Cataloging if found"
If the item is damaged, assume Arlene discarded it when she ordered the replacement, and add a note in the item record: "Discarded -- your initials + date" to record the date that you are removing the item record from the public catalog
If the item is found, undo the previous steps and don't forget to add back the UNCW bib location if one was deleted and change the item status to "-" (Available).

Several times a year Arlene will use Create Lists to gather the withdrawn and discarded items into a list. A statistical report is run on the list to compile withdrawal/discard statistics by format, location, and call number. After statistics are compiled withdrawn and discarded records are deleted from the database using the list and the "Delete Records of Any Type" function.

REPLACEMENT PROCEDURES FOR ACQUISITIONS STAFF

When an item is being replaced with the same edition of the missing, lost, or damaged item, insert a note in the item record that is being replaced, "Reordered + date"
When an item is being replaced with a different edition or title, insert a note in the item record that is being replaced, "Reordered Diff. Ed. + date" or "Reordered Diff. Title + Date + the title of the replacement."
If there is an order card, check the replacement box and write in the item record number of the item being replaced
If there is no order card, insert a note in the order record, "Replaces + item record number."

If a lost item is returned and there is no "Reordered" note in the item record, Circulation staff will change the status back to "-" "Available" and remove the replacement charges from the patron's record. If there is a "Reordered" note in the item record, the patron must pay the charges and has the option of keeping the book.

Last Update: February 15, 2006

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