10.02 Stocktaking – Tips & Warnings

What is the purpose of a Stocktake?

Stocktaking is basically your opportunity to find out what has walked out the door of your library without being borrowed.
Stocktaking involves actually handling every resource in your collection (not currently on loan) so it is a perfect time to check the condition and age of your resources… which usually leads to lots of repairing and culling.
You’ll find resources that were marked missing in previous stocktakes back on the shelves.
You’ll finding Culled resources that have found their way back onto your shelves.

Using one terminal or input point

If you are stocktaking multiple sections you should write down the date and time you start a section and then the date and time you finish a section. That way you can effectively use the Date/Time selection criteria in the Stock Parameters for viewing data entry consistency and when generating reports.
When you decide to stocktake a section you MUST finish ASAP. Do not lend or return from section or missing item results will be incorrect.
Download your portable scanner straight into the Add area in Circulation under Stocktake.

Using Multiple Machines / Scanners

You should create files of barcodes and use the Append option to import lists of barcodes into the Stocktake. This way you can treat each ‘batch’ of data as a separate entity… viewing, reporting, reconciling and marking missing without effecting other resources in your collection.
Create files of barcodes with your portable scanner. Download all the barcodes from a section of your library into the one file for Append to stocktake… it is fine to download several ‘loads’ of barcodes into the one file which can then be Appended in one go! (One file, one section of the collection keeps it simple.)

Use the Stocktake Check Sheet

The LibCode Suite – Stocktaking Check Sheet has been created to help you keep a tab on the stocktaking process. Using this form makes it practical to have several people on the job at the same time because you can see at a glance what needs to be done and what other people are doing regarding the stocktake.
All you need to do is print out a few copies of the form and fill in the details as you go until the entire collection (or part you are doing) is fully accounted for!
We have created two versions of a Stocktaking Check Sheet form to help you keep your stocktake under control. The ‘Standard’ one is for basic printers and ‘Laser’ is for Laser printers (they’re basically the same but the Laser one is just a bit snazzier to look at!)

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Stocktake Related Instructions (General Stocktake Page)

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