Procedure in Detail

Early Printed Books in Closed Stores

The inventory of the EPBs takes place in the basement stacks and at desks. Notices and signs are used to indicate where in the stacks inventory is in progress or complete and where the team are currently working. This alerts staff as to which racks the team are between and should reduce the chances of colleagues removing or adding items to a completed section.

Make sure you have added macros.

Location check

F1 x500 Inventory, found: [quarter] dd/mm/yyyy: [full name of recorder]

F2 x500 Inventory, missing: [quarter] dd/mm/yyyy: [full name of recorder]

F3 x500 Inventory, recheck: [quarter] dd/mm/yyyy: [full name of recorder]

The first step involves looking at a printed export of Sierra and shelfmarks to see if the book is on the shelf (see Inventory Workflow). For museum accreditation all objects need a current location. The inventory is also ensuring that all the locations are correct and that the books are there as expected.

• If the physical item is where it is expected to be, mark the item as 'found'

• If the physical item is not where it is expected to be, mark the item as 'missing'

• If the physical item is not there but there is a note on the record on the shelf marking where it is e.g. at digitisation, on exhibition, out to a reader, mark the item as 'recheck'

The one exception to this workflow is when the team come across a facsimile. Facsimiles incorrectly stored in the EPB section of the basement stacks need to be flagged and moved. When the team come across a facsimile the item record should be suppressed [ICODE2 n SUPPRESS ITEM] and two general 500 notes added. One should say ‘Facsimile’ while the other should note ‘Removed during inventory, dd/mm/yyyy’. The shelfmark should then be listed as a former location. Finally, the facsimile should be moved to the facsimile section of the basement stack, currently located in 203;9;3-6. If there are no other items attached to the bibliographic record BCODE3 should be changed from blank to n SUPPRESS ITEM.

If the book says it is missing, withdrawn or checked out to digitisation, exhibitions or conservation but it is right in front of you, check it in. To check-in items go to Function, then click on 'Circulation' and 'Check-in (no patron)' and put in c followed by the shelfmark in the key word search. When you have the correct item, click check-in (do not print transit slip). The record should now be checked in and available to users but make sure the book STATUS is set to ‘Available’, the OPACMSG to ‘Online Request’ and be sure to remove any display note saying the item is restricted because of digitisation. Also double-check that the bibliographic record is not suppressed e.g. BCODE3 should be set to - .

If a book is in the right place it is time to carry out a full inventory. For a full list of macros and shortcuts see Adding Macros. As of Q1 2024, as soon as you add the missing macro, change the items record status to missing. If there is a clear reason why the record may not refer to a missing physical item e.g. it's a duplicate record or there is evidence Wellcome never owned the book, change the item record status to 'j data issues' and add an F12 Extensive Update macro with a note e.g. extensive update - duplicate record to be deleted?. More information on items marked as 'data issues' can be found here.

At the end of a section a list of all the books recorded as ‘missing’ or ‘recheck’ will be created. The team will go back through these items to see if they have been returned to the stacks or if they can be linked to other existing records or uncatalogued items.

Accession Number

Insert -> Acc. No. [Ctrl + i, y]

The accession number is generally found on the top right-hand recto corner of the fly leaf or title page. In some cases, it is located on the pastedown or the verso of the fly leaf or title page. The accession numbers are essential additions to an item record, for both internal and external researchers, linking back to crucial information in the Wellcome Accession Registers and showing when and how the books came into the collection. For more details see the Library Accessions page on the Transcribe Wellcome site.

If there is no accession number visible put 'No number found'. This is fairly standard with material acquired from the Medical Society of London [MSL] deposit in 1984.

If the accession number is indistinct, write what you can and add [?] to the end e.g. 5637[?].

If there are multiple accession numbers, put them in the same field separated by a semi-colon and a space e.g. 13452; 56743 .

Physical Condition

Insert -> Phys. Cond. [Ctrl + i, g]

Recording the physical condition of a book is extremely important in providing Collection Care with a list of unstable items and ensuring that books can be cared for correctly. When carrying out the inventory it will be difficult to judge condition by value. The focus will therefore be on the stability of the item and its suitability for consultation. The table below shows the type of damage to look out for when accessing condition. The inventory team will use letters to grade an item.

Condition Rating	Description	Letter Equivalent
1 No work required	Pristine, or already conserved or rebound items. Items that at time of assessment require no conservation input.	A
2 Good	Stable, suitable for all library uses i.e. exhibition, copying, consultation. Only very minor damage such as localised surface dirt, and very minor tears for example. No part of the item is in a vulnerable state.	B
3 Fair	Stable although damaged. Suitable for consultation. For example damage may include tears and some loss but the item is not inherently unstable.	C
4 Poor	Unstable items. At risk of further damage under normal consultation. For example extensive structural problems including - embrittlement, mechanical damage, mould damage, risk of loss and further deterioration.	D
5 Bad	Highly unstable items. Not suitable for consultation. For example major mould infestation, blocking, extensive fragmentation, high fragility. Highly valuable items where producing them to readers would put them at risk of unacceptable damage.	E

As the team works through the stacks they will be replacing unsuitable ties and supports and flagging items which need immediate re-housing or areas of problem storage i.e. books falling over.

To help Collection Care, a macro with additional keywords will be applied to items given a ‘D’ condition rating to highlight Conservation priorities [Alt F1 g300 D]. These include:

• Historic mould

• Paper repairs - mainly on the edge where normal consultation would lead to further damage

• Loose tb/c (previously loose material): Tb – loose text block or leaves, C – loose material on the cover including significant fragments such as the spine title or binding detail

• Detached/detaching/missing board(s) or spine.

A book can still be labelled D even if none of the keywords are used. The team also notes when cellotape is on the book.

If the book is in such poor condition, i.e. E, the team may decide to restrict access. For these books the STATUS in the item record will be changed to ‘y Permission Required’ and the OPACMSG to ‘p By Appointment’. A display note ‘This item is fragile. Email [email protected] to request access to the physical item’. The team may also decide to add a general note explaining why access is restricted. For example, ‘To be viewed in Conservation – contains mould damage’.

Binding

F4 x563 Binding Investigation needed

Binding, especially in the hand-press period, was a personal choice and can reveal many clues towards a previous owner, binder or printer. A handwritten label on the binding can also reveal how a book was stored previously. The macro should be used to note anything other than plain or simply tooled calf, parchment, goat or fabric.

The macro contains four keywords which can be used to highlight specific traits. Things to look out for include, but are not limited to:

• Handwritten label - writing on the spine, board or fore-edges

• Waste material - printed and manuscript waste paper or parchment as, or within, the binding

• Pigskin - culturally sensitive, also note if bound in human skin [extremely difficult to identify even if noted on the book/record]

• Interesting design - extensive or fine stamp work, initials, coat-of-arms or other provenance stamped on the binding, contemporary paper or card binding, hand decorated boards or fore-edges

Set terms for rarer finds:

• working clasp(s)

• working ties

Other types of bindings are still important in providing copy specific information to researchers so there will be a general binding enhancement note added via universal update at the end of a collection.

Provenance

F5 x561 Provenance Evident

Current ownership is part of museum accreditation and items can be globally updated to record ‘The Wellcome Trust Limited (as trustee of the Wellcome Trust)’, unless known as a loan e.g. Hunterian Collection. However, a book may have passed through many hands before arriving into the collection and this can be essential information for a researcher. The provenance macro will be used to highlight previous ownership of a book including:

• Inscription

• Stamp - ink label or embossed

• Plate - decorative label pasted into book

• Multiple owners - used when there is evidence of more than one previous owner

Set terms for rarer finds:

• photograph

• wax seal

The provenance macro should be added but left blank when the provenance is only sellers’ information and/or price paid.

Marginalia

F6 x561 Marginalia Present

Although provenance and marginalia are generally listed with the same MARC 21 code (561), for the inventory they have been separated into two separate macros. While book plates and inscriptions show ownership of a book, marginalia provides evidence of interactions with the text. These can represent different areas of research. For example, a book may have a book plate but the pages may remain uncut. This has implications on the concept of ownership and the creation of a library as a status symbol versus book use and engagement. Marginalia includes:

• Markings - manicula, crossed out or ‘deleted’ parts, underlined sections, any symbols highlighting part of the text, use of paper or other material to mark out a section of the text

• Text - handwritten text in the margins and on the fly-leaves and paste downs

• Doodles - intent to draw rather than the simple testing of a quill

• Widespread - used to indicate when marginalia can be found throughout the text

• Hand coloured - used when woodcuts, illustrations or printer’s devices have been coloured by hand and is not noted in the physical description

When accessing a book for provenance and marginalia details it is important to check the binding of the book as well as paying close attention to the paste downs and fly leaves at the front and back. When skimming the pages focus on the margins. If copy specific details are already noted in the record there is no need to highlight them again with a macro.

Bibliographic Enhancement

F9 x500 Bibliographic enhancement required

Retro cataloguing is a standard part of library work. While a range of enhancements can and should be made, particularly if trying to reach DCRM(B) standards, this is not within the remit of the inventory. For this macro, the focus is on improving physical descriptions and on highlighting particularly sparse bibliographic records (representing the basic description). Physical descriptions are important for showing the size of a book and indicating to researchers if there are any illustrations or woodcuts. Any simple typographical mistakes will be fixed as the team encounter them.

To avoid over-use of the macro, if the record is detailed and simply missing a subject heading, the record should NOT be highlighted for enhancement. Subjects, though sometimes subjective and prone to bias, are useful as a first point of entry into a catalogue and in providing an overview of material in the collection. However, records missing a 650 subject field can be found through a Sierra search and updated away from the stacks.

In addition to this macro, any record labelled ‘EPB Retrocon’ should also be considered in need of improvement.

If an item does not appear to match the bibliographic record it should be recorded as needing an ‘Extensive update’. One example included EPB/A/320/1 and /2 which were copies of the same book but not of the one listed in the bibliographic record.

Insert -> General Note [Ctrl + i, x]

Where necessary, general notes will be added to indicate copy specific details and aid care and research in the future.

One key area of interest is loose inserts (i.e. something not original to the book which is neither bound in nor pasted down). Noting these items, particularly when they are made of material other than ink and paper, helps with conservation and minimises the danger of loss and removal when books are requested. For the first 11 months of the inventory loose inserts were noted intermittently but, after discussions with Collections Care, it was decided to make a note of every such item the team came across. Loose inserts are rare and so recording them does not impact negatively on the speed of the inventory.

The note will start with the key phrase ‘Loose insert:’. This will make the items easier to trace in the records. The rest of the note will consist of free text providing a very brief description of the material, content and where it is located in the book e.g. Loose insert: printed newspaper cutting on cholera from 1861 between pp. 44 and 45, Loose insert: fragment of a handwritten note from Henry Wellcome to Captain Saint between fly leaf and title page.

Organic matter is at a higher risk of decomposition and mould and so the presence of both loose and pasted down pressed leaves and flowers will also be recorded. The note will be along the lines of ‘Pressed leaves/flowers loose/pasted down between/on pp. 34 and 36’.

Sensitivity and Inclusivity

Alt F8 x500 Potentially distressing, offensive or culturally sensitive material

While an important consideration for cataloguing and access only so much can be accessed during inventory. Given time constraints and the language barrier the inventory team will not be looking at content in full but at the illustrations, bindings, main title and other metadata. Use of this macro will provide a basic, but by no means comprehensive, list of items for inclusive collections to assess. The focus will therefore be on representations of race, gender, sexuality, disability, religion and other protected characteristics. Where a record has a subject heading or other metadata which does not seem appropriate from a sensitivity or inclusivity perspective, such as ‘Disorders of Sex Development’ or ‘Jews’, the record should also be flagged for bibliographic enhancement.

Extensive Update

F12 x500 Extensive Update

The extensive update macro will be used mostly as an indication of a numbering issue or an incorrect bibliographic record. Both may require significant time to resolve or catalogue and should be prioritised for Phase 2. For example if a book is recorded as 'missing' but it is likely that the record has been duplicated or that the book recorded was never owned by Wellcome, use the macro, change the status to 'j data issues' and add a note e.g. extensive update - duplicate record to be deleted?. This will help with the search process and future reconciliation/data clean up work.

At the beginning of the trial there was an additional macro ‘F11 x500 Minimal Changes’. Once the enhancement macros became more detailed the minimal changes macro was deemed no longer necessary to convey where copy specific details could be discovered.

Measurements

Alt F10 q300 cm

The height of the book needs to be measured in centimetres. The physical size forms part of DCRM(B) standards and provides guidance when deciding where a book fits into the collection as books are often stored alongside those of a similar size. For example octavo demonstrates the format of the book but it could be bound in different sizes. The height is usually recorded in the 300 field of a bibliographic record. As Wellcome uses item records for copy specific details, and in order to speed up the inventory process, the measurements will be recorded in the item record for now. The macro appears as sheet size in the item record. Obviously this is not specifically what the number refers to but it is simply used as an indicator of measurement.

Numbering [mostly obsolete]

F7 x500 Numbering Issue

The numbering macro itself has declined in use, largely superseded by the uncatalogued materials spreadsheets. However, it has been retained to highlight any miscellaneous weirdness in the numbering.

Previous use: Once an item has been located, the team will check the shelfmark against the record to see if the book is a single item, volume or boundwith and adjust the shelfmark accordingly. For example EPB/C/37732/1 is in five parts but is only listed with one record and a single shelfmark. The numbering macro is about ensuring all the items are recorded and have a brief description. This is separate from the overall changes in shelfmark also being undertaken during the inventory (see Shelfmarks).

A numbering issue most often occurs when a boundwith appears to contain uncatalogued items. Boundwiths are where multiple individual texts have been bound together in a single book. Boundwith records are particularly inconsistent. The majority are listed as separate items and located in closed stacks. Some, however, are located as boundwiths (bwith). These items do not appear on location exports which also means that the shelfmarks are not updated in the global update. If items within a boundwith do not appear to have an item record a good first step is to check the previous shelfmark e.g. 1234/A. For tips on how to identify a boundwith, see Identifying a Boundwith.

Minor numbering issues can be resolved while in the stacks. For example if a volume set has been incorrectly numbered or if the shelfmark numbers have been switched i.e. 7134 is actually 7314. If the number varies greatly from the original shelfmark e.g. the number EPB/P/12345 has been used incorrectly for multiple items and new numbers need to be given, add the old shelfmark as a former location [Ctrl +I, t].

Variations in procedure

Minor variations in procedure will take place from time to time. Changes may include:

Location

There will be times when it is not possible or advisable to work in the stacks. This includes bringing material to desks or other areas to allow the team access to natural light or to prevent working in unsuitable rooms.

Boxed items

These will not require flags and instead changes to the shelfmarks will be made on the outside of the box using pencil or labels. Use a printed label maker for buckram boxes.

Uncatalogued EPBs

When an item appears on a shelf but not on the spreadsheet this may indicate an uncatalogued item. Uncatalogued items need to be added to Collection specific Excel spreadsheets to provide a location and running list of items. Museum Accreditation requires uncatalogued material to be recorded so that, ultimately, it can be resolved, catalogued or de-accessioned or disposed.

Most of the uncatalogued EPBs already have a shelfmark (unique object number) but one will need to be provided if not. Only basic details, such as title, should be recorded in order to reduce time spent on uncatalogued items in the stacks.

There are four types of uncatalogued material:

1. Not found on catalogue – where there is no record of an item with that shelfmark on Sierra

2. Part of boundwith – when item(s) are found uncatalogued within a boundwith

3. Multiple copy – where there is a bibliographic record for the item but not an item record

4. Volume not catalogued – when multiple volumes have been catalogued incorrectly as a single item

On rare occasions, notes on shelves may indicate the presence of a missing uncatalogued item. Record these as normal in the uncatalogued spreadsheet, adding a note to say it is missing. If the note does not give a title put '[Listed as missing on shelf]' in the title column.

During phase 2, the uncatalogued spreadsheet will be cross-checked with Sierra to see if any of the uncatalogued material can be connected to records of missing books or records without shelfmarks or locations.

EPBs Located on Open Shelves/Sub-Basement

On occasion, pre-1851 material may be discovered elsewhere in the building such as on the open shelves or in the sub-basement stacks. If this happens, suppress the record on Sierra, check if there are other copies in the Closed Stores and then add the books to the Open Shelf EPBs spreadsheet. Check if the books need to go to Conservation e.g. for the safe removal of library classmark labels, and then place the books in the designated section of aisle 390. Eventually these books will be given new shelfmarks and placed in the appropriate part of the collection.