Welcome to the Technical Services Department!

TECHNICAL SERVICES MISSION

The Mansfield University of Pennsylvania Library and Information Resources Division’s Technical Services Department supports the educational mission of the University and the Library by acquiring, organizing, preserving, maintaining, and providing access to physical and virtual informational resources in the most efficient, effective, and innovative ways possible.

TECHNICAL SERVICES VISION STATEMENT

 PHILOSOPHICAL STATEMENT

Technical Services will be dedicated to working cooperatively with other library units to provide exemplary library services for the academic community; to following and supporting national standards and practice in organizing informational resources; to conserving and accounting for expenditures; to promoting the creative use of staff talent in the delivery of services; and to maintaining a quality online catalog that allows electronic access to resources by the global community.

CHARACTER

Technical Services will uphold intellectual honesty and integrity by embodying the core values of librarianship, including: equal access to information; intellectual freedom; objective stewardship of information; and the right to know without fear of censorship or reprisal.  Intellectual honesty and integrity will be evident in the soundness and completeness of the Library’s online catalog and the ethical acquisition of materials.

SCHOLARSHIP

Technical Services’ primary goal is to organize and process resources to facilitate the pursuit of intellectual growth.

CULTURE

Technical Services upholds North Hall Library’s role as a repository of diverse collections by acquiring, cataloging, and preserving material supporting the University’s liberal arts curriculum and mission.

SERVICE

Technical Services will be committed to obtaining materials and providing a quality online catalog that allows access to resources by the global community.

The Technical Services Department consists of the Acquisitions Unit, Cataloging Unit, Serials Unit, and the Coordinator of Technical Services.   

The Acquisitions Unit is responsible for purchasing all new materials in varying formats and verification and processing for payment all renewals for ongoing contracts for print and online journals and electronic database collections. Processing orders as recommended by liaison librarians, inputting orders into the library catalog so that the status in the catalog will read “on order,” receiving items and shipments and changing status in the library catalog to “received,” and processing and approving invoices for payment are actions performed.  Other responsibilities include maintenance of various budget accounts, confirmation of annual contractual obligations, preparation of statistical reports, and accreditation support to various University departments.

 The Cataloging Unit has primary responsibility for organization and access to the Library’s collections. All items received will have a full bibliographic record, either through copy cataloging or original cataloging. We create and maintain the Library’s online catalog which allows access by author, title, subject, call number, and many other elements. Organization is done by classifying materials primarily using Library of Congress call numbers. The call numbers bring together titles on the same subject or by the same author. All types of materials are classified including print, audiovisual, and electronic. The Cataloging Department processes all materials to prepare them for access and use by patrons. The Cataloging Departments is also the maintenance unit within the library. This maintenance includes (but is not limited to): correcting misspelled words, resolving barcode problems, resolving item and holding record conflicts, creating new call numbers, deleting records for lost or withdrawn items and verifying correct authority forms.

The Serials/Archives Unit performs copy cataloging of serials, both print and microfilm. Coordinates and prepares bindery shipments of selected serial titles, any monographs in need of binding repair, and theses. Imports bibliographic records of leased books from OCLC and processes them for the library’s popular reading area. Receives and processes state and federal government documents and microfiche. Also acts as the point of contact with vendors for ordering and cancellations, and any changes in subscriptions.

The Coordinator of Technical Services provides vision, leadership, management, and oversight to department operations and staffing. The goals are to coordinate and effectively and efficiently manage the Library and Information Resources Division’s Technical Services efforts – from planning through post-assessment analysis; and, coordinate and effectively and efficiently manage the Library and Information Resources Division’s access to our online catalog – print and electronic resources (including regular Authority Control).

Acquisitions Unit

Winona Wieczorek 

Cataloging Unit 

570.662.4678

pachey@mansfield.edu

Serials Unit

 David  Guinn

  570.662.4673

 dguinn@mansfield.edu