| • | What are selection lists and how are they structured? |
| • | What is the overall process of building, maintaining, and ordering from selection lists in SirsiDynix Symphony? |
| • | What are the selection list statuses, and how are they used? |
| • | How can I use selection list features to manage my list of desiderata? |
| • | How can we use selection lists in an environment where ordering is centralized and branch libraries make their own selections? |
| • | What is the most efficient way to create a decision for every line on a selection list? |
| • | What is the most efficient way for a user to create multiple decisions for each line on a selection list? |
| • | How do I know if a title is being evaluated for selection? |
| • | How can I tell if a user has made selection list decisions or has created a selection list? Can I tell if this user has any active selection lists? |
| • | When I make a BUY decision are funds encumbered? |
| • | How do I know how much money will be encumbered when my BUY decisions are converted orders? |
| • | What do I need to know about the selection list ordering options? |
| • | How do I “unshadow” selection list titles once they are ordered? |
| • | How do I remove users linked to selections lists and/or selection list decisions? |
| • | How do I manage titles that have been rejected in the selection process? |
What are selection lists and how are they structured?
Acquisitions selection lists aid librarians in making informed decisions for acquiring new and replacement titles for collection development. Selection lists include title information, review information, and ordering information, such as price, quantity, funding, and distribution.
Selection List Structure
Selection information is stored in the following types of records.
| • | Selection list control record |
| • | List lines |
| • | Decisions |
| • | Selection list extended information |
| • | List line extended information |
| • | Decision extended information |
Selection List Control Record
The selection list control record stores information that describes a selection list, such as ID, name, date created, created by, list status, and more. The selection list control record is typically linked to many list lines.
List Lines
Selection list lines store links to call number records. Adding a list line adds a title to the selection list. List lines also store values that might be used for an orderline if the list line is converted to an order, such as unit price and total quantity. As the selection list is reviewed and purchase decisions are made, decision records are linked to each list line.
Decisions
Selection list decision records store links to user records that represent the selectors. In the decision record, the selector records a purchase decision such as BUY, DONTBUY, or MAYBE. When a selector makes a BUY decision, he can record the number of copies to purchase and how to fund and distribute these copies. The funding and distribution information can be used to create order segments when a selection list is used as the source of information for orders.
Extended Information
Selection list control records may include extended information, such as notes and comments, which can populate order extended information fields. List lines may include extended information, such as source, review information, and vendor title number, which can populate orderline extended information fields. Decisions may include extended information, such as donor and rush, which also can be mapped to orderline extended information fields.
What is the overall process of building, maintaining, and ordering from selection lists in SirsiDynix Symphony?
The selection list process includes building a list, making addition or modifications to the list, making decisions, and ordering from the list.
Building a List
Use the Add Selection List wizard to build selection lists. When a selection list is created, the list is assigned to a list owner, typically the login user. For some institutions, only the list owner, typically a library manager, will add or remove lines from the selection list. Set the selection list status to BUILDING, and titles can be added or removed from the list. You can also create lists with an ACTIVE status so that decisions can be made dynamically, as the list is being built.
List lines are linked to titles in your SirsiDynix Symphony catalog. If a title is not already in the SirsiDynix Symphony catalog, you can use the Add Temporary Title helper to enter brief title information at the workstation. You may also capture a record using the SmartPort helper. These helpers only display if configured in behavior properties.
Modifying a List
After building a selection list, use the Modify Selection List wizard to make changes to the selection list control record, including changing the list status. Also use this wizard to modify or remove existing list lines and modify selection list decisions. Access to this wizard is limited. Typically, library managers will use this wizard to change the list status, control the total number of copies being ordered for a title, and manage how the library’s funds are encumbered.
Making Selection List Decisions
Selectors use the My Decisions wizard to make purchase decisions for the titles on the selection list. The status must be ACTIVE for selectors to create decision records. On the Undecided tab, selectors will see all linked titles that do not have decisions. These titles may be limited by the selector’s library or group of libraries depending on how the acquisitions maintenance libraries are defined. Selectors will see all of their decisions displayed on the Decisions tab. As long as the list is ACTIVE, decisions can be added, modified, or removed. When a decision is removed, the title moves to the Undecided tab.
Making Selection List Orders
When all selectors have made their decisions, or the cutoff date has been reached, the selection list owner can change the selection list status to READY. Select the REVIEW status to allow supervisors to review the selection list. If changes are necessary, the supervisor can use the Modify Selection List wizard to make changes to the control record, list lines, and decisions after setting the status back to ACTIVE or BUILDING.
The My Decisions wizard cannot be used to change a decision when the list’s status is REVIEW.
Use the Order From Selection List wizard to create orders from selection lists. The status must be set to READY to create orders. You can create separate orders for each list line, one order for the entire selection list, or one order per vendor. Once orders are created, the selection list status is changed to ORDERED. The selection list control record cannot be edited once the selection list status is ORDERED.
What are the selection list statuses, and how are they used?
The following selection list statuses are delivered.
| • | BUILDING – If the selection list status is BUILDING, you can make changes to list lines, but cannot make decisions at this point. You can add, modify, or remove list lines, and even remove the entire selection list if you remove the last list line. |
| • | ACTIVE – Select the ACTIVE status and selectors can make selection list decisions. Control information can be modified, and list lines can still be added, modified, or removed. |
| • | REVIEW – Select the REVIEW status to allow supervisors to review the selection list. If changes are necessary, the supervisor can use the Modify Selection List wizard to make changes to the control record, list lines, and decisions after setting the status back to ACTIVE or BUILDING. The My Decisions wizard cannot be used to change a decision when the list’s status is REVIEW. |
| • | READY – Select the READY status and the Order From Selection List wizard can be used to create orders. No more decisions can be made. List lines cannot be modified. Only the extended information fields on the selection control record can be modified. |
| • | INACTIVE – Select the INACTIVE status if you do not want to use the list at this time. No changes can be made to the list lines and no decisions can be made. When the selection list status is inactive, only the selection list status can be edited; all other fields, including extended information fields, are read-only. |
| • | ORDERED – The Order From Selection List wizard changes the selection list status to ORDERED when all decisions are converted to orders/orderlines. You cannot modify the ORDERED status using the Modify Selection List wizard. When a selection list’s status is ORDERED, selection list control information cannot be modified, nor can list line or decision information. |
How can I use selection list features to manage my list of desiderata?
Selection lists can reflect an individual selector’s list of desiderata, a personal list of titles. The selector can use this list to keep track of titles she’s interested in, including review copies she has examined.
To create an individual selection list, the selector uses the Add Selection List wizard and designates herself as the list owner. The selector adds titles to the list and can make decision records dynamically as the list is being created (as long as the selection list status is ACTIVE). Or, the selector can add titles and return to the selection list at a later time and use the Modify Selection List wizard to make selection list decisions. When the selector is finished making decisions, she changes the status to READY and can notify the library staff member who places orders that her list of desiderata is ready for ordering.
How can we use selection lists in an environment where ordering is centralized and branch libraries make their own selections?
When ordering is centralized, a library manager should create one selection list using the Add Selection List wizard, and individual selectors at the branch libraries will use the My Decisions wizard to make purchase decisions for their branches. Who has access to the selection list and the funds available for selection when making decisions is controlled by the acquisitions display and maintenance libraries setting in policies. Additionally, although individual selectors can see all list lines and all decision records, only those decisions owned by the individual selector can be changed.
When selectors are finished making their decisions, or the cutoff date has passed, the library manager, using the Modify Selection List wizard, can then review the decisions of all selectors from all branches, and make the necessary adjustments to decisions before orders are created from the selection list. The status of the list is changed to READY. Orders can now be created using the Order From Selection List wizard.
What is the most efficient way to create a decision for every line on a selection list?
Use the My Decisions wizard to quickly create a decision for each line on a selection list. This wizard is optimized for adding one decision per list line.
What is the most efficient way for a user to create multiple decisions for each line on a selection list?
The Add Selection List and Modify Selection List wizards are designed to create multiple decisions for each list line. These wizards can be used in the case where a list creator/owner (such as a department secretary) is both creating the selection list and creating a decision for each selector.
How do I know if a title is being evaluated for selection?
The Item Search and Display wizard will display a Selections tab if the title is linked to any selection lists. The Selections tab displays a list of all selection list lines linked to the title. Each list entry displays the selection list ID, line number, library, fiscal cycle, and status. A glossary on the list ID displays more information about the selection list. The Change Display platform button allows the status or acquisitions library filter for the list display to be modified without changing the properties.
How can I tell if a user has made selection list decisions or has created a selection list? Can I tell if this user has any active selection lists?
The Display Selection List wizard allows you to filter the selection list display by list owner ID, list owner alt ID, list owner name, selector ID, selector alt ID, selector name, and more. You can also filter selection list searches by status, fiscal cycle, and library, so it is easy to determine if a particular list owner has active selection lists, or lists of any other status.
Additionally, the User Display wizard displays selection lists information for users who have made selection list decisions or have created selection lists. When you search a user who is linked to any selection lists, the User Display wizard displays the Selections and Decisions tabs. The Selections tab will display a list of all selection lists for which the current user is the list owner. The Decisions tab displays a list of all the list lines for which the current user has made purchase decisions. A glossary on the list ID in each list entry displays more complete information about the selection list. Default properties can set the selection list status filters for display of list lines and selections lists. The Change Display platform button on each tab allows the status or acquisitions library filter for the list display to be modified without changing the properties.
If a user is linked to any selection list or decision records, the user record cannot be removed.
When I make a BUY decision are funds encumbered?
No. Funds are not converted until your BUY decision is converted to an order.
How do I know how much money will be encumbered when my BUY decisions are converted orders?
In the My Decisions wizard, the Lines tab displays selection list totals and your decisions totals. The dynamic fields Total Lines, Total Amount, and Total Quantity reflect totals for the entire selection list. The dynamic fields Lines, My Amount, and My Quantity reflect totals for your decisions only.
What do I need to know about the selection list ordering options?
There are three ordering options available in the Order From Selection List wizard properties.
| • | One Order Per Listline |
| • | One Order Per Vendor |
| • | One Order Per Selection List |
If you’ve selected the Enter Listline Vendor option in Session Settings, then when you are ready to order a selection list, you must select either One Order Per Listline or One Order Per Vendor. If you select the One Order Per Selection List option, all of the list line vendors will be ignored in the ordering process, and will be overridden by the vendor selected when first starting the process of converting the selection list to an order.
Use the Display Selection List wizard to verify whether or not multiple vendors were used in a selection list before using the Order From Selection List wizard.
Follow this good “rule of thumb.”
| • | If the staff member who does the selection list ordering will always determine which vendor to use for all list lines, then he should select the One Order Per Selection List option in the Order From Selection List wizard properties, and remain with this option for all order processing. |
| • | If the staff member who does the selection list ordering will permit individual, multiple vendors to be maintained in the selection lists being ordered, then he should select either One Order Per Listline or One Order Per Vendor, and retain the selected option for all order processing. |
How do I “unshadow” selection list titles once they are ordered?
The Order From Selection List wizard contains a default behavior property, Turn Off Shadow Flag for Ordered Titles. If this behavior property is selected, then titles will automatically be “unshadowed” as they are ordered. The Shadow Options helper is available if there are individual titles that you want shadowed even after they are ordered.
How do I remove users linked to selections lists and/or selection list decisions?
If a user has created a selection list or made selection list decisions, you cannot remove the user record. You will need to break the link between the user record and the selection list and/or decisions.
Using the Delete Selection List wizard, you have the option of removing the whole list, or removing individual list lines (which are linked to decision records). If you can target the specific list lines a user is linked to, you can remove just those lines. If the user created the selection list, you can either remove the whole list, or simply change the list owner (as long as the list status is ACTIVE, BUILDING or REVIEW).
In a future version of SirsiDynix Symphony, you will be able to remove all of the lists owned by a user or all of a user’s decisions.
How do I manage titles that have been rejected in the selection process?
Rejected titles can be removed by using the Remove Selection List Item report. This report deletes items associated with selection list lines that have not been ordered, even if the status of the selection list is ORDERED. This report requires a password.