Managing Inventory Project in Polaris

An inventory project compares the items physically on shelf with what displays in the library database. This process ensures that items in the library collection are accurately cataloged and shelved.  While there is no single "correct" way to do an inventory project, this article will demonstrate one of the more common ways, using Leap's check-in function and Polaris reports.

General Recommendations for an inventory project

• Limit inventory sessions to one section at a time - When performing inventory, start from the beginning of a section and work through as much of the section as reasonably possible.  You don't have to complete the entire section, but pay attention to start/stop points so that you don't end in the middle of an author or call number range.
• Log the time you start/finish - This allows for more accurate reports.
• Pay attention to display items - Some items in the collection may be on display or other face-out shelving.

Checking the Items In

1. In Leap, open the Check In workform
2. Select Inventory
   
   
3. Scan each item barcode into the item barcode box.  Make sure to pay attention to the screen as each item is scanned.
   • If the item has a status of "Available," the barcode/title will appear in the inventory textbox with the comment "Inventory update successful"
   • If an item has a status other than "Available" a warning message will appear.  Only "Available" items can be inventoried.
   • If an item can satisfy a hold request, a warning message will appear.

Summary Reports

After the inventory session, run the Inventory WebReport

Report Parameters

• Branch - Select your library branch
• Date Begin / Date End - Enter the date and time of the inventory session. If unsure of the exact time, it's recommended to pad the time by 10-15 minutes to make sure all items are included.
• Polaris User - Select the Polaris username(s) that performed the transactions in Leap.
• Statistical Code - Enter the item statistical codes of the section that was inventoried. This is used to catch cataloging/shelving mistakes.
• Shelf Locations - Select any relevant shelf locations of the section that was inventoried.  By default, all shelf locations are included, but this can be used to exclude certain materials (ie: "New" sections).
• Call Number - If an inventory session only included a portion of a collection, the call number field allows the report to be limited by Call Number.  
  • For Nonfiction materials, select Classification Number. This is typically the Dewey Decimal number.
  • For Fiction materials, select Cutter.  This is typically a word or phrase based on the author's name or the title.
  • For smaller collections that do not need to be filtered by call number, select None.
• Call Number Range Beginning / Call Number Range End - Enter the call number range for the inventory session.  
  • For NonFiction materials, enter the Dewey range that appears in the item's Classification number.  You can add a "9" to the end of the range to ensure that the entire number is included (ie: "300" - "341.999")
  • For Fiction materials, enter the cutter range that appears in the item's cutter field. You can add a "z" to the end of the range to ensure that the entire cutter range is included (ie: "CAA" - "COZ")

Report Results

The Inventory WebReport contains three different reports.  Exporting to Excel will create a workbook with separate sheets for each report.

• Total Items Inventoried -Provides a count of the total number of items inventoried by the selected user(s) in the given timeframe. These counts include all items inventoried, including those that were potentially mistakes.
  
• Items Not Inventoried - Lists items that were expected to be included in the inventory session, but were not scanned.  Available items might be missing or shelved elsewhere.  It's recommended to search the shelf for Available items and set any that cannot be found as "missing." 
• Items Incorrectly Inventoried - Gives a list of items that were inventoried during the session, but do not meet the parameters provided in the report. Often, this is because the item is miscataloged or it is shelved incorrectly.