Local Studies Library workflow

Local Studies Library workflow

The following are two examples of typical processes for which a local studies librarian might use Calm. In the first a new edition of a journal is deposited, in the second a customer enquiry is resolved:

Example One: Cataloguing a journal

Step One: Cataloguing the first in a series of journals

The librarian goes to the Calm main menu and selects the Local Studies Menu, then the Catalogue Menu button. This is the first edition of a new series of journals, so the librarian creates a new serial record.

He completes the serial record with information from the journal including the title, publisher and International Standard Serial Number. As he types into the Publisher field, a list of previously entered publisher names pops up and he is able to select the name of the publisher from the list.

Step two: Cataloguing new journals in a existing series

When the next edition of the journal is received the librarian searches the catalogue database for the name of the journal and finds the record created above. With the existing Serial record on the screen the librarian uses Calm to add the new issue to the existing serial record.

Example two: Recording an enquiry

An enquiry is received by post. A customer wants to receive information about the Garrick Family, a significant local family. The librarian goes to the main menu in Calm and selects the Local Studies Menu, then the Enquiries Menu. He searches the enquiries database for records containing the name “Garrick”, and finds no hits. He therefore creates a new enquiry record for the enquiry and completes the fields.

The librarian uses Calm to link the name of the customer (or “user”) to the enquiry. Once the enquiry is resolved the librarian uses Calm to produce a 'send info' report which he uses to send the information he has discovered to the customer.