End Processing

The Published Materials department handles a variety of different types of materials, and the end processing guidelines vary based on the type of item. Here are some of the most common item types and how they are processed. If you're ever unsure about the best way to handle a particular item or worried that an item might be too fragile/idosyncratic for regular housing, please put it aside to review with the Library Assistant.

1 Monographs
- 1.1 Paperbacks and Unjacketed Hardcovers
- 1.2 Jacketed Hardcovers
- 1.3 Boxed Fiction Collections
- 1.4
- 1.5 Envelope Materials
2 Pamphlets, One-Off Serials, and Zines
- 2.1 Culinary Pamphlets and Health & Hygiene Pamphlets
- 2.2 Serials
3
- 3.1 Zines
4 A/V (DVDs, etc)
5 Fragile or Damaged Items and Bulk Serials
- 5.1 Pamphlet Binders/Four-Flap Binders
- 5.2 CMI
- 5.3 Custom Enclosures
6 Labeling
7 Notes on Supplies

Monographs

Paperbacks and Unjacketed Hardcovers

For new monographic materials (books) and antiquarian monographic materials in good physical condition that don’t have book jackets should be covered using CoLibri covers (plastic covers that are trimmed and sealed using a special machine). A barcode sticker should be placed on the upper-left corner of the CoLibri cover.

Jacketed Hardcovers

For new monographic materials and antiquarian monographic items in good physical condition that have book jackets, the jackets should be covered using mylar (a thin plastic film that can be folded and fitted to the paper of the cover) and the jackets should be left on the items. A barcode sticker should be placed on the upper-left corner of the mylar cover.

Boxed Fiction Collections

Mass-market (i.e. small format) romance, pulp paperbacks, and girlhood fiction are housed en masse in Hollinger boxes as a collection. For more information, see Boxed Fiction - Romance fiction, etc.

Within the boxes, different types of books get different end-processing treatments. Modern mass-market romance that is in good physical condition does not need any additional processing--the books can go into the Hollinger boxes as they are. Pulp paperbacks and old or delicate romance novels should be placed in clear 6 x 8 inch ziplock bags with a cardboard stiffener. The title of the item should be written at the top of the stiffener on the side facing away from the item. For titles cataloged as girlhood fiction, the individual items should be covered with CoLibri or mylar, as appropriate, but not barcoded.

No barcode is required for individual titles that are boxed in this way, but the boxes themselves should have a barcode; use the double barcode stickers so one can go on the outside of the box and one can be put inside. The boxes will all need labels with the collection name, any kind of subtitle, and the box number. Individual romance novels that are too tall or thick to fit easily into the Hollinger boxes should be processed like regular monographs, as indicated above, and cataloged separately, not as boxed fiction.

Envelope Materials

Thin items without the necessary spine for CoLibri covering that do not fall into another specific category (such as culinary/health & hygiene pamphlets or zines) should be housed in an acid-free envelope of the smallest size that will comfortably fit the item. A barcode sticker should be placed on the upper-left corner of the front of the envelope and the title of the item should be written at the top following the barcode. This housing is also one option for antiquarian items that are not good candidates for CoLibri covers but are too thin for CMI boxes and not in need of substantial preservation work, four-flap binders, or custom-made enclosures.

Pamphlets, One-Off Serials, and Zines

Culinary Pamphlets and Health & Hygiene Pamphlets

Pamphlets that fall into the Culinary Pamphlets or Health & Hygiene Pamphlets collections should be housed in ziplock bags with cardboard stiffeners in a vertical orientation. Use the smallest bag that will comfortably fit the item. All items in the pamphlet collections get an individual barcode sticker, which should be placed on the upper-left corner of the stiffener (on the side facing away from the item). The title of the item should be written at the top following the barcode. Be sure to leave enough room on the upper right-hand corner of the stiffener for the cataloger to write the collection name and box number after cataloging. See the Culinary Pamphlets and Health and Hygiene Pamphlets pages for more information about these collections.

Serials

Single issues or small collections of antiquarian/discontinued serials should be housed in an acid-free envelope of the smallest size that will comfortably fit the item. A barcode sticker should be placed on the upper-left corner of the front of the envelope and the title of the item as well as any volume/issue information should be written at the top following the barcode. For larger accessions/fuller runs of serials, see the instructions for CMI boxes below.

Zines

The zine collection is house in Hollinger boxes. Zines should be housed in ziplock bags with cardboard stiffeners in a horizontal orientation. Use the smallest bag that will comfortably fit the item. Multiple issues of a serial zine can be put in the same bag if there is enough room. The title of the item should be written across the top of the stiffener on the side facing the item. No barcode is required for individual items (liked boxed fiction, zines get one barcode for the whole box, with items linked in the holdings record; the cataloger will take care of boxing and barcoding). Be sure to leave enough room on the upper right-hand corner of the stiffener for the cataloger to write the collection name and box number after cataloging. See the Zines page for more information about this collection.

A/V (DVDs, etc)

DVDs should get matching barcodes from the double barcodes sheets: one on the top left corner of the case and one inside the case, as well as a round "Schlesinger Library" label on the disc(s).

Fragile or Damaged Items and Bulk Serials

Pamphlet Binders/Four-Flap Binders

Pamphlet binders or four-flap binders are useful for delicate materials that are too thin or otherwise unfit for a CMI box. Use the smallest binder that can comfortable fit the item. A barcode sticker should be placed on the upper-left corner of the front of the binder. For thicker items that don't need a CMI, use the four-flap binders with the dark green spines, which expand more generously in order to house things like mass market paperbacks with detached covers. At the time of processing, please lightly pencil the title on the front cover next to the barcode. After cataloging, the cataloger will return the item to the end-processing assistant for a label. For more information on labeling, see the section on CMI boxes below. If appropriate, a “fragile” label should also be added to the inside cover of the binder.

CMI

CMI boxes (made-to-order protective boxes) are used to house a variety of materials including fragile or awkward items that cannot or should not be processed with CoLibri or mylar (e.g. ring bindings, soft cloth bindings, awkwardly shaped items) as well as to collect multiple issues of serials together, both for closed titles and for back issues of our currently received titles on a rolling basis (note: we no longer send back issues for binding, which was previously the Library’s practice). CMIs are also always used for books acquired as part of our women bookbinders collection. Most items that are candidates for CMI should be reviewed by the department head and conservation/preservation representative before being measured for CMI (books in the women binders collection are an exception; they do not have to be reviewed). If you come across an item during end processing that looks too delicate or otherwise unfit for regular processing, set it aside for CMI review.

Basic instructions for measuring items for CMI can be found on the Published Materials Sharepoint site: CMI MEASURING.docx

The template for collecting CMI measurements is also on the Sharepoint site: CMI_Box_Order_Template.xls. Once you have enough materials measured to constitute an order (usually 40-60), send the list to the Library Assistant to get the boxes ordered.

Instructions for assembling CMI enclosures are included in each order of boxes and a copy is also kept in the end processing area on the fourth floor.

Once assembled, each CMI box should get a barcode label on upper-left front corner. For both monographs and serials, the end processor should write the title and any pertinent item information (copy number, publication date when necessary) along the top of the front cover of the CMI. For serials, the cataloger will later add the item information for the box contents on the front. Serials should be put into the box with the oldest dated issues are on the bottom and the latest dated issue is on the top.

Materials may go through the measuring/ordering/boxing process for a CMI before cataloging or after, depending on the workflow for the particular item. After finishing a batch of CMI boxes, the processor should pass the boxed items to the Library Assistant for the next step in routing, which will either be cataloging or labeling (items only get labeled once cataloging is done in order to ensure that all the title and item information is correct before a label is created). For more information about labels, see the section on Labeling below.

Custom Enclosures

Some materials will need specialized housing not accounted for in elsewhere on this page, such as custom mylar sleeves for delicate single-sheet items or bespoke enclosures for unusually sized/shaped items. These should be brought to the department head so they can go to the conservation/preservation team for review and advisement.

Labeling

CMI boxes and pamphlet binders need title labels before they are fully finished. For CMI boxes, with a wide enough spine, the labels should go on the side. For very narrow CMIs and all pamphlet binders, the label should go on the front cover of the enclosure. To create title labels, we use a program developed by Harvard Libraries that pulls title data directly from the $246 field as entered in Alma: https://booklabeler.lib.harvard.edu/. The generated labels require extensive resizing and alterations from the processor before being printed, cut, and affixed to the enclosures.

For CMI boxes with spine labels, the label should match the information that is written on the front of the CMI box. For CMIs and binders with front-cover labels, the label replaces the hand-written title information, which should be erased before adding the label.

The Hollinger boxes used for boxed fiction, the pamphlet collections, and some oversize serials also need labels before they can be moved on to storage. These are created from scratch by the processor based on existing templates and include the collection name, any relevant subtitle, and the box number. Serials boxes will also list the titles and holdings information for the items inside.

Other labels regularly used by the department include call number labels for items shelved in the Pool Vault as well as Fragile and Closed, Use Microfilm labels for items where those are relevant. The Library Assistant can help create those as needed.

All labels attached to a CMI or pamphlet binder get covered with a strip of super-clear tape to help keep them from peeling off or getting damaged. This includes title labels, call number labels, and fragile/closed labels.

Notes on Supplies

Staff involved in end processing are responsible for keeping an eye on supply levels, including stock of ziplock bags and stiffeners, envelopes, pamphlet binders, CoLibri covers, and mylar. If anything is running low, please let the Library Assistant know so the supplies can be ordered. Ideally, there should be at least one back-up package of every supply on hand at all times. For more information about the supplies used in the department, see the Supplies page.