Best Practices for Transferring Commitments or Materials

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Shared print retentions carry with them the assumption of longevity, but there will be times when circumstances arise that will require the transferring of commitments or even materials. Presuming that all reasonable and/or possible efforts to retain commitments were made by a member library, these practices address the transfer of commitments or materials both between member libraries within a shared print program and between shared print programs. This transfer could be driven by individual libraries or could be directed by the program itself. 

In order to maintain a fixed number of commitments within a program and throughout the Partnership, the following practices are recommended:

Good Practice

  • If, after member libraries follow local guidelines, they decide that a committed title will be withdrawn, the program requires that the library requests to transfer the commitment prior to withdrawal. 
  • The program requires that member libraries transfer both the physical volume(s) and the commitment agreement to another member library.
  • If no member library is willing or able to take on a transferred commitment, the program attempts to  transfer that commitment to another program.
  • If a transfer is due to a member library’s exiting its shared print program, the program requires that the library follows the Best Practices for Exiting a Shared Print Program. 
  • The shared print program should coordinate the distribution of  retained commitments that need to be transferred to other member libraries.

Better Practice

The program meets all criteria in Good Practice, and does the     following:

  • Requires member libraries, when involved in the transfer of a commitment with each other, to take into account duplication of the title across both collections by comparing the corresponding bibliographic description at each library.
  • Does not require, but rather encourages member libraries, when they are asked to accept a transferred commitment from another library in the program, to accept the transfer of that retention commitment.

Best Practice

The program meets all criteria in Good Practice and the first criteria in Better Practice, and does the following:

  • Requires member libraries, when they are asked to accept a transferred commitment from another library in the program, to accept that retention commitment.
  • Requires that member libraries involved in a commitment transfer to update local, OCLC, and any other records of commitments, according to current best practices.
  • If a program discovers that a sufficient number of copies of a title are held as commitments within the program, it contacts other programs to see if the title is sought/needed elsewhere.
  • When a commitment must be transferred, the program aids member libraries to either create or confirm access to a surrogate digital copy before transferring a physical copy.
CriteriaGoodBetterBest
If, after member libraries follow local guidelines, they decide that a committed title will be withdrawn, the program requires that the library requests to transfer the commitment prior to withdrawal.
    x
    
The program requires that member libraries transfer both the physical volume(s) and the commitment agreement to another member library.    x    
If no member library is willing or able to take on a transferred commitment, the program attempts to  transfer that commitment to another program.    x    
If a transfer is due to a member library’s exiting its shared print program, the program requires that the library follows the Best Practices for Exiting a Shared Print Program.     x    
The shared print program should coordinate the distribution of  retained commitments that need to be transferred to other member libraries.    x    
The program requires member libraries, when involved in the transfer of a commitment with each other, to take into account duplication of the title across both collections by comparing the corresponding bibliographic description at each library.        x
The program does not require, but rather encourages member libraries, when they are asked to accept a transferred commitment from another library in the program, to accept the transfer of that retention commitment.        x
The program requires member libraries, when they are asked to accept a transferred commitment from another library in the program, to accept that retention commitment.    x
The program requires that member libraries involved in a commitment transfer update local, OCLC, and any other records of commitments, according to current best practices.    x
If the program discovers that a sufficient number of copies of a title are held as commitments within the program, it contacts other programs to see if the title is sought/needed elsewhere.    x
When a commitment must be transferred, the program aids member libraries to either create or confirm access to a surrogate digital copy before transferring a physical copy.    x

Notes on Metadata in Transfered Commitments: 

The 561 field can be used to denote the ownership and custodial history of a holding. For example, if a holding is transferred to another library, or a retention is absorbed by another program, this field may be used to record that action. 

Example of transferred holding, showing originally housed at CLU now held at VJA: 

561 1 $a CLU $5 VJA 

Example of retention absorbed by another program: 

561 $a In 2020 TRLN disassembled its retention programs in favor of an MOU that states the intention to be governed by the larger-scale programs.

Last Updated November 2024