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1.  We attached the barcodes to the upper left corner of the front cover.
2.  Negative aspects of smart barcodes: you have to make sure that you are =
100=25
accurate when matching the barcodes to the books, because the smart barcodes=
 are
linked to your bib and circ records. Usually this goes along pretty smoothly=
 but
sometimes it slows down when you get to call numbers that are very close,
multi-volume sets or serial runs (e.g., annual reports, biennials, etc.) . =
Also,
your smart barcodes will be as accurate as your shelf list upon which your =
recon
is based.  I thought our shelf list was in pretty good shape after an =
inventory
and a detailed pre-recon review, but we found various problems which had to =
be
resolved during and after barcoding. Also I think there were some recon =
errors
not our fault (my favorite was that one barcode was printed for a 60 vol. =
set,
although the correct number was volumes was stated clearly on the shelf =
list).
And you will have to track down all the books checked out to staff which are
lurking in the deep dark recesses of their offices.
3.  Replacing smart barcodes that are damaged or lost: has not been a =
problem
yet but it's easy enough to add a dumb barcode and change the barcode number=
 in
the record. You will want to use the dumb ones for new cataloging anyway.
4.  Other issues: Make sure your barcoders are good with numbers and
detail-oriented=3B if you can find any perfectionists to help they are =
really
excellent for this job=21 I was obsessive about telling barcoders how =
important it
was to be accurate and to correctly match books with barcodes than to be =
fast.
We had only a few mismatchs which I think were attributable to one person=3B=
 they
were detected and resolved during the problem resolution phase. We had about
25,000 smart barcodes. We ended up thinking it would never get finished but =
I
probably should have gotten more help than I did. Barcodes in general seem =
to
adhere well to most surfaces but you will need a piece of clear tape to hold
them on to very rough bindings.

Hope this helps.

Kathy Corcoran
Head Librarian
Milton R. and Pauline S. Abrahams Library
Joslyn Art Museum
2200 Dodge St.
Omaha, NE 68102
Phone (402)342-3300
Fax (402)342-2376
Email  kcorcoran=40joslyn.org