Q: How do I reorganize commentary sets?

This is documentation of an ongoing project in the Nelson Memorial Library to reorganize the commentary section(s) of the collection. We are executing this project to increase the number of commentaries that can be checked out and to improve the experience of searching the catalog for commentaries.

Introduction

Current organization system: Most of our commentaries are located at 220.7, frequently referred to as "Commentary Alley", with some random commentary volumes located in 221-228. Many of the commentaries are cataloged with a single record that identifies the set but not individual volumes within the set. This makes it difficult to quickly ascertain whether we own a particular volume or to find all works by a particular author. 

Desired organization system: The first copy we own of each volume of a commentary set will be a reference copy. The set will be classified in 220.7 and the Cutter will be based off of the series title. The second copy of a volume and all copies of older editions will be circulating copies and will be classified into 221-228 based on which part of the Bible the individual volume covers; the Cutter will be based on the author's last name. 

Example: Introduction to Romans by Anissa Martin, volume 6 in the series "The Pentecostal Commentary Series"

• The 2nd edition, published in 2023: R 220.7 P4191 V6
• A second copy of the 2nd edition: 227.107 M3791
• A copy of the 1st edition, published in 2010: 227.107 M3791

Procedures

This process is fairly complex, though working through the phases and sections methodically should not be overwhelming. 

Phase 1: Set Up

During this initial set up phase, we will meticulously prepare a commentary set for reorganization. This phase requires using files/links provided at the bottom of the page for some steps.

Get Started

1. Print a "Commentary Set Reorganization Worksheet" (available below)
   Make sure to change the paper size to "Legal" before printing; you may want to verify the printer says "Legal" before releasing it from the printer.
   1. Choose a commentary set from 220.7 to work on.
      Expositor's Bible Commentary, NIV Application Bible, or the Baker set(s) are good ones to start with, but they all need to get done eventually. Choose whichever one looks good to you. 
   2. Write the name of the commentary set on your worksheet
2. Determine what workspace you will use. 
3. Acquire a book cart.
4. Load commentaries onto your cart
   1. Begin loading commentaries from 220.7.
      If the commentary set is very large, you may not be able to do the entire set at one time. That's okay.
   2. Look through 221-228 for commentaries that are also in your set.
      Don't forget to check the more broad sections (like "Old Testament") in addition to the more specific section (like "Psalms").

Assess Books 

1. Sort all copies (regardless of its shelf location) by edition.
   If the books have different covers, they're almost definitely a different edition.
2. Sort all copies inside of an edition by volume number (if present) or book of the Bible (if no volume number is present).
3. Log each copy on the worksheet
   1. Volume of the set (if available) or book(s) of the Bible covered 
   2. The book's title. List the title from the actual title page, not what is on the cover of the book. Include the full title, like An introduction to the Prophetic Books instead of just Prophetic Books. 
   3. Copy edition. This may be on the front of the title page ("revised edition") or on the back of the title page ("third edition"). If no edition is listed, it is probably the first edition. If it looks like there are different editions in front of you but none of them identify the edition, put something descriptive like "blue" or "cross" to differentiate between versions of the sets.
   4. The copyright year. If there are multiple copyrights listed (like "©2012, 2008, 1997"), list the most recent year. If there is a copyright date and a printing date, use the copyright date. 
   5. The book's ISBN. If there is an ISBN identified as "set" and another identified for "volume", use "volume". 
   6. The book's library barcode
   7. The book's current shelf location, exactly as the spine label sticker shows it
   8. The book's current condition. Reference the "How do I assess a book's condition?" link below for this step. Don't stress about this step; just do your best. 
   9. Whether we are keeping or getting rid of the copy. Reference the "How do I assess a book's condition?" link below for this step.
   10. Whether we need to replace the book.
       We only want to replace the commentary if the book is the most recent edition and we have no more than one other copy of it. We want to have one copy as a Reference copy and one copy that can circulate, but any copies beyond that we will not replace. 
   11. The book's new shelf location. Look above at the "Introduction" section for examples of this. 
       The copy of the most recent edition that is in the best condition should be placed in "R 220.7" with a cutter based on the set title and a suffix indicating the volume (if applicable). All other copies (no matter what edition) should go in 221-228. 
       1. Prefix: Only one copy of a volume will have a prefix, and that prefix is R for "Reference"
       2. Dewey: 220.7 for the most recent and best condition copy, 221-228 for the rest. Reference "Where do I find commentaries?" to find the specific number. 
       3. Cutter: For the R 220.7 copy, generate the Cutter based on the set name; for all other copies, generate the Cutter based on the author's last name (note: the volume title can be used instead only if the volume has an editor instead of an author).
       4. Suffix: Used only on the 220.7 copy, and it will be "V" followed by the volume number (e.g., "V12")
4. Continue logging copies until the entire set has been logged. You may need to print additional worksheet pages for large commentary sets.

Look for Gaps

1. Search online for a list of all volumes in the set
2. Verify we own at least one copy of each volume of the most recent edition of the set
3. If we are missing any volumes (or if there is a newer edition of the set that we do not own), email the webpage(s) showing the book(s) information to the Collection Development librarian so he or she knows we are missing that/those volume(s).

Phase 2: Update Catalog

During this phase you will use the worksheet you completed as a guide for splitting the commentary volumes up in the catalog. You will add new records to the catalog, move copies to the appropriate record, update shelf locations, and print new spine labels.

1. Find the OCLC number for the volumes/edition you are working with (see the link "Finding an OCLC number using SAGU Discovery" below)
2. Use that OCLC number to create a new resource record in Accessit (see the link "Moving an existing item to a new record in Accessit" below)
3. Move the commentary copy onto that new resource record (see the link "Moving an existing item to a new record in Accessit" below)
4. Change the shelf location written in the back of the copy (see the link "Moving an existing item to a new record in Accessit" below)
5. Print new spine labels (see link "Printing Spine Labels in Accessit" below)
6. Apply the new spine labels to the copies
7. Re-shelve the commentaries in their new home. You may need to shelf shift to accommodate the volumes.