Needs Specs may be added to your needs list either individually or as a batch. The form for individual entry is shown on the right. Tips for completing the form are listed below.
All of the search fields are optional but at least one of the following fields (below) must have a value in order to create a needs specification record. The fields for which values are supplied will be used together to narrow the needs search. Entering more information will typically yield fewer results. For example, specifying a SuDoc stem and a Publication date range will produce fewer matches than SuDoc stem alone. Use the minimum amount of information necessary to accurately identify the item(s) you need.
- SuDoc Number or Stem
- Word or phrase in title
- Publication From Year
- Publication To Year
- Item Format
The Display Title is never used by the system to match needs and offers. It is included only to make the Needs Spec more human-readable. It is almost always beneficial to enter something in this field, even if it is not an exact title.
There are also three check boxes that can be used to improve your search result
- Include Superseded items in search - by default, offers of superseded items will not be matched to your Needs List. Check this box if you would like to include superseded items.
- Automatically claim the first item that matches this needs specification - Check this box if you would like the system to automatically claim the first matching offer. You will not have an opportunity to review the item before a claim email is sent to the offering institution. This option is only available for very specificly defined Needs Specs and will remain "grayed out" unless a complete SuDoc number is specified (the SuDoc number must contain characters after the colon).
- As a Center of Excellence, this needs specification is in my library's scope of responsibility - An institution which has agreed to be an ASERL Center of Excellence may use this check box to identify needs which fall within the scope of that agreement. This will give the institution priority access to offers which match these needs.
Listed below are a few suggestions for limiting a needs search.
- Complete SuDoc Numbers will be more specific than SuDoc Stems.
- SuDoc Number searches will give better results than searching on Title keywords.
The Save, Cancel, and Save & Add Another buttons are self explanitory.
