Choosing a Hand-Held Inventory Device

In spring of 2006, a task force was charged to look at the feasibility of acquiring hand-held inventory devices for the Pennsylvania State University Libraries (PSUL). The task force's charge was not to look at the whole concept of doing an inventory, but rather to focus on the feasibility of acquiring hand-held devices to use in an inventory. There were several criteria that needed to be considered for the recommendation. PSUL uses SIRSI Unicorn as the basis for its catalog, The CAT, and SIRSI Workflows for the underlying acquisitions, cataloging, and circulation modules. The devices would therefore need to be supported by SIRSI. They would also need to be compatible with PSUL work practices. Devices must be able to be loaned to units around the state so they could conduct physical inventories, meaning durability, portability, obsolescence and lifecycle of such equipment had to be considered. The task force also tried to identify a funding source, such as a grant, and possible collections to test the devices on before making them widely available. This paper discusses the first phase of the task force's charge, investigating the feasibility of choosing and acquiring hand-held inventory devices. Results of the actual inventorying process have been delayed due to unforeseen problems in acquiring the devices that were recommended. Only recently have the devices been delivered and they are still not fully operational. After the devices have been tested and some small collections have been inventoried, further dissemination of the triumphs and pitfalls of doing an inventory is pursued.