1. WMS Acquisitions Module Why use it? & Best Practices
Laurie Baumgardner Acquisitions Librarian

2. Before we talk about me… let’s talk about you
What kind of library are you from?
--Academic Public --Special
Who here is currently using the WMS Acquisitions Module?
Where are you in the process?
1. Toe on edge of ocean
2. Knee deep
3. Up to chin in water
4. Paddling for your life

3. Gardner-Webb University
Boiling Springs, North Carolina
Private Nonprofit Baptist University
striving for excellence in academics and service
Founded in 1905

4. Gardner-Webb University Stats
4,000 students and 180 full-time faculty
Award winning Schools of Business, Health Sciences, Education, Divinity and Psychology and Counseling
NCAA Division I; Big South Conference
Nine Professional Librarians
Notes about GWU

5. Once upon a time…Before WMS
Gardner-Webb University
Innovative Users for eighteen years
Yes, I said 18 years
Migrated to WMS Worldshare July 2015
Went live with WMS Acquisitions Module simultaneously
We are still working out our Serials process

6. So, Let’s talk about WMS Acquisitions
A brief disclaimer
Overall we are happy
At the end of the day…. it works

7. What Works well in WMS Acquisitions?
Daily Routines
Entering Orders
Receiving & Cataloging [same step]
Processing Invoices in WMS
Handling Multipart Sets
4th grade math textbook,
5 DVD video sets
3 volume encyclopedias

8. What Works well in WMS Acquisitions?
Weekly Routines
Adding Gifts
Handling eBook orders

9. What Works well (if less often)
Monthly Routines
Standing orders
Periodical Renewals

10. What Works well (if less often)
Annual Routines
Fiscal close
Budget Management
Vendor Maintenance

11. What functions need improvement?
Daily Tasks
Spine Label Printing
WMS does not support spine label printers
There is no way to bold labels in WMS
© National Geographic

12. What functions need improvement?
Daily Tasks
Serials Check-in / withdrawal
Each issue must be added manually
& withdrawn individually

13. What functions need improvement?
Daily Tasks
Discovery / Handling of editions = FRBR
Same edition – same record?
Which edition displays first?
Upgrading records / adding URLs

14. What other functions are lacking?
Less Frequent Tasks
Patron notifications (not possible in WMS)
Faculty submit title requests
Requester Name entered in order record
Not possible to notify faculty that materials are available from WMS Acquisitions

15. What other functions are lacking?
Less Frequent Tasks
Notes fields (awkward to use) –
Public note or
Staff note
But no flexibility of when it shows

16. What other functions are lacking?
Less Frequent Tasks
Statistics –
Only Acquisitions Dashboard
No customizable statistics
Reports –
No search by vendor invoice number
Payment Activity by Fund does not work
Fund Balance Report provides no transaction info
Serials Received Report – number of issues only

17. Bottom Line – Why use the Acquisitions Module?
1. ILS Less Expensive than Innovative
2. Positive UX
3. Significantly faster turnaround
FTE Position Repurposed
5. ‘Googlized’ discovery
6. Edifact shared invoicing /ordering
7. Growing number of partners

18. Sample Workflow

19. What does this process look like?

20. Search for title and create order

21. Add titles to order

22. Look up eBook titles in Knowledge Base

23. Fill in information for each title

24. Add Pricing info then save

25. Place Order

26. Receive Book

27. Create Invoice

28. Receive book and create invoice simultaneously

29. Process and Pay Invoice

30. Generating Labels– click on barcode

31. Generating Labels– Send to print list

32. Select Label and Export Lists

33. List of Spine Labels to print

34. Each label is checked for accuracy

35. Add Location codes to Spine Labels

36. Select Print or Print Test

37. Creates labels in PDF format

38. Convert PDF to Word doc and bold

39. Discussion of successes and failures
How have you
optimized your process?
Share tips & tricks
Gather round the easel – Let’s talk!

40. Problem Children Stay around the easel – and share!
Where are the trouble spots?
How are you handling them?
Stay around the easel –
and share!

41. Next steps – sharing our victories
Please fill out the Google Form
Share any work arounds that you have developed
If you fill out the form I will a summary document

42. Further comments Please send comments to: Laurie Baumgardner
Gardner-Webb University Dover Library
Acquisitions Librarian