LOST & FOUND - RECEIVING (and retrieving...)

There are two main phases of Lost and Found, receiving found items and releasing those same "lost" items to the users who come to claim them.

This post is all about the many phases of RECEIVING found items.  Generally, we are in possession of other's lost items at the Infodesks in one of two ways; they are either retrieved from satellite locations (e.g. Doe/Moffitt circulation desks & Doe Reference) or they are dropped off at one of our Infodesks by patrons, staff or by nice people who found the items.

Every opening shift should be doing the following on a daily basis (work leader ensures), this should be documented in the DAR (similar to radio and key checks):

1)  Send your extra person on a RETRIEVING mission to Doe/Moffitt circulation desks and 2nd floor Doe Reference desk inquiring if they have any Lost and Found Items.  These items should be placed in the RETRIEVAL BAG (kept in key drawer); this should ensure that nothing is dropped or lost in transit, and likewise make carrying lots of materials less of a burden.  Furthermore, it will encourage those picking up the materials to DUMP OUT any water or food still in items retrieved.  Don't ruin our nice bag with someone's narsty old food waste!

2)  RETRIEVED items should be brought back to Doe South for database update processing and eventual placement in the Lost & Found Closet

So let's be really explicit about each step...

You have a bag of stuff, 

Pull out one item out of the bag at a time (like Santa Claus!)

You will note that each item that comes from another desk either: a) has a paper tag, identifying that it has been logged already at another desk (see left) or b) has no item record yet in the database and will need to be created from scratch...BOTH require you to create or amend a record in the database, so...

LOG IN TO L&F database (to amend/create the record)

If item comes with a tag from Doe/Moffitt circulation or Reference desk, then we know it probably already exists in the database, BUT we need to amend the record and RELABEL the item.

If it has come from Moffitt and was logged in there, it will have paper tag, which will need to be changed to a STICKER for final placement into the closet, the need to change the tag to a sticker is mostly a space-saving process, making it easier for you to locate physical items in the closet later.

Here's what the closet looked like Wednesday!

Changing over to the sticker is also a great reminder to CHANGE the "Item Location" so it reflects it's new home, "Doe South Entrance".  When we neglect to change this field it is confusing for those who look in the database later, leading to misdirected referrals for getting back the item.

To locate the item, you will have the easiest time simply using the search form and selecting the current month and current year, this will provide a list of recently added items to the database:

From here you can, identify/verify the ID# if it was not properly documented at the point of initial logging in, and also "Edit" the record to change the location.  Furthermore, you should consider adding any other "Item description" information which might make the item easier to identify by those looking for it in the database, if the original description is lacking.

Once you have hit "submit" your updated location data will repopulate the list and reflect it to all future people using the database (and most importantly, reflect actual empirical physical location of item)

Mark up the physical item with a new sticker label, and place it in the closet.  Repeat process as necessary to process all collected items from retrieval.

Please make sure you are placing the item in proper theme shelf, in a TIDY and thoughtful order, generally older item#'s should be to the back of the shelf and more recent items at the fore.

If you find it is messy, when you go in there for an item, workleaders should send the extra person in to clean it up for the rest of us when there is nothing else pressing going on or they are just reading.

There is no difference for new items except that you will be entering the data directly into the "Insert Form" portion and creating the label Item# based on your submitted item feedback and placing the same item(s) into the L&F closet.