1. Determine which locations are going to be stocktaken.

2. Place signage on these shelves.

3. Put the items in that location in reasonable order. This is not essential, but it does make checking easier.

4. Checking the location shelf list in enquiry (classification then arrow right) is a must before initialising, there you can pick up mistakes & correct them prior to initialisation. Also check the top of the classification area (by typing 0 (zero) in enquiry) to make sure there are no records with blank locations that have been inadvertently missed.

5. Deal with any long-term overdues.

6. Set a reasonable time limit to complete the task through to Finalise.
7. Investigate the New Resources Shelf & the Mending Shelf for items which will be part of this stocktake & will need to be included.

1. When you initialise a location for stocktake, OASIS takes a snapshot of all items in that range - their location/classn/suffix info & their loan status. The subsequent actions you take during the stocktake process all refer back to that "snapshot".
2. It is recommended that you do not enter any new items during stocktake, nor change any of the location/classn/suffix details during the process. Isolate or make a note of these items & change after the stocktake finalise. Making changes midstream causes problems.
3. The loan status of the item can be changed during the stocktake process, but you must follow up with Weekly Housekeeping & entry of the items. Many people also don't want to interfere with this & choose to isolate returned items until after the finalise.
4. You may <D>ispose of items during the process so that they appear in the stocktake reports (ie. the daggy stuff you find while scanning that needs to be culled or is damaged beyond repair).
5. When stocktaking your Non Fiction, Reference & Teacher Reference area, make sure you initialise the A800's. These will not be captured in the normal range of NF 000 AAA to NF 999.999 ZZZ. You may also have some NZ800's for New Zealand poetry if you have downloaded them from SCIS. These will also need to be initialised.
6. When you have completed the entry of data via H2 or H3, you will need to run the Missing Report H4. It will include all items now recognised as Missing or Disposed as recorded by the initial scanning of location resources. Missing items may have been missing for more than 1 stocktake. This report alerts you to this as well. After you have printed the Missing Report, it is important to go back to the shelves to determine if an item was missed or incorrectly scanned. Also check those 'hidden' places such as the mending box, the new or display shelves and your "special" pile. You may indeed have to run this missing report several times as you whittle down the missing items. Finally you will have exhausted all possibilities and it is time to finalise.

1. Don't leave too long a time span between Initialise & Finalise. The finalise should be completed within a week or two of beginning.
2. Write off items missing during previous stocktakes: The key to removal of items that have been missing from previous stocktakes, lies in the date you type in during the H5 Finalise.

3. Write off Disposed items also - you enter <Y>es. Then <C>onfirm

Documentation you should print to hard copy and retain for audit purposes for a period of seven years.....

1. During H2/H3 Stocktake entry, print & retain any report listed as "Items previously missing...." . These are recoveries.
2. The final H4 Missing Report in <D>etailed form.
3. The H5 Write off Report.
4. The Q1 Stocktake statement for that location with the loss rate calculated & written at the bottom of this sheet.

1. Have 2 substantial folders – clearly mark them Stocktake Statements & Write Offs.
   • Stocktake Statements
     • have year dividers; you must retain the last 7 years.
     • location master sheet in front.
   • Current year's write-offs. Previous 6 years write-offs be placed into folders or packs (used post-packs are good) & clearly mark the year on the outside. Store with the current Write-Off folder.
2. Set up a master sheet of all locations
   • Fill in the dates you initialise & finalise each section.
   • Retain in the front of stocktake statement folder.
3. It’s not necessary to have the shelves in order but it does make it easier to check for missing items.
4. Put signs on shelves that are being stocktaken.
5. Don’t initialise too much at once.
6. Have special stocktake operators for stocktake entry which prevent re-initialisation & premature finalisation.
7. Don’t wait too long before finalising.
8. After stocktake,
   • Run a Current Stock Report to get an overview of the location/whole collection.
   • Move last year's write-offs into another folder or package (eg. recycled post pack) and clearly mark it.
9. Staple the stocktake statements for each location together in the following order -
   • Stocktake Statement (with loss calculation);
   • Current stock if required;
   • Missing Report;
   • "Items previously missing, now recovered" reports.
   • Place this in the stocktake statement Folder.
10. Calculating the Loss Rate
11. At the start of a new year, check to see if any locations have been initialised in B2/H1. If there are any locations in this list, they have not yet been finalised. Finalise them as soon as possible.

Stocktake is a very hectic time for all working in the library. It is very easy to lose track of those locations that have been initialised and those finalised. This is particularly so if there are several personnel involved. 

Initialising a stocktake [B2/H1] and Finalising a stocktake [B2/H5] must be completed by an operator with a top level security [ie. the Teacher-Librarian or Senior Library Assistant].

Data Entry [B2/H2 or H3] during the stocktake and running the Missing Report [B2/H4] do not need top security access.  Often during this phase there are many people, including volunteers, assisting in the task. Thus it is best practice, that during this data-checking phase, a lower level security operator code be used. This allows the task to be completed efficiently with the added security that no inadvertent mistakes can  be made to reinitialise or finalise incorrectly.

Add at least one [or preferably 2] stocktake operators.

1. In L3/D1, <A>dd an operator
2. Call it S1 - Stocktake 1; and S2 - Stocktake 2
3. Give them a security code of 145B
4. Allocate an initial password of S1 or S2
5. Go back to C3, log on for the first time with this new password/operator(s). You will be asked to change the password. Use something generic like STOCK or TAKE. This will only allow access to H2/H3 & H4 in the Stocktake area. H1 & H5 are blocked to this user.