The Bibliographic Access Unit provides record management and processing for the majority of materials acquired for the university collections. Monographs and non-book items are processed for Helm-Cravens Library, Educational Resources Center, Kentucky Library and Glasgow Campus Library. Copy and original catalogers edit and create records for TOPCAT. Priority processing is provided for items for class reserve, immediate patron use and reference materials. Priority requests should be submitted to the Acquisitions/Collections Services Coordinator.

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• ALA/GODORT Toolbox for Processing and Cataloging Federal Government Documents
• Arabic Cataloging documentation
• The Cataloging Calculator (Must use Explorer to work properly)
• Cataloging Documentation on the Web (University of Oregon Libraries)
• Cataloging Electronic Resources: OCLC-MARC Coding Guidelines
• Cataloging Internet Resources: A Manual and Practical Guide
• Cataloguer’s Toolbox<
• Cataloguing Cheat Sheet
• CatME documentation
• CJK documentation
• Connexion Browser Cataloging Quick Reference (Must use Explorer to work properly)
• Dewey Decimal Classification System
• Free-Floating Subject Subdivisions
• Guide to Cataloging DVDs Using AACR2r Chapters 7 and 9
• The Librarian's Guide to Anime and Manga
• Map LC (LCC) to Dewey (DDC) Classification
• MARC Punctuation Cheat Sheet
• WorldCat documentation
• Z39.50 Cataloging documentation

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Any bibliographic record in TOPCAT which shows under Call Number "In process" is eligible for priority cataloging.

Priority Cataloging is a service to provide access to library materials which have been ordered and received in the library but not yet processed for patron use. To initiate a Priority Cataloging Request, you may print and fill out the the Priority Cataloging Request Form and mail or deliver the form to the Circulation Desk Supervisor, Helm-Cravens Library, 4th floor. Or, you may go in person to the Circulation Desk and complete a form provided there.

Upon receipt of a Priority Request Form, the library staff will process the desired item within three (3) working days. The patron will be notified when the item is available. [Note: Non-circulating items, such as those designated Reference or Kentucky Library, must be used at that location]

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WKU bindery office, located on the third floor of Cravens Library, prepares library materials—journals, monographs, and theses for shipment to a commercial binder. The ICI Binding Corporation is currently under contract at the WKU Library.

Commercial binding contributes to the overall quality and preservation of library materials. Our bindery unit works closely with our vendor, ICI Binding, to ensure that volumes are bound within preservation standards.

• WKU Libraries Bindery Shipment Schedule

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WKU library provides binding services for student theses through the ICI Binding Corporation. The WKU Office of Graduate Studies forwards all copies of theses to our bindery office located on the third floor of Cravens. The library’s role is that of middleman, passing theses on to the bindery and mailing theses as requested by students when they return from the bindery. A bindery representative visits every four weeks to pick up materials and return those materials sent the previous month.

Prepayment must accompany each thesis in the form of a check made out to WKU. Cost of binding is $10.00 per copy. Students incur the cost of photocopying two copies—one personal copy and one copy for the library. If additional copies are desired, it is the responsibility of the student to provide the extra photocopies along with additional payment of $10.00 per copy binding fee.

Upon return from the bindery one bound copy of the theses is placed in the library’s circulating collection. The unbound original is placed the University Archives. Theses are bound in black buckram with gold lettering.

since 2004