FORMS AND RECORDS:
The Technical Department does not have to maintain any register unlike other departments, However, it has the use of other appropriate records, forms and stationery. The major records are the Catalogue, the Shelf-list and the Authority File. Further, there is the Work Diary and the necessary routine files.
The most important record of the department is the Catalogue itself. But this is kept in the library for public use, The catalogue will have to be frequently referred to by the staff in the Technical Department. Hence, some libraries prefer to maintain a copy of the public catalogue in the Technical Department for its own use. But this involves more work, expenditure and space.
The Shelf-list is maintained by the Technical Department under safe custody. The Shelf-list is in card form and the cabinets containing the Shelf-list occupy substantial space in the Technical Department. The Authority File is another card file to be maintained in the Technical Department.
Work Diary: There is need for maintaining proper work diaries in the Technical Department. Work diaries can be maintained at two levels, for an individual staff member, and for the department as a whole. The work diary for the department can be written on a daily or weekly basis and consolidated later on a monthly or annual basis for statistical reporting as well as for work evaluation purposes. The following can be accounted for through the work diary of the Technical Department.