I've got a couple of quick questions about the Koha database schema. (2) I don't understand the distinction between items and biblioitems
As I understand it, biblio, biblioitems, and items are sort of a three-tier hierarchy. Say, just for example, you have 8 copies of "Hamlet". One is hard cover published in, say, 1955; three are identical hard cover copies published in 1995; and four are identical paperbacks published in 2002. You'd have one entry in biblio for "Hamlet". You'd have three entries in biblioitems, one for each distinct edition/publication. You'd have 8 entries in items, one for each distinct physical book. (I think the "items" table should have been named "itemcopies", but that's just my opinion.)
(3) How to I differentiate between children's and adult's books, between fiction and non-fiction?
Specifically, how to represent it in the database? (Disclaimer: I'm a computer guy, not a librarian.) As far as I see, the primary fields we have to work with are the Dewey number and the item type. In reviewing the list archives, it seems the item type indicates a collection more than an object description, so children's vs adult's makes sense for it. It seems common to me for libraries to have a "paperback" collection separate from the main stacks, but also to have plenty of books in the main stacks with paperback bindings. I'd like something to store the binding separately from the collection, but it looks like item type is the only thing at the moment. Any suggestions? (There is a "binding" field in the items table, which is a number, and I can't find it used anywhere. Anyone know what it is supposed to be for?) Fiction is an interesting one. Take a cartoon book like "Calvin and Hobbes". At one library near me it is in the fiction section with no Dewey number, at another one it is in the non-fiction section under 741.5. The Library of Congress lists it as 741.5, but I sure would consider it fiction. Is this a common problem? - Alan