How to sort out item types and colelctions
Hi there, I am setting up our test Koha 3.0 and am wondering how Koha 3.0 is designed to handle item types and collections. Turns out we have 3 different ways to solve the same problem! There must be a better way ... *1st method: Adult Non Fiction. (insert a prefix before dewey number in classification field)* These are all purchased from the 1 budget but go into different collections within the Adult Nonfiction: So ItemType= BN and for each of the sub-collections we enter a prefix in the classification classification field: ie Horowhenua Collection: H993.101 or Maori Colletion M572.8 etc). This is good enough but we want to move to breaking our collection up into living rooms or subject categories housed together and wonder if this method will usefully scale upwards. How, for instance, will this translate usefully into the OPAC view? *2nd Method: Fiction (insert a category statement into the classificatoin field)* So they all get item type BF but then in the classifiction field we enter: F-Mystery or F-Romance or F-Western etc. *3rd Method : Junior Fiction (Distinct item types for each subcollection)* ie Junior Castle collection: item type BJC, Junior Kermit Collection: itemtype BJK and the main junior fiction sequence: item type: BJF While we are very very clever being able to manage 3 such different solutions to what is essentially the same problem; it is clearly ridiculous. Learning of any other ways to approach the management subcollections in Koha 3.0 would be greatly appreciated!. Cheers Joann Ransom.
We use four elements to help classify materials in our shared catalog (15 unique libraries with unique collections). For most libraries, the call number helps identify where in the library a collection is housed. We set up the shelving location (LOC authorized value table) to designate both location and age: Childrens, Cataloging, Adult or Young Adult (only a few of our libraries interfile adult and juvenile materials). The other elements are Item Type, which is very broad and Collection Code (CCODE) to designate genre or material type. CCode examples: Western, Romance, DVD, VHS, etc. Item Type examples: Book, Audiobook, Newbook (no renewals), equipment, magazine, etc. So, an adult non-fiction book would be: call number 000 ABC, Item type: BOOK, Shelving location: Adult, and CCODE: Nonfiction I hope this helps. Sharon Moreland Technology Consultant Northeast Kansas Library System NExpress Shared Catalog www.nexpresslibrary.org On Dec 2, 2008, at 7:29 PM, Joann Ransom wrote:
Hi there,
I am setting up our test Koha 3.0 and am wondering how Koha 3.0 is designed to handle item types and collections. Turns out we have 3 different ways to solve the same problem! There must be a better way ...
*1st method: Adult Non Fiction. (insert a prefix before dewey number in classification field)* These are all purchased from the 1 budget but go into different collections within the Adult Nonfiction: So ItemType= BN and for each of the sub-collections we enter a prefix in the classification classification field: ie Horowhenua Collection: H993.101 or Maori Colletion M572.8 etc). This is good enough but we want to move to breaking our collection up into living rooms or subject categories housed together and wonder if this method will usefully scale upwards. How, for instance, will this translate usefully into the OPAC view?
*2nd Method: Fiction (insert a category statement into the classificatoin field)* So they all get item type BF but then in the classifiction field we enter: F-Mystery or F-Romance or F-Western etc.
*3rd Method : Junior Fiction (Distinct item types for each subcollection)* ie Junior Castle collection: item type BJC, Junior Kermit Collection: itemtype BJK and the main junior fiction sequence: item type: BJF
While we are very very clever being able to manage 3 such different solutions to what is essentially the same problem; it is clearly ridiculous. Learning of any other ways to approach the management subcollections in Koha 3.0 would be greatly appreciated!.
Cheers
Joann Ransom. <jransom.vcf>_______________________________________________ Koha mailing list Koha@lists.katipo.co.nz http://lists.katipo.co.nz/mailman/listinfo/koha
Another factor you might keep in mind is whether, and where, each 952 field shows up in both the OPAC and the staff module. After analyzing this, it helped us decide where to put some things so that they would be viewed more quickly, instead of drilling down through screen after screen. Some fields don't seem to be visible anywhere other than the actual item level screen. Kathy At 07:29 PM 12/2/2008, Joann Ransom wrote:
While we are very very clever being able to manage 3 such different solutions to what is essentially the same problem; it is clearly ridiculous. Learning of any other ways to approach the management subcollections in Koha 3.0 would be greatly appreciated!.
Kathleen D. Rippel Pathfinder Central, Manager Central Kansas Library System 1409 Williams Great Bend, KS 67530 (620-792-4865) phone (800-362-2642) toll-free, KS (620-792-5495) fax kdr@ckls.org
participants (3)
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Joann Ransom -
Kathy Rippel -
Sharon Moreland