ItemType icons and "biblio vs biblioitems" revisited (sorry)
I'd really like my Item Type to be able to display an icon right on the search result, without having the member having to drill down to the detail page. In searching on this issue, I see discussions about the little icons associated with the MARC leader - don't think I want to go there. And a whole lotta talk about "biblio level" vs "biblioitem level" fields. Which has got me very confused, because a few years back when I was first exploring Koha, I was told that this distinction was a leftover from pre-MARC database design, and that now these are functionally a single table with 1:1 links between them. Here's a more recent explicit statement: http://lists.katipo.co.nz/public/koha/2009-December/021641.html Has this changed with later releases and there is now a one:many link between a biblio record and many bibioitems? If not, then I don't see why the ability to display an icon on the search results should depend on which (part of) the record it's in? I see there is a preference as to which table's itemtype to use, between biblioitems's itemype or items' itype - is that relevant and even if not why would I choose one over the other? My current use case is that I have multiple media types for a single film. It's all exactly the same video, not a different edition, but one might be a disc that's playable on a consumer player (Disc-Video), another may contain computer files (Disc-Data), another combines both (Disc-Mixed), some of our VHS tapes haven't been converted yet, and some really old home movies are even on 35mm! It seems to me that I must catalog these as separate biblios, which creates multiple identical copies of the biblio-level MARC data, and just different ("holdings level") data in the items table, including item type. So when a patron searches for "2009 Proms Gala" they will get four identical but separate results. How can I indicate the different item types right there without them having to go back and forth between the search results and the detail screen? Ideally with a configable icon, but plain text would be OK. Worse case scenario I could use re-purpose "shelving location"? (yech) Note that I'm going to enable Collection rather than ItemType as a factor in advanced searching; I'm just looking for the ItemType to display in the search results. A related question - is there a way to bulk update the "biblio" level information for all four of these separate records in a single operation?
On Thu, Feb 17, 2011 at 4:35 AM, <hansbkk@gmail.com> wrote:
And a whole lotta talk about "biblio level" vs "biblioitem level" fields.
With regard to your question the talk is about biblio level vs item level. Right now it is true that biblio and biblioitem are more or less 1:1. They both refer to biblio-level information. The item type stored in the biblioitems table is a biblio-level item type. On the other hand, the items table also has an item type column (itype) as well as a collection code column (ccode). The purpose of the item-level field is to make it possible to have different items under one biblio record which have, for instance, different circulation rules. I might have one copy of a dictionary which circulates and one which stays in reference.
I see there is a preference as to which table's itemtype to use, between biblioitems's itemype or items' itype - is that relevant and even if not why would I choose one over the other?
If you choose to have item-level_itypes OFF, it means you cannot do what I cited above, having multiple items attached to one record each with different circulation rules. In fact, this setup is pretty much what you describe below:
It seems to me that I must catalog these as separate biblios, which creates multiple identical copies of the biblio-level MARC data, and just different ("holdings level") data in the items table, including item type.
You could do this. This is what we did before Koha could do item level itemtypes. If we wanted one copy to circulate and one to stay in reference each had to have its own record.
So when a patron searches for "2009 Proms Gala" they will get four identical but separate results. How can I indicate the different item types right there without them having to go back and forth between the search results and the detail screen?
If you don't mind having duplicate records, then you turn item-level_itypes OFF and Koha will display the biblio-level itemtype icon on the search results screen.
A related question - is there a way to bulk update the "biblio" level information for all four of these separate records in a single operation?
There will be in 3.4, I believe. -- Owen -- Web Developer Athens County Public Libraries http://www.myacpl.org
Aha, getting clearer, thanks so much! Well, I expect that the biblio records will be getting updated frequently, and since I also plan to use virtual shelves (lists) and have members using tagging, item-level item-types seem the way to go rather than duplicate biblios, right? Plus (correct me if I'm wrong) this eliminates my having to choose for Advanced Search - only Collection Code will be available for that? Back to icons then, is there a good biblio-level field to indicate in the search results (ideally with an icon) that a given biblio has available (child items with) format A only, or formats A+B or A+C? Fortunately there aren't that many possible combinations. . . I don't mean Koha calculating this from the child item records, the biblio-level field's value could be hard-coded in the MARC before importing, and updated as new-format version items get added later on. On Thu, Feb 17, 2011 at 6:20 PM, Owen Leonard <oleonard@myacpl.org> wrote:
On Thu, Feb 17, 2011 at 4:35 AM, <hansbkk@gmail.com> wrote:
And a whole lotta talk about "biblio level" vs "biblioitem level" fields.
With regard to your question the talk is about biblio level vs item level. Right now it is true that biblio and biblioitem are more or less 1:1. They both refer to biblio-level information. The item type stored in the biblioitems table is a biblio-level item type.
On the other hand, the items table also has an item type column (itype) as well as a collection code column (ccode). The purpose of the item-level field is to make it possible to have different items under one biblio record which have, for instance, different circulation rules. I might have one copy of a dictionary which circulates and one which stays in reference.
I see there is a preference as to which table's itemtype to use, between biblioitems's itemype or items' itype - is that relevant and even if not why would I choose one over the other?
If you choose to have item-level_itypes OFF, it means you cannot do what I cited above, having multiple items attached to one record each with different circulation rules. In fact, this setup is pretty much what you describe below:
It seems to me that I must catalog these as separate biblios, which creates multiple identical copies of the biblio-level MARC data, and just different ("holdings level") data in the items table, including item type.
You could do this. This is what we did before Koha could do item level itemtypes. If we wanted one copy to circulate and one to stay in reference each had to have its own record.
So when a patron searches for "2009 Proms Gala" they will get four identical but separate results. How can I indicate the different item types right there without them having to go back and forth between the search results and the detail screen?
If you don't mind having duplicate records, then you turn item-level_itypes OFF and Koha will display the biblio-level itemtype icon on the search results screen.
A related question - is there a way to bulk update the "biblio" level information for all four of these separate records in a single operation?
There will be in 3.4, I believe.
Well, I expect that the biblio records will be getting updated frequently, and since I also plan to use virtual shelves (lists) and have members using tagging, item-level item-types seem the way to go rather than duplicate biblios, right?
It's really just the frequency of updates that is an issue. Having item-level item types or not doesn't much affect lists and tagging.
Plus (correct me if I'm wrong) this eliminates my having to choose for Advanced Search - only Collection Code will be available for that?
You can choose whether Advanced Search uses collection code or item type either way, if I'm not mistaken.
Back to icons then, is there a good biblio-level field to indicate in the search results (ideally with an icon) that a given biblio has available (child items with) format A only, or formats A+B or A+C? Fortunately there aren't that many possible combinations. . .
In terms of search results, there is no good way to indicate multiple formats if you're using item-level information. It's a common complaint and we don't have a good solution. The best you can get is to turn on XSLT and see a biblio-level material type (book, audio, etc). -- Owen -- Web Developer Athens County Public Libraries http://www.myacpl.org
On Thu, Feb 17, 2011 at 10:49 PM, Owen Leonard <oleonard@myacpl.org> wrote:
Well, I expect that the biblio records will be getting updated frequently, and since I also plan to use virtual shelves (lists) and have members using tagging, item-level item-types seem the way to go rather than duplicate biblios, right?
It's really just the frequency of updates that is an issue. Having item-level item types or not doesn't much affect lists and tagging.
But if I use biblio-level itemtypes, and therefore have a duplicate biblio-level record for each format, each one will need to be updated, tagged and listed separately? I think keeping these all in sync would be a data maintenance nightmare, since there currently isn't a way to bulk update the "biblio" level information on all of them in a single operation. My Proms 2009 video is available in Bluray, AVI, MPEG, standard DVD and mixed data/vdo DVD. All are exactly the same content, just different presentation/delivery formats.
Plus (correct me if I'm wrong) this eliminates my having to choose for Advanced Search - only Collection Code will be available for that?
You can choose whether Advanced Search uses collection code or item type either way, if I'm not mistaken.
I thought the Advanced Search option was only available for the biblio-level item types? I meant if I'm choosing to us Item-level ones, I can't use them for A.S., and therefore I'll make sure to use CCodes appropriately as a search factor. Note that then I'm **not** using the item types for my "format" information, just for circ policies, and don't need these to show up anywhere.
Back to icons then, is there a good biblio-level field to indicate in the search results (ideally with an icon) that a given biblio has available (child items with) format A only, or formats A+B or A+C? Fortunately there aren't that many possible combinations. . .
In terms of search results, there is no good way to indicate multiple formats if you're using item-level information. It's a common
I'm hoping I just didn't make myself so clear. Using the same example: Biblio: Title: Proms 2009 video Subjects: Music; Anglophilia SomeField: "Disc-VDO + Disc-AVI" (a single string value) Items: 3 copies of Disc-VDO 2 copies of Disc-AVI The member could then choose to check out one disc, or one of each, etc. Now if that **Biblio-level** SomeField has say seven possible values, enforced by Authority, isn't there a way to assign an icon to each value and have this show up in search results? Or failing that, re-purposing an existing field that will at least show the text there?
complaint and we don't have a good solution. The best you can get is to turn on XSLT and see a biblio-level material type (book, audio, etc).
This pulls up those tiny icons based on the leader content right? I'm hoping to not have to get into customizing that. . .
But if I use biblio-level itemtypes, and therefore have a duplicate biblio-level record for each format, each one will need to be updated, tagged and listed separately?
Yes, you're right. It would be a nightmare to keep them updated with the same tags and in the same lists.
My Proms 2009 video is available in Bluray, AVI, MPEG, standard DVD and mixed data/vdo DVD. All are exactly the same content, just different presentation/delivery formats.
Other than the item type image issue, using item-level item types is ideal for this.
I thought the Advanced Search option was only available for the biblio-level item types?
No, you can use it for item-level item types.
Now if that **Biblio-level** SomeField has say seven possible values, enforced by Authority, isn't there a way to assign an icon to each value and have this show up in search results? Or failing that, re-purposing an existing field that will at least show the text there?
I don't know of any way to do that. -- Owen -- Web Developer Athens County Public Libraries http://www.myacpl.org
participants (2)
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hansbkk＠gmail.com -
Owen Leonard