[Koha] schema question

[Alan Millar]

> 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