[Koha] Call numbers for biblios

[Kevin O'Rourke]

Replying to my own question here, but I'd appreciate some input from 
someone who understands the intricacies of the MARC<->Koha links.

Kevin O'Rourke wrote:
> We're using the Dewey Decimal Codes as call numbers, with the 
> itemcallnumber parameter set to 082a so when a new item is added the k 
> subfield for that item has the Dewey filled in automatically.  These 
> item k field entries show up in the location column in the catalogue.
I've looked at the relevant templates (NPL, English) and it seems that 
something is displayed in the "Call Number" column only if 
biblioitems.classification is set.  This is linked (by default) to 942j 
("Location (call number prefix code)").  If that's set it displays 
biblioitems.classification, just the call number prefix, not the whole 
call number.  There's another template variable called "class" that 
seems more like what should be checked and displayed: concatenation of 
biblioitems.classification, Dewey and biblioitems.subclass.
> What do I have to do to get the Dewey showing in the call number 
> column (for the biblio, not just items)?  All items belonging to a 
> given biblio have the same call number in our library.  There seem to 
> be some things that are relevant in the MARC links for biblioitems but 
> I don't want to play around with that in case I break something.  Is 
> there a link that I can point to 082a to just use the Dewey Decimal 
> Code as the call number?
Koha seems to be a bit inconsistent in the handling of call numbers, it 
seems that much of the time the whole call number (in our case Dewey 
Decimal Code) is stored in the k subfield but in others it's made up of 
pieces stored in j, k and l subfields.

Is there any way to get the call number displaying properly without 
having to edit the templates?  I'm not keen on template editing, it's 
just one more thing we have to review and upgrade for each new version 
of Koha.

-- 
Kevin O'Rourke
ICT Coordinator, National Teachers' Institute, Kaduna, Nigeria
062 316972