[Koha] Item types : formats, collections or what?

[Joann Ransom]

Hi there,

I wondered if anyone would like to share their take on item types in 
Koha 3.0. I'm trying to get a handle on how we could better group our 
collection in preparation for a conversion to Koha 3.0.

Currently we have a system which determines the first character in terms 
of format: ie D = DVD, V = Video, B = Book, P = Periodical
The second character is about which age group the item belongs to: J = 
junior ( childrens), Y = Young Adult, blank = adult (default position)
Then the third character is whether its a rental item or not: P = Pay, 
blank = free (default position)

Item types are then built from these building blocks eg:
BN = Nonficiton book in the adult library
PP = Rental periodical in adult library
DJ = Free DVD in Junior library

How do other libraries handle item types?

    * Are they based on format or media : DVD, Book, Magazine, File
      packet etc as our currently are.
    * Or are they based on collection?
    * Is it best to settle on a few Item types and then use other koha
      fields to indicate collections?
    * How do you reflect genre? ie Free adult fiction - romance, free
      adult fiction - western etc.
    * I think rental items need to have distinct item types within each
      format, so 2 for adult fiction : 1 free and 1 rental to make sure
      the lending and charging rules work.
    * How do you indicate where an item is shelved in terms of being
      part of a collection, or sub collection, for example a free junior
      fiction book, from the Easy Readers subcollection?
    * Thinking about marc now (and I am a complete MARC virgin) what
      fields do people use to indicate these collections, format,
      subcollections and genre details.
    * Do we use home branch to indicate which library collection it
      belongs to?


Would really appreciate finding out how other libraries use Item Types.

Kind regards,


Joann Ransom.
Horowhenua Lirbrary Trust.