[Koha] OPAC availability

[Rachel Hollis]

Thank you for getting back to me Jonathan. I don't quite get the rational for 942$c (the Koha [default] item type) and 952$y (the Koha item type) and fortunately, inconsistencies between the two in my system do not seem to be a problem. Today I cataloged a group of titles from the same collection and with the same Item Type and best of all, I was able to consistently control the outcome for the items' display in the OPAC.

Within staff client, if after item input/save I clicked Normal to view the record then searched the OPAC, the item's availability is not visible when there is more than one result. (Clicking on the title displays item information.) If after item input/save in the staff clients, I skipped the Normal view step and searched the OPAC, the item's availability is visible. Clicking MARC, ISBD and Modification Log has the same result as clicking Normal. However clicking Items, Holds and Checkout History do not affect the record.

Now why would such a simple choice have the result that it does? Evidently I should not view the record in Normal, MARC, ISBD and Modification Log after creating the item but I feel that this is just the tip of a situation that is much more ominous. Of course the big questions is how to fix it and how to ensure that it is not a problem in the future. Any ideas?

Rachel Hollis, librarian
Stevens-Henager College, Boise Idaho Campus

-----Original Message-----
From: Jonathan Field [mailto:jonathan.field at ptfs-europe.com]
Sent: Thursday, January 29, 2009 5:09 AM
To: 'koha at lists.katipo.co.nz'; Rachel Hollis
Subject: Re: [Koha] OPAC availability

Rachel Hollis wrote:
> Greetings colleagues, I entered several items this morning; availability
> display in the OPAC seems hit and miss. On initial search screens,
> copies available display for some items but not others. Clicking on an
> offending record shows item location, call number and status, just not
> on initial search screens. Library is set and still it is hit and miss
> with OPAC availability display. Using cataloging, I checked a sample and
> they are the same except for price, call number and barcode. Within the
> database, the items table shows no null values in homebranch. How can I
> get availability to consistently show in the OPAC? In the following
> example, we are desiring the first display of availability.
>
> 1. Tuesdays with Morrie : an old man, a young man, and life's greatest
> lesson by Albom, Mitch.
> Publisher: Broadway Books, c2007.
> Availability: Copies available at: Stevens-Henager College, Boise Campus
> 2. Autobiography of a face by Grealy, Lucy.
> Publisher: Houghton Mifflin, 1994.
> Availability:
>
> What do I need to do differently?  We're on Koha 3.
>
> Rachel Hollis, librarian
> Stevens-Henager College, Boise Idaho Campus
>
>
>
>
>

Rachel,

You may want to try looking at the 942 MARC tag in the bib record?

Subfield c has the "Koha [default] item type". This may conflict with
the Item Type in the Item Holdings record. If this (the 942c) is set to
a non-available item type then the item will display as unavailable in
the OPAC regardless of what is in the Item Holdings.

Regards,
Jonathan
--

Jonathan Field
Technical Director, PTFS Europe Limited
Content Management and Library Solutions
+44 (0) 800 756 6803 (phone)

jonathan.field at ptfs-europe.com

http://www.ptfs-europe.com


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