Summary
This document lists the tabs and fields available within an item record and describes how they're used at Berkeley.
Alma role needed: Physical Inventory Operator
Adding a new item record
Do not use Duplicate to make a copy of an existing item record and then modify it for the new piece you’re creating. If you need to make multiple items based on a pattern, please refer to Item templates in Alma.
To add an item to an existing bib located through a Physical Title search, see Monographs: additional copies added at shelving location -- Add items.
To add an item from within the MDE (Metadata editor), with the bib you want to use open, go to View Related Data > View Inventory (CTRL-I).
- If there is an existing holdings record you can add to:
- Click the ... More Items menu next to the holdings you want to use.
- Choose View Items.
- Use the Add item button at the top of the list to create a new blank item.
- If there is not a holdings record for the item you need to add:
- Follow normal processes to create the holdings record.
- Then add your item as described above.
Edit/Update item information
- Search for the physical item that you want to update.
- If you use the Physical Item search type - not Physical Title - you can choose Edit from the search results page
- If you use another kind of search type, you will have to view the item list first, then use Edit option under the action menu (ellipsis icon)
- Click Edit for the item that you want to update.
- On the Physical Item Editor page, select one or more of the following tabs to view or make changes to the physical item’s information.
- Click Save when changes are complete.
- If you're in the Physical Item editor in a free-text field, you can just hit Enter and it will save the item. This does not work if you're in a controlled field (like a dropdown or date picker).
Related "best practices" document
Item record basic info for tech processing and cataloging staff
Item record fields
Tab: General
This main tab in the Physical Item Editor has five subsections. Most users will only work in the General Information and Location Information sections. Expand the other sections if you want to read the details.
General information section
| Field | Required? | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Barcode | Yes | Scan the Berkeley circulation barcode for the item, or leave the barcode field blank to use a temporary system-generated barcode (will be created when the Item is saved, or you can hit the Generate button if you want to see it created before saving) Adding the barcode should typically be the last step of your work, as most barcode scanners are set to send an Enter code which will save and close the record immediately after scanning |
| Copy ID | Yes | Enter 1 for the first copy in a particular library, and increment for additional copies in any location within that same library When adding/moving copies to a library that already owns/owned this title, be aware of copies in other sublocations, including those that have been withdrawn or sent to NRLF when determining the next higher copy number |
| Material type | Yes | For monos, typically Book For serials, typically Bound Issue Item Material Types list forthcoming |
| Item policy | Yes | For monos, typically Monograph - Regular Loan For serials, typically Serial-Periodical (regular loan) Item Policy list |
| Provenance | No | Not in general use |
| Is magnetic | No | Not in use (related to use of self-checkout machines, which we do not have) |
| PO Line | If appl. | Auto-filled during Receiving May need to be filled in manually during monographic series cataloging (Cataloging monographic series in Metadata Services) |
| Issue date | No | Not in general use |
| Receiving date | If appl. | Auto-filled during Receiving May need to be filled in manually during monographic series cataloging (Cataloging monographic series in Metadata Services) |
| Expected receiving date | No | Auto-filled during PO generation. Auto-generated (sometimes incorrectly) in predicted serials. Does not need to be managed by staff |
| Enumeration A/B | If appl. | Use for serials only. We do not use this to generate the Description field, or Library Has, but it is useful for filtering an Item list Enter numbers/letters only, not the designation (no., v., etc.) |
| Chronology I/J | If appl. | Use for serials only. We do not use this to generate the Description field, or Library Has, but it is useful for filtering an Item list Enter numbers only, years for Chronology I, month/season codes for Chronology J (01-12=Jan-Dec, 21-24=spring-winter) |
| Description | If appl. |
Generally this is left blank, unless the description is needed to distinguish items such as:
Do not use this field for:
Important information on the effect of the Description field in UC Library Search and Alma Fulfillment:
|
| Pages | No | Not in use |
| Pieces | No | Not in use |
| Replacement cost | If appl. | If the purchase price is over $150, the actual purchase price should be entered by the owning library at time of receipt If this field is blank, Alma is set to bill $150 for replacement to users who fail to return an item Value may be added or adjusted when it’s clear that an item is going to be billed and it’s discovered that a replacement would cost more than $150 |
| Receiving operator | No | Auto-filled by Alma during receiving or Item creation |
| Physical condition | If appl. | NRLF uses this field to indicate items that are accepted for deposit but are imperfect in some way. May be used by individual units to record condition information by controlled terminology. Consider establishing unit policies to record specific condition details in the Fulfillment note field. |
| Process type | If appl. | Work Orders can be set/removed from here, but you are unable to set the Status from here |
| Retention information | If appl. | Used for Shared Print items (mostly at NRLF). This field should not be used unless you have specific guidance on using it; work with CSDhelp if you have questions. |
Inventory information section
| Field | Required? | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Inventory number | No | Not in use |
| Inventory date | No | Not in use |
| Inventory price | No | Appears that this was auto-filled by Alma during Migration duplicating the Replacement cost field. Also added during import for vendor shelf-ready items. |
Location information section
| Field | Required? | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Permanent library/location | Yes |
Inherited from holdings. In general, do not change this field directly in the item record. If you urgently need to relocate something on a record with multiple items, an active subscription POL for your library, or Related records that’s not covered by these directions or in the documents linked below, please contact your Tech Lead or Cataloging Unit (submit a BadCat ticket (UC Berkeley only) or email csdhelp@berkeley.edu for most locations). Changing this field from within the item record can be dangerous, because of Alma’s automatic “cleanup” routines and because POLs, holdings records, item records, and bib records are interlinked in complex ways that are not always clear. If there is only one item/holdings in your library on the bib and any attached POL for your library is closed, then you may change the Permanent location from the item record field. In any other case, such as multiple copies, multiple volumes, multiple holdings, an open POL for your library, or the existence of Related records in your library on the bib, it may not be safe to change the Permanent location from within the item record. Please follow the guidance for your specific situation in existing documentation, such as Withdrawal policies & procedures, Reinstating withdrawn items, and in the Item record basic info for tech processing and cataloging staff document. Please wait for forthcoming documentation on Holdings record best practices and Transferring material. |
| Item call number type | If appl. | Please see Item call number below to determine if you should use an Item call number. If you do, then this must also be set. If you (or Ex Libris, during migration) enter an Item call number, then this should reflect the Item call number type (typically Library of Congress Classification). When creating item records for equipment or other materials that do not use Library of Congress Classification, set this to Other Scheme (or one of the other options if appropriate). |
| Item call number | If appl. |
Ex Libris merged items on the same bib with different call numbers in the same location onto a single holdings during migration. Those items that did not match the (Ex Libris chosen) holdings call number ended up with an Item call number. This call number does not display well in UC Library Search, so it would be best to not use this field for completely different call numbers for items shelved in publicly accessible locations in campus libraries. Instead, create separate holdings for each call number and attach the appropriate items or consider whether items should be remarked to use the same call number as the holdings they’re on and be moved to sit in that location (don’t forget to clear out the Item Call number if you decide to remark!). If you have multiple volumes of a title in the same location with the same call number, but some have a prefix (e.g., a special provenance code or size designation such as tinies in most libraries) that doesn’t indicate a different shelving location for those items, you can leave them attached to the same holdings and you can use an Item record Item call number field with the prefix entered at the front of the call number, then a space, then copy the call number from the holdings record with spaces in place of the subfield codes. This field is commonly used for designating specific equipment types on a more general equipment holdings/bib record (e.g., holdings says Dell Latitude and Item call number says Dell Latitude 7420 or Dell Latitude E7250). For items on NRLF Shared Print holdings, which must all be on a single holdings record, if the call number on the spine label differs from the holdings call number, the spine label call number is recorded in the Item Call Number field. |
| Source (Subfield 2) | No |
Not in use Should only be used to match the value in the holdings record 852 $2 when the 852 1st indicator = 7. (There are no holdings 852s with 1st indicator = 7 in the IZ as of 9/29/23.) |
| Storage location ID | No | Not in use |
Temporary location information section
All fields in this section are typically managed by S&DS (UC BEARS, JACS, batch edits) or Fulfillment staff. This section should not be used unless you have specific guidance on using it; work with your Tech Lead or S&DS if you have questions.
This section includes the following fields: Item is in temporary location radio buttons, Temporary location, Temporary call number type, Temporary call number, Temporary source (Subfield 2), Temporary item policy, Due back date
Retention information section
Used for Shared Print items (mostly at NRLF). This section should not be used unless you have specific guidance on using it; work with CSDhelp if you have questions.
This section includes the following fields: Committed to Retain? radio buttons, Retention Reason, Retention Note
Tab: Notes
click to collapse
| Field | Required? | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Public note | If appl. | Used for notes that should display in UC Library Search (e.g., CD-ROM lacking, related items filed under a different call number) See Item record note field format guidelines. Public Note. |
| Fulfillment note | If appl. | Used for notes that need to be seen when the item is checked out or returned (e.g., notes about existing damage, checking for materials in pockets, directions to route to Tech Services) See Item record note field format guidelines. Fulfillment Note. |
| Internal Note 1 | If appl. | Used to record notes of interest to staff regarding condition, location, changes, etc. See Item record note field format guidelines. Internal Note 1 |
| Internal Note 2 | No | Do not use this field for new data or delete existing data at this time. See Item record note field format guidelines. Internal Note 2 |
| Internal Note 3 | No | Do not use this field for new data or delete existing data at this time. See Item record note field format guidelines. Internal Note 3 |
| Statistics Note 1 | If appl. | Used by NRLF for packaging codes. See Item record note field format guidelines. Statistics Note 1 |
| Statistics Note 2 | If appl. | Used to record reasons for withdrawal (Withdrawal policies & procedures), reinstatement (Reinstating withdrawn items), and NRLF deaccession. See Item record note field format guidelines. Statistics Note 2 |
| Statistics Note 3 | No | Do not use this field for new data or delete existing data at this time. See Item record note field format guidelines. Statistics Note 3 |
Tab: ENUM/CHRON
Rarely, if ever, consulted or altered. Click to expand
| Field | Required? | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Enumeration A/B | If appl. | This is carried over from the General tab. If entered here first it will carry over into the General tab. Autofilled by predicted item generation based on holdings 853 field. |
| Enumeration C-H | If appl. | Although these fields may be used in occasional serial title numbering, they do not carry over to the General tab, nor do they show as options for sorting & filtering. Alma will auto-generate numbering in these fields when predicting items for titles that use these fields in their holdings 853 field. |
| Chronology I/J | If appl. | This is carried over from the General tab. If entered here first it will carry over into the General tab. Autofilled by predicted item generation based on holdings 853 field. |
| Chronology K-M | If appl. | Although these fields may be used in occasional serial title chronology, they do not carry over to the General tab, nor do they show as options for sorting & filtering. Alma will auto-generate numbering in these fields when predicting items for titles that use these fields in their holdings 853 field. |
| Break indicator | No | This field is not used at Berkeley. Ex Libris documentation indicates it’s “currently under development” (9/18/23) |
| Pattern type | No | Carried over from 853 field in holdings record |
| Linking indicator | No | Carried over from 853 field in holdings record |
Tab: History
The history tab of each item record allows you to choose radio buttons to see reports on Item changes, Holdings changes, and Fulfillment activities.
The History opens by default to display Item changes. If there have been Holdings changes within the past 6 months you’ll see a note alerting you to that fact between the radio buttons for the three report types and the report.
The Item changes report displays changes made to the item within the Physical Item Editor tabs as well as systematic changes such as transit through the system for holds, loans, and returns, by scanning items in and out of work orders (only indicates that the item was “in process” or “-”; it does not record which work order the item was in), and changes made by jobs to item record fields. The Holdings changes report displays changes to the library (852 $$b), location (852 $$c), call number type (852 first indicator), call number (852 h, i, j, k, l, m), and accession number. Both of these reports identify the name of the operator who made the change, the date the change was made, the field that was changed, and the before and after values. The Operator field displays the Primary ID which can be clicked to see user details (depending on your roles, you might not be able to see user details).
The Fulfillment activities report displays loan/return activity, including in-house loan/usage. This report identifies the date the change was made, the action type completed (loan/return), the name of the operator/desk name that made the change, the borrower name, and the borrower ID. In compliance with privacy policies, Borrower IDs are redacted systematically from the fulfillment activities data once an item is returned (and depending on your roles, you may not be able to see the Borrower ID information while it’s on loan either).
Following are screenshots of each report that happen to all be from a single item. Operator Primary IDs redacted from images since this is a public document.
By jcripe on 09-18-2024