Items Management
Items Management is where you add, view, duplicate, move, and modi=
fy standard information about the items in your database.
- Title Records contain general information about t=
he item that is the same for every copy. This includes author, pub=
lisher, subjects, Lexile, and more. Each title can have one or more copies.=
- Copy Records represent each individual copy o=
f the title in your collection; each copy is assigned an individual barcode=
number.
- Items may refer to either or both.
Supply only the information you need for title and copy records; this al=
lows you to provide consistency in the content, look, and feel of your coll=
ection.
The title record subtabs enable you to input the most common information=
needed to catalog a title. If you're cataloging a book, you can find much =
of the information you'll need on the Publication tab. Because Items Manage=
ment only offers the most recognizable of fields, you can also use the MARC=
View editor to take full advantage of the detail and flexibility of the MA=
RC standard.
In Alexandria, items can be books, eBooks, music, movies, electronic res=
ources, photographs, periodicals, filmstrips, newspapers, magazines, or any=
other form of media=E2=80=94essentially anything that circulates in your c=
ollection. The information stored in individual item records is cross-refer=
enced by Researcher and is used in areas such as reports, utilities, export=
s, imports, inventory, and policies.
With Alexandria's Centralized Catalog, all libraries share title infor=
mation, thus, every single library benefits from the changes you make. Depe=
nding on your security permissions, you are allowed to view and edit item r=
ecords for every collection in your district.
Navigation
The Items Management module consists of two distinct ar=
eas: the Records List on the left, and the Current Record pane on the right=
. Go to the Current Item pane to switch between Titles and=
Copies, then click the padlock to unlock the record for e=
diting.
When the Titles information tab is selected, the Actions drop-down menu =
(represented by a gear/cog icon) contains specialized, title-centric item m=
anagement functions such as the Toggle MARC View and Quick Export command=
s.
- Remove title. Perma=
nently removes the selected title record and all associated copies; title h=
olds and reservations will be lost.
- Duplicate title. Duplicates the currently selected tit=
le; other than creation dates, duplicated title records can be exactly the =
same.
- Quick export. Quickly exports the selected title recor=
d as a .txt file in MARC format.
- Add copy. Adds another copy to the current title.
- Move copies to this title. Opens the Move Copy dialog. Use this feature when a copy is mistakenly=
imported (or added) to the wrong title.
- Add picture. Opens an operating system standard explor=
er window, allowing you to guide Alexandria to the location of your saved i=
tem image. You can use GIFs, BMPs, PICs, JPGs (or most standard image files=
) as viable formats to add a picture to your item record. When applicable, =
the picture will appear in the Publication subtab of the Titles tab and in =
the Current Item pane of Circulation.
- Remove picture. Clears the current title picture.
- Title statistics.=
Shows title-specific circulation information; this information is=
used to help assess library and item usage. It can be used for reference w=
hen ordering additional copies of items in high demand or weeding out infre=
quently used items. This statistical information can not be modified.
MARC Toggle
This button will transform the Current Record pane; you can toggle betwe=
en the normal Item View and the more advanced MARC View Editor.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Add a Title
You can add, view, or modify title information directly from any of the =
Titles subtabs of the Items Management module.
To locate a specific title record in your database, use the Item Lookup =
dialog by clicking the Find icon at the bottom of the items Records List pa=
ne.
Before you can make changes to the record, you'll have to manually unloc=
k it by clicking the Unlock icon in the control strip at the top of the Ite=
ms Management module.
To add or modify item information, place your cursor in a field with an =
existing value (e.g. LCCN or Series) and provide additional information. Yo=
u can also highlight the entire value and replace it. To move to the next d=
ata entry field, press the <tab> key. To move to the previous data en=
try field, press <shift-tab> or <-tab>. To select a particular =
data entry field to edit, click in the field. To select from a drop-down me=
nu, <tab> until the drop-down menu you desire is highlighted and use =
the <up> and <down> arrow keys to make your selection.
Once you have provided all the necessary information for this item, clic=
k the Save button in the upper-right corner of the Items management window.=
If you want to ignore the information you have entered, click the Revert b=
utton and the previous item record will be displayed. Clicking Save button =
causes the new item to appear in the item Records List pane of the Items ma=
nagement module. You will be unable to select another record or leave the I=
tems management module until you first Revert or Save your changes.
To add a new title record to your database:
- Log in to the I=
tems module by adding /items to the end of your Alexandria=
URL.
- Make sure that the Titles tab is selected at the top o=
f the control strip.
- Next, click Add Title located near the bottom of the R=
ecords List pane to open the Title Assistant.
- Once you've selected a matching record from the Title Assistant (or cho=
sen to Enter [one] Manually), the Items management module will be cleared o=
f all but your default values, some of which are required in order to save =
your new title.
- Move between the Publication, Subjects, Terms, Notes, Other, and Study =
Programs subtabs, providing information, configuring options, and making ch=
anges to the title record as needed.
- At the very least, Title, Medium, and Policy are required to save your =
new title. Of these fields, all but Title are defaulted.
- Click Save to add your new title record, or click Revert to discard it.
- Titles records are added without copies. After saving the new title rec=
ord, Alexandria will ask if you'd like to add some copies.
- Clicking Add in this dialog is the same as selecting Add Copy from the<=
strong> Actions > Copies menu at the top of the Items Managemen=
t control strip. If you choose to add copies, the Copies tab at the top of =
the control strip will be selected and the Copies subtabs, cleared of all b=
ut your default values, will be available.
Remove a Title
Items that have been discarded, given to other libraries, sold, or perma=
nently lost should be routinely removed from your database to keep reports =
and searches from becoming cluttered with obsolete information. However, be=
absolutely certain that the titles you are about to remove are to be perma=
nently expunged from your collection. Only remove titles that you know will=
never return to your collection.
- Log in to the I=
tems module by adding "/items" to the end of your Alexandria URL.
- Make sure that the Titles tab is selected at the top of the control str=
ip.
- Select Remove Title from the Actions: Titles menu to permanently remove=
the current title and all its copies.
- When a title is removed, all associated information is also removed. A =
title that has a copy checked out to a patron can not be removed.
=
li>
Move Copy to This Title
Use this feature when a copy is mistakenly imported (or added) to the wr=
ong title.
- In Items, go to the Titles tab.
- Select the title from the list on the left.
- Click the Actions menu.
- Select Move Copy to This Title.
- From the drop-down menu, select if you want to enter a barcode list or =
set a range.=20
- Optional checkboxes:=20
- Remove source titles with no copies. If the copy being=
moved is the last copy of the selected title and you would like that title=
record to be removed after the move has been performed, leave this box che=
cked.
- Renumber duplicate copy number.If checked, the copy wi=
ll be assigned a unique barcode number if there is already a copy using thi=
s number.
- Click Move.