[OPEN-ILS-GENERAL] Call numbers in Evergreen

[Kathy Lussier]

Hi all,

 

The MassLNC consortia have been looking at the way Evergreen handles call
numbers and had some thoughts for possible enhancements. I wanted to share
these ideas with the general community to see if there is any interest in
making these changes. 

 

To provide some background, two of our consortia that will be moving to
Evergreen include libraries using both Dewey and LC classification schemes.
I have seen previous discussion about creating a sort algorithm for LC -
http://markmail.org/message/fvbptjffblwvyedu - but I wasn't sure if any
development had been done. For our consortia, we would need to be able to
support Dewey, LC, and the default free-text field (what we refer to as
"other") within the same Evergreen instance. 

 

One approach we were considering is that, when entering a call number, staff
would need to clearly identify whether the classification scheme is Dewey,
LC or "other."  The system would then know which sorting algorithm to use,
and there would be no mixing of Dewey numbers with other homegrown
alphanumeric numbers when doing a sort. At the same time, we were concerned
about adding an extra step to the cataloging process where staff would need
to change the default classification scheme every time they needed to add a
DVD or a book of fiction to the system. If the call number were tied to the
item record, we could identify the classification scheme in the item
template, but Evergreen doesn't work that way. I don't know if there are
other ways the system could determine that the default classification scheme
for Library A is Dewey for non-fiction books, but "other" for fiction books
and all DVDs.

 

We also wanted to float the idea of breaking up the call number into
multiple fields as opposed to putting the entire call number (prefix, call
number, suffix) into one free-text field. We have many libraries that use J
as a prefix for children's materials while others use juv, and there are
many other areas where the prefixes differ. Pulling those prefixes and
suffixes into different fields could simplify the process of creating
reports based on call numbers, sorting by call number, and possibly creating
spine labels. 

 

We're interested in finding out how others in the Evergreen community would
feel about these changes.

 

Thank you in advance for your feedback!

 

Kathy Lussier

 

-------------------------------------------------------------

Kathy Lussier

Project Coordinator

Massachusetts Library Network Cooperative

(508) 756-0172

(508) 755-3721 (fax)

klussier at masslnc.org

 

 

 

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