and Item VOL field
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Multi-part materials and Item VOL field |
Statement
Adopted by Summit Borrowing Committee, July 21, 2005
In order to facilitate successful borrowing of multi-part material, information that distinguishes the individual item records must be in the Volume field.
Examples: monographic sets, video with accompanying booklet shelved separately, book with accompanying CD shelved separately
Additional information
Materials that are packaged or bound together are represented by a single item record, and a volume field is not essential. Examples: book with disk in back pocket; boxed kit with pamphlet, toys, and cassette
Presentation explaining issues related to multi-part materials: various methods used to distinguish different items (call number, copy, location, volume, and notes or messages), and why the VOL field is important.
Background
Is there a problem if the VOL field isn't used? Yes. Requests are delayed, effort is wasted, patrons may be frustrated. Patrons may be disappointed because the wrong "item" was sent, or not all of the relevant material. Staff are sometimes sending items not needed. Staff are doing extra work stopping the routine and individually contacting liaisons to determine what patron may want.
Helpful ideas
For libraries that need to add volume fields to a great number of item records: gather the records in a Boolean review file and use rapid update or global update to
A. copy or move data from the "end" of the call number field to a VOL field. for example:
call number LT2100 .H232 A94b 2004 txt/te v.1 item record VOL field: (none) txt/te v. 1 holdings in catalog LT2100 .H232 A94b 2004 txt/te v.1 LT2100 .H232 A94b 2004 txt/te v.1
or
B. use rapid update to add a VOL field with a minimal amount of content. Suggestion: add a simple "." (period). Staff can easily see, even in the catalog, that the record has been updated, and patrons will not be adversely impacted. Note: when adding content to a VOL field: Two spaces works at the present time, but may introduce confusion or future problem (e.g. collapsing multiple spaces to a single space which is not recognized as real "data"; no way to know from viewing the record whether the VOL field has been added)
current situation upgraded to use item VOL field call number LT2100 .H232 A94b 2004 txt/te v.1 LT2100 .H232 A94b 2004 txt/te v.1 (none) . holdings in catalog LT2100 .H232 A94b 2004 txt/te v.1 LT2100 .H232 A94b 2004 txt/te v.1.
Related topic: when VOL field should not be used
The volume field should always be used when appropriate. Conversely, the VOL field should not be used for other purposes and when not necessary, since it causes Summit to offer the item selection screen to the patron which can confuse patrons since there are not individual volumes with different content.
This example illustrates a situation where the bibliographic record describes a monograph, one title in a series, cataloged "separately" or individually. It is a single-volume work, a book. Some members have assigned a classification number specifically for that title. Others use a more general classification number that applies to the entire series, and the number ends with the individual volume number. One member has "no.50" in a VOL field; all other members have the entire call number in the call number field. The number should not be put in a volume field in the item record.
current situation: corrected: Summit provides an item selection screen for patron to choose which item to request Summit selects a copy based on request balancing table Bib. record: Title
Academic library centrality : user success... Bib. record: Desciption iii, 154 p. : ill. ; 23 cm. Bib. record: Series note ACRL publications in librarianship ; no. 50 call number Z674 .A75 Z674 .A75 no. 50 item record VOL field no. 50 [empty; no VOL field] catalog-holdings display Z674 .A75 no. 50 Z674 .A75 no. 50
updated: October 13, 2006
