Evolution of a code system

Fair warning: highly technical library cataloging talk in this specific post.  May have soporific effects on non-catalogers.

When the Library here first got OCLC, we were assigned 4-character codes for types of materials.  OCLC used these codes (in part) to assign the ‘above the call number’ indicators like “REF” for Reference materials, or “VIDEO” for videocassettes, to show where materials were shelved in the building, so they could print catalog cards for us.  (Yes, I’m that old.)

The codes looked like asza, aszb, aszc… you get the idea.  Those codes were for Nonfiction (circulating), Fiction, Reference, and on.  In time, we had to add more codes for new materials that hadn’t existed earlier, such as Compact Discs and DVDs and websites.

Years went by, we automated, then we changed automation systems.

Once we got the Innovative Interfaces Millennium system, we assigned codes more or less in line with these.  We had codes for bibliographic records and codes for item records (among others).  If a book had a CD inside, for example, then the bibliographic record had a book code, and there was one item with a book code and a second item with a CD code.

I had wide categories (Books, Serials, AV Media, etc.) in the BCode1 group (here called BGeneral) in the bibliographic records.  Item records (1 per barcoded item) were attached to bibliographic records.

The location codes in the item corresponded to the OCLC 4-letter codes (asza meant Nonfiction – 1st East, meaning 1st floor east side, for example).

We had BCode2 (a.k.a. here as BType) and, in item records, ICode2 more or less matching it.  For example, we needed to have a BType of just Reference, but the item records ICode2 (and locations) had to be divided into Reference and Reference Oversize as separate locations.

We had codes scattered along the alphabet as they evolved.  If you wanted all the audio-visual media, you had to ask for this OR that OR that OR that OR that OR… it was a chore to set up a search.

Then I recently learned from the IUG (Innovative Users Group) elist that the symbol for ebooks, which Innovative had some years back designated as “@” (at) was now a problem with their newer software, which didn’t read the @ but considered it punctuation and therefore equal to blank.  This meant the Preferred Searches function couldn’t handle ebooks.  I needed to change the symbol for ebooks in BType and ICode2.

And while I was at it, since it was July and we were starting a new fiscal year and statistics, if I wanted to change the codes, this was a good time to do it.

Result: I revised the codes, and the codelist.

First, I lined up all the existing codes in a spreadsheet, and got the BType codes and ICode2 codes all matched up.  Some codes (such as ICode2 for Ref Oversize and Indexes) didn’t exist separately inside BType for Reference (they all just got coded BType for Reference), and didn’t need to be created.  Some ICode2 codes such as Scores and Microformat Books didn’t exist separately and didn’t need to be created, and so on.

In Millennium, we mostly use ICode2 codes to take counts for inventory purposes.  Since we don’t need to barcode ebooks (for example), we don’t bother to create item records for them, unless we need an item record to function within the EReserves system (if an instructor put an ebook on his/her Reserve list, we would need to create an item record — without barcode — just to attach to the instructor’s list, but not to count on inventory).  So, ebooks are counted by the BType for ebooks rather than an ICode2.

Then along came the titles where we had both paper and ebook formats.  So, we put the ebook code in BType (where ebooks are counted) and the paper type in the ICode2 of the item record containing the barcode (where the paper copy is counted) so both versions are counted in their respective material types.

Anyway, I wanted to group the codes better, so that instead of “this OR that OR that OR that” I could search for codes in the range “this to that” and have an easier time setting up a search.

I also cleaned up a few odd problems, fixed a few records with wrong codes, and separated our ebooks into fiction and nonfiction.

I created a file for each code that was going to change and used names with “btype= w > d” to indicate that code w was going to become code d.

Then I revised the codelist, the web manual pages, the saved searches in Millennium, the saved templates for records in Millennium, etc.

Someday I’ll probably have to do it all over again, but for now, I think this arrangement will work for us a while.  If anyone setting up a system finds anything useful in this, that’s nice, too.