Salutations!

Remember to register for ALL-WALS.

Today’s Topic: Scan Barcode LAST when adding items!...

Once again there has been a spate of incidents with libraries overwriting another library's item when adding their copy.   Put up post-its, tie ribbons on your scanner, or repeat a mantra everytime you start to barcode anything.  Find some way to slow yourself down and be more careful!

Read more...

When adding items to a record, remember "Click. Type. Scan."

1) CLICK--click "Add Call Num" if your library doesn't already own a copy. If you do own a copy, you can click "Add Item."

2) TYPE--modify call num, Item Categories, Item Type, Home Loc, price, etc

3) SCAN--Last step is to scan the barcode.  This is because scanning the barcode is like hitting "Enter" or clicking "Save."

Another way to think about this is to remember to work from the bottom of the screen towards the top of the screen. 

Overwriting another library's items creates extra work all around. Patrons/staff can't find the item on the shelf, the item transits incorrectly, statistics get wrongly recorded, etc.  Plus, it isn't always easy or obvious to recover the original values and requires considerable time and energy on the part of WALS staff.

Chrome Tip: You probably know you can type a search directly into the address bar and bypass Google, but did you know that if you highlight any text on a web-page and right-click there's an option within Chrome to "Search Google for [highlighted text]"?

Share & Enjoy!
Karla