Add Items

Use Collection Manager > Collections > Add Item when you want to add a book, eBook, thesis, report, media item, toy, equipment, or other non-periodical library material. Use Collection Manager > Periodicals > Add Title for newspapers, magazines, journals, newsletters, bulletins, and other recurring publications.

The Add Item screen changes based on the selected material type. For example, a book shows book-focused fields, while serial or digital materials can show different fields configured from Material Types.

For spreadsheets and bulk entry, use Import Collection Items instead.

Search-assisted title or ISBN lookup appears only for Book, eBook, Audio Book, and Rare Book entries. Other material types keep manual entry fields only, because their identifiers and cataloguing rules are different.

For these supported material types, enter a valid ISBN and use Fetch cover image below Gallery and Camera in either Add Item or Edit Catalog when you want only the cover. This action does not change the title, author, publisher, or any other catalogue field. If a Gallery, Camera, or previously fetched image is already selected, Libcodesk asks before replacing it. Review the fetched preview before saving; if no cover is available or the provider cannot be reached, the form keeps the existing data and shows what needs attention.

Main Areas

Area	What It Does
Material type list	Selects the kind of item being added. The selected type controls the visible fields.
Basic Information	Stores title, subtitle, author, publisher, identifiers, cover image, and similar common catalog details.
Publication Details	Stores title-level publication settings. For periodicals this is Frequency and Publishing Place; issue/date details are entered in Copy Information.
Classification & Call Number	Stores local classification, DDC, LCC, UDC, cutter number, and call number when enabled.
Category	Selects the material category configured for that material type.
Copy Information	Creates physical copy rows, copy count, owning library, accession numbers, barcode / QR code values, condition, status, lending restriction, and copy-specific details.
Digital Access	Appears for digital material types such as eBooks, Audio Books, Audio, Video, and user-defined Digital types. It records the selected file, owning library, accession number, acquisition details, license type, download setting, and remarks.

Member-facing digital resources use one normalized OPAC experience even when their content comes from different approved providers. Library-owned storage and configured OPDS-compatible sources can supply titles without exposing provider feed fields or acquisition links in public search results. Members see the title, author, cover, format, availability, and permitted actions; access links are issued only after membership and loan checks succeed.

An OPDS source is an integration mechanism, not a public menu or technical feed browser. Staff should verify provider licensing, secure HTTPS acquisition links, availability metadata, and the Membership Plan permissions that allow eBook, audiobook, multimedia, or digital-library access.

Finding Saved Items

After a non-periodical item is saved, it appears in Collection Manager > Collections. Periodical titles saved from Periodicals > Add Title appear in Collection Manager > Periodicals instead, so issue-based work stays separate from normal item-copy work. The Collections table keeps the standard material, identifier, type, library, copy, status, and action columns, then adds columns from the loaded catalogue data. If different material types use different visible fields, those loaded fields appear as separate columns so staff can compare the actual saved catalogue details without opening each record. Cover image file-name fields and discovery source URL fields are not shown as data columns because covers are already represented visually and source URLs are not catalogue details. ISBN values are grouped as separate ISBN-10 and ISBN-13 lines when both are available. The Collections header also shows the latest table load time beside the record count, including refreshes, searches, filters, sorting, and page changes.

Catalogue details are shared across the organization, but copies and digital access records belong to individual libraries. For physical materials, choose the owning library in Copy Information. For digital materials, choose it in Digital Access. When you filter the Collections table to a library, Libcodesk can show organization catalogue items that the selected library does not yet own with 0 copies. Open the copy count to add that library's own copies without changing another library's copy records.

The library selected in the application header is the starting library for a new copy or digital-access record and the implicit scope of the Collections list. Choose a permitted library in Filters only when you intentionally need to work in a different assigned library.

The Collections page offers Table view and Grid view through two equal-sized controls. Refresh, Add Item, Import, and the Table/Grid switcher share one fixed header height. Table view is best for comparing detailed catalogue fields. Grid view shows each cover, title, author, and copy count in a responsive card while keeping the same search, Smart List, filters, pagination, selection, and batch tools. View details and the card action menu provide the same View, Edit Catalog, Add Copy, and Print Labels actions available in the table. Libcodesk remembers the selected view for the signed-in user.

At the bottom of the result, choose the number of records per page or use the arrow controls to move between pages. The page-size value uses the same compact text style as the current-page indicator.

The Collections page and Add Item workflow start with the active library selected in the main header. Switching the header library reloads the operational list for that library. A staff account cannot create, edit, circulate, or remove another library's copies unless that library is included in the staff assignment.

Use Edit Catalog from the row action menu when you need to correct catalogue details such as title, publication details, classification, category, or cover information. The Save button stays in the dialog footer and becomes available only after you change a field.

After saving, the Collections row, View 360, and Edit Catalog use the same complete catalogue record. A library-specific title or other override remains visible while shared description, publication, classification, and normalized cover details are retained; no manual refresh is needed to make a newly saved cover available.

Use the Search by selector to search all data, title, ISBN-13, ISBN-10, or the broader identifier search. Use ISBN-13 or ISBN-10 when you know the exact identifier type and want the fastest lookup. Matching text is highlighted in the visible table cells so staff can see why a row matched. Smart List and Filters open as compact table panels, one at a time, with horizontal scrolling when controls do not fit. Their buttons show active counts, and the panels include clear and Done actions so staff can tell when a narrowed view is hiding rows. When selected rows are part of a larger search or filtered result, the selection toolbar can select all matching items, including items on other pages.

When selected catalog entries are removed in bulk, Libcodesk deletes the selected library's copies and removes that library's access to those catalog entries. Other libraries under the same organization keep their own copies and continue to see the item. The progress/result message shows how many catalog entries were removed, how many copies were deleted, and whether any selected rows were skipped because they were unavailable or outside the user's access.

The copy count in each row opens Copy Information for that item. Copy Information keeps its wide copy table horizontally scrollable, including mouse drag scrolling on desktop-style devices.

Remembered Defaults

Libcodesk remembers some Add Item choices per user and per material type.

While Add Item is open, use Ctrl+Tab to move through only the visible required fields when your browser or desktop app allows the shortcut. Use Ctrl+Shift+Tab to move backward through the same required fields. Normal Tab still follows the full screen order.

Examples:

• If you add a Book and choose GEN - General, the next Book entry opens with that category selected.
• If you choose a different category for eBook, that eBook choice is remembered separately.
• Accession settings are remembered separately for each material type, so Books and eBooks can follow different rules.

This helps staff enter repeated records faster without forcing the same category, accession rule, or barcode rule onto every material type.

Accession Numbers

Accession numbers identify physical copies inside a library. They must be unique within the selected library.

You can use:

• Manual: staff enter the accession number in each copy row.
• Auto generate: Libcodesk generates the next available accession number from the saved series rule.

When Auto generate is used, the final saved accession numbers come from the database sequence for that library and series. This prevents duplicate accession numbers even when several items have already been added.

If the category code is enabled in the accession rule, Libcodesk uses the selected category as part of the generated accession. If no category is selected, the category prefix and separator are skipped.

Barcode / QR Code Values

Barcode / QR code values can be entered manually or generated while adding collection items and periodical titles.

You can use:

• Manual: staff type or scan the barcode / QR code value in each copy row.
• Auto generate barcode: Libcodesk creates a barcode / QR code value from the saved barcode rule.
• Use accession as Barcode/QR: Libcodesk fills the barcode / QR code value from the accession number, so both identifiers stay the same when that is the library's chosen practice.

When both accession and barcode / QR code are automatic, choose Use accession as Barcode/QR if the barcode labels should scan the accession number itself. Choose Auto generate barcode when your library wants a separate barcode series.

Best Practices

• Keep one clear accession series per library unless your library already uses separate series.
• Use auto generation when staff should not manually type accession numbers.
• Use manual entry when your library already has printed accession labels or scanner-entered values.
• Use Use accession as Barcode/QR when your printed barcode labels should match the accession register exactly.
• Use a separate auto barcode series only when your library intentionally keeps accession numbers and barcode values different.
• Select the correct category before generating rows if your accession rule uses category code.
• Check the Library value in each copy row before saving, especially when your organization has more than one library.
• For digital material, choose files from the allowed library-friendly formats. Installer, executable, and programming file types are blocked by default.
• Digital files are stored securely inside the active organization and setup. The original file is not exposed through a public path, and member access continues to follow the material, Membership Plan, and entitlement rules.

Troubleshooting

Problem	What To Check
The wrong category appears next time	Change the category once for that material type. Libcodesk remembers category separately for each type.
Auto accession starts from the wrong visible preview	Save uses the database-backed next number. The preview helps show the format, but the database supplies the final unique value.
Barcode / QR value should match accession	Open Barcode / QR settings and choose Use accession as Barcode/QR before saving the copy rows.
Barcode / QR value should use a separate series	Open Barcode / QR settings and choose Auto generate barcode, then review the prefix, separator, number width, and starting preview.
Save does not continue	Confirm every copy row has an owning library and every required visible field is filled.
I do not see title or ISBN search	Select Book, eBook, Audio Book, or Rare Book. Other material types do not use the assisted lookup button.
Duplicate accession warning appears	Use a different manual value, or switch to auto generation so Libcodesk can choose the next available number.
Fields are missing	Open Collection Manager > Material Types, edit that material type, and confirm the field is visible in the correct tab.
For browsing, searching, filtering, and acting on existing catalogue records, start with Collections. The Collections workspace supports both table and grid views without changing the active search or filters.