Skip to main content
Version: 26.0.33

Periodicals

Use Collection Manager > Periodicals to work with newspapers, magazines, journals, newsletters, bulletins, and other recurring publications from one operational page.

The library selected in the main page header defines the working library. Switching that header selection refreshes Periodicals and shows only titles available to the newly selected library. The optional Library filter can temporarily narrow or switch the page without changing the header selection.

Periodical titles are still part of your library collection. The Periodicals page is the daily workspace for receiving issues, checking expected arrivals, spotting missing issues, reviewing locations, and preparing issue-history or cost reports.

What You See

AreaWhat it is for
HeaderShows the Periodicals title, active counters, and quick actions.
Add TitleOpens the normal catalogue entry form, limited to periodical material types such as newspaper, magazine, journal, newsletter, bulletin, and user-defined periodicals.
ImportOpens the same validation and preview import screen used by Collections, limited to periodical material types.
Search, Smart List, and filtersLets staff narrow periodical titles by title, publication type, library/location, or copy status. Search can use contains, exact, or starts-with matching. Smart List includes title-level shortcuts for Expected today and Popular titles.
Table and grid viewsRefresh, Add Title, Import, and the two-view switcher share one fixed header height. Table view keeps one row per periodical title and supports detailed comparison. Grid view shows a responsive cover card with the title, publisher or type, copy count, selection, and the same title actions. The signed-in user's choice is remembered.
Selection toolbarAppears only after one or more titles are selected. It can select all matching filtered titles, create label lists, transfer copies, batch update, archive issues, export, delete selected titles, or clear the selection.
Row actionsKeeps Record Arrival, Copy Information, and Edit Catalog in one action menu. Archive and export workflows stay in the selection toolbar.
Page messagesShows success, error, and attention messages above the table after an action. Messages close automatically after a short time, and staff can close them immediately with the close button.
  1. Open Collection Manager > Periodicals.
  2. Use Add Title to catalogue a newspaper, magazine, journal, newsletter, bulletin, or user-defined periodical title. Newspaper appears first and is selected by default; change it to Magazine, Journal, or another periodical type when needed. Enter Language beside the title so staff and readers can identify the publication correctly.
  3. Use the Record Arrival button beside a title when that title has an issue due today, or open Record Arrival from the row action menu.
  4. If the vendor missed today's delivery, use No Arrival from the Record Arrival column so the missing arrival is visible later.
  5. Enter the owning library, issue date, shelf location, publication date, lending restriction, optional volume and issue number, vendor, price, and remarks. The date fields open with today filled in so daily receiving is faster.
  6. Use filters, Smart List, or the search match option to find due titles, popular titles, specific periodical types, library locations, or status groups.
  7. Reorder table columns when your staff need a different working view, and use pagination to move through larger periodical lists.
  8. Select one or more titles when you need toolbar actions such as selecting all matching filtered titles, label list, transfer copies, batch update, archive issues, export, or delete selected.
  9. Click the Copies count to open Copy Information. Periodical copies are organized into Current issue, Past issues, Archived issues, and All views so staff can separate today's active issue from older and archived issues. Use Issues view for grouped issue management. Add or edit copies from the issue row you are working on, so the new copy stays tied to the correct issue.
  10. When you choose Edit Catalog, make the needed catalogue change, then use the Save button in the dialog footer. Save becomes available only after a field changes.

Importing Periodicals

Use Periodicals > Import when the file contains periodical titles or issue-copy information. The import popup is limited to newspapers, magazines, journals, newsletters, bulletins, and user-defined periodicals so the rows use the correct periodical fields.

Use Collections > Import for books, ebooks, media, equipment, and other non-periodical materials. Periodical material types are kept out of the Collections import selector to prevent issue-based records from appearing in the normal item-copy workflow.

Sample Periodical Import Files

These sample files have 10 example rows each. Open them in Excel, LibreOffice, Google Sheets, or another spreadsheet editor. You can import them as CSV, or save them as XLSX or ODS after editing.

SampleBest forDownload
Detailed issue-copy rowsLibraries that already record one accession or copy row for each received periodical issue copy.Download detailed periodical copy-row sample
Simple copy countLibraries that want one row for the periodical issue and want Libcodesk to create the received copies.Download simple periodical copy-count sample
Simple accession listLibraries that track periodical issue accessions but want to paste all accessions in one row.Download simple periodical accession-list sample

Periodical import supports the same simple-row rules as Collections:

  • Use Copy Count, Copies, Quantity, or Number of Copies when Libcodesk should create the issue copies automatically.
  • Use Accessions, Accession List, or Accession Numbers when you already know the accessions. Separate accessions with semicolons, pipes, or line breaks inside the same cell.
  • For CSV files, keep accession lists inside quotes, such as "PN-10001; PN-10002; PN-10003".
  • If the CSV itself uses semicolon as the delimiter, use pipe inside the accession list, such as "PN-10001 | PN-10002 | PN-10003".
  • If Copy Count and Accessions both appear, the accession list is used because it is more specific.
  • When Copy Count is used without accessions, Libcodesk generates basic accession numbers for the created issue copies and shows a warning in the preview.
  • Shelf location, lending restriction, acquisition source, vendor, price per copy, and remarks are treated as copy information for the issue copies.
  • Optional cover image warnings can be ignored for one row or ignored for all image warnings of the same type so the issue data can still import.

Receiving And Archiving Issues

Record Arrival appears in the title table only when Libcodesk can see that the next issue is due today from the title frequency and latest issue date. Use Record Arrival to receive the issue. Use No Arrival when the vendor did not deliver the expected issue, so staff can follow up without pretending a physical copy was received.

Record Arrival creates periodical copy rows for the selected title. Enter Copy Count when more than one physical copy arrived for the same issue. The owning library and Shelf Location are required by default. Shelf Location is shown beside the issue date in copy views so staff can find the physical issue quickly. Lending Restriction is shown for each periodical issue and starts as No Restriction. Volume number, issue number, acquisition source, vendor, price per copy, and remarks are optional because different periodicals use different numbering rules.

Copy Information uses the same copy table pattern as Collections, with periodical-specific issue organization. Open it from the Copies count or the row action menu when you need to review periodical issue copies. First choose the issue scope: current issue, past issues, archived issues, or all issues. Then use View to switch between the grouped issue list and the matching copy rows. When copy rows are shown, Libcodesk displays the active scope above the table so staff can confirm which issue set they are reviewing. Search, status filtering, issue sorting, horizontal scrolling, and copyable identifiers remain available. Add Copy and Edit Copies are issue-row actions, so choose the issue first and then add or edit its copies. New copies inherit the selected issue details, then staff can adjust the copy-specific fields before saving.

In Past issues, select one or more issue rows to show the archive action in the Copy Information footer. This archive option appears only on the Past issues tab after issue rows are selected. Libcodesk asks for the archive shelf/location before saving so the older issues remain traceable after they move out of the active shelf.

In Archived issues, select archived issue rows to restore them back to normal available issue records. Libcodesk asks for the active shelf location again before restoring the issue, so staff can confirm exactly where the issue is now kept.

Accession number, barcode / QR code, and RFID UID are available for periodical issues but hidden by default. If your library tracks periodical issues as individual inventory items, open Collection Manager > Material Types, edit the periodical type, show the fields you need, and make them required only when your local process depends on them. Copy Information follows those visibility settings; accession appears beside the issue date only when the periodical type is configured to show it. While adding a periodical title or issue copies, Barcode / QR settings can stay manual, generate a separate barcode value, or use the accession number as the Barcode / QR value when your labels should scan the accession itself.

Archive Issues shows the copies that are not already archived, including issue date, publication date, volume, issue number, acquisition source, vendor, price, identifiers, status, and remarks where those values were entered. Select the issue copies to archive, then enter the new archive shelf/location and optional remarks. This keeps old issues traceable without removing the periodical title from the active catalogue.

Delete Selected removes the selected library's periodical copies and access to the selected periodical catalogue entries. Other libraries under the same organization keep their own copies and access. For safety, Libcodesk asks staff to type the shown selected count before the batch delete can run, then shows progress and skipped counts.

Important Notes

  • The Periodicals menu sits directly after Collections in Collection Manager.
  • Collections catalogue entry shows non-periodical material types. Periodical title entry starts from the Periodicals page so staff do not mix normal item-copy workflows with issue-based workflows.
  • Do not look for separate Periodicals dashboard, missing issue, archive, vendor, bill, or report menus. Active title-level actions stay inside the one Periodicals page row menu and selection toolbar.
  • The table represents periodical titles such as a newspaper or journal name. Individual issues are handled from that title, and the Copies count is the quick path to open the full Copy Information table for those issue copies.
  • The Periodicals table follows the Collections table pattern: movable columns, sortable supported headings, horizontal scrolling, row selection, and pagination. Column headings stay on one line; scroll horizontally when the full table is wider than the window.
  • The compact pagination footer keeps the record count, page-size selector, current page, and navigation arrows visually consistent.
  • Latest issue, upcoming date, and monthly cost are refreshed when issue copies are saved or arrivals are recorded. Missing arrivals advance the expected schedule but do not count as received issue cost.
  • Periodical cover images are shown in the title column when a cover is saved for the catalogue record.
  • Select a saved cover image to open the larger preview. Mouse users can also pause over the cover for a quick preview; keyboard users can focus the cover and press Enter, and Escape closes the larger view.
  • Periodical title Frequency starts as Daily by default. Change it when the title follows a weekly, monthly, quarterly, or custom schedule.
  • From Collections, View Copies and Add Copy for periodical titles open the Periodicals workspace instead of the normal copy popup. Manage periodical issues, received copies, and issue history from Periodicals.
  • In the Periodicals workflow, Library/Location is required and Lending Restriction is available for each issue copy. Journal issues focus on publication date, volume number, and issue number. Magazine issues focus on cover date, issue number, and special issue/theme. Newspaper issues focus on issue date, edition, and section/supplement. Acquisition source, vendor, price per copy, and remarks stay optional.
  • For user-defined periodicals, administrators can keep the shared periodical copy fields or hide fields that do not match their workflow.
  • Cloud setup and Local setup remain separate. Work done in one setup does not silently sync to the other.

Troubleshooting

ProblemWhat to check
I cannot see PeriodicalsAsk your organization admin to confirm you have access to Collection Manager.
A periodical title is missingConfirm the title was added from Periodicals > Add Title or uses a periodical material type. Regular Collections hides periodical titles.
Titles are visible but the total is still updatingContinue working with the visible records. The page loads the current page first and refreshes the full matching count separately so a slow count does not block Periodicals or show a false loading error.
I imported a periodical but cannot see it in CollectionsOpen Collection Manager > Periodicals. Periodical titles are intentionally managed from the Periodicals workspace.
I do not see periodical types in Collections importUse Periodicals > Import. Collections import shows non-periodical material types only.
Issue actions are unavailableConfirm a periodical title is selected or visible in the table. If the problem continues, ask your organization admin to check your Collection Manager access.
I expected a separate report pageUse the Periodicals selection toolbar actions. Reports and exports are designed to stay inside the same workspace.