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

Area	What it is for
Header	Shows the Periodicals title, active counters, and quick actions.
Add Title	Opens the Add Title catalogue form, limited to periodical material types such as newspaper, magazine, journal, newsletter, bulletin, and user-defined periodicals.
Import	Opens the same validation and preview import screen used by Collections, limited to periodical material types.
Search, Smart List, and filters	Lets 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 views	Refresh, 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. Current Shelf Location shows the recorded location or locations for the current issue, or - when none is set. 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 toolbar	Appears only after one or more titles are selected and stays at the top of the Periodicals table while the page scrolls. The selected count remains a compact single-line badge; on a narrow window, the actions remain reachable beside it or by horizontal scrolling in the Standalone app. 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 actions	Keeps View 360, Record Arrival, Copy Information, and Edit Catalog in one action menu. Archive and export workflows stay in the selection toolbar.
Page messages	Shows 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.

The compact header keeps the title, record count, and loading time together. Header actions stay reachable without stretching the count or timing badges; Refresh can also be reached with the keyboard.

Dropdown fields in the Libcodesk WebApp use the same menu design in Periodicals and its popups. The selected choice is highlighted with a check, and the menu stays inside the visible screen. Use Up and Down Arrow, Enter or Space, and Escape with a keyboard, or tap the field and choice on a touch screen.

Recommended Workflow

To narrow the list by category, open Filters, choose one Publication Type, then choose Category. Category choices support search and pagination. Changing the publication type clears the old category. Uncategorized includes titles without a recorded category; older recorded category values remain available. Choose All to remove the category restriction, or Retry if the choices could not load. Category filtering does not change arrival schedules or copy records.

1. Open Collection Manager > Periodicals.
2. Use Add Title to catalogue a newspaper, magazine, journal, newsletter, bulletin, or user-defined periodical title. Copies to create starts at 0: leave it at zero to save only the subscription title, or enter one or more copies and complete the issue date and shelf details to record the first arrival at the same time. A zero-copy title immediately offers Record Arrival and No Arrival in the register; an initial arrival updates the Copies and Latest Issue Date values and appears under Current issue in Copy Information. 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. In Image Entry, choose Gallery or Camera; both actions stay readable on desktop and remain side by side on mobile.
3. Use the Record Arrival button beside a title when that title has no received issues or when its next issue is due today. You can also open Record Arrival from the row action menu or from Copy Information when the current issue count is zero.
4. If the vendor missed today's delivery, use No Arrival from the Record Arrival column. The action buttons are replaced by a dated No Arrival badge for that cycle, and the informational notice closes automatically after four seconds. The buttons return when the next issue is due.
5. Enter the owning library, issue date, shelf location, publication date, lending restriction, optional volume and issue number, vendor, price, and remarks. As you type the shelf location, choose a matching saved location from the suggestions or continue with a new value. Suggestions follow the owning library selected in the popup. 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. Dragging across a sortable heading scrolls the wide table without running a search or changing the sort; select the heading without dragging when you want to sort.
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. Open the title action menu and choose View 360 to review the full catalogue record without changing it. The same read-only view is available from table and grid layouts in the Libcodesk WebApp and the Standalone app. On a phone or narrow window, open the card action menu and tap View 360; keyboard users can open the same menu and select the action with Enter or Space.
10. Click the Copies count to open Copy Information. The Copies badge in the main periodicals list shows the physical-copy total for the Current issue only. 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. The number beside each scope remains the physical-copy total for that scope; All includes every issue copy, while the list badge matches Current issue. A No Arrival history entry remains visible for follow-up but does not increase these physical-copy totals. 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.
11. 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. After saving, the updated catalogue details appear without reopening the page. Active search, filters, view, page, and scroll position remain available; a title may leave the current results if the change no longer matches them.

Importing Periodicals

Use Periodicals > Import when the file contains periodical titles and subscription details. Import creates the title record only. A newly imported title therefore starts with Copies: 0 and Current issues: 0 until staff save its first Record Arrival.

After selecting the periodical material type, Download Template includes only its currently enabled catalogue and copy fields. A hidden accession, barcode, shelf, or other field is not added to the downloaded CSV; download a fresh template after changing Material Type settings.

Select a row's red or amber status badge, correct the issue inside the opened popup, then close it. When the final issue is resolved, Libcodesk automatically validates the corrected rows. After the preview reaches Need attention: 0, the correction prompt clears and Import Valid Rows becomes available. Use Retry validation only when attention items remain or you want to run the check again manually.

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.

Periodical import uses these title-master rules:

• A blank Library column uses the active library shown in the main page header. The preview shows the resolved library; if no accessible library is available, the row cannot be marked Ready.
• Copy-count, accession, shelf, arrival, and other physical issue fields do not create inventory during title import. Record each received issue with Record Arrival after the title exists.
• Title, publisher, publication schedule, category, language, and other catalogue details remain available for the imported master record.
• 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.
• If any Ready row is rejected while saving, the popup stays open and shows the first failed row when details are available. Correct the row, validate again, and retry; a retry starts a new import attempt.
• After a completed import, a green page message confirms how many periodicals were imported. If duplicate rows were skipped, the message is amber and includes the duplicate count. A red message is reserved for an import that failed and needs attention; detailed counts and elapsed time remain in the import progress report.
• You may select the same spreadsheet for a new attempt after deleting its previously imported periodicals. Libcodesk creates a fresh import attempt and restores the deleted catalogue placement; the filename alone does not make the file a duplicate. Matching active periodicals and copy identifiers are still checked normally.

Receiving And Archiving Issues

Record Arrival appears in the title table when no issue has been received yet, or when Libcodesk can see that the next issue is due today from the title frequency and latest issue date. For a zero-copy title, you can also open Copy Information and choose Record Arrival there. Use No Arrival when the vendor did not deliver an expected issue, so staff can follow up without pretending a physical copy was received.

After an arrival is saved, the Record Arrival column shows the latest received issue date instead of returning to a blank dash. When another issue is due, the receiving actions remain available and the latest received date stays visible below them.

Record Arrival creates periodical copy rows for the selected title. Enter Copy Count when more than one physical copy arrived for the same issue, or use the plus button to increase the count one copy at a time. Each click updates the visible count immediately, and saving the arrival creates that number of copy rows. 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.

Every received physical copy has its own Periodical Issue Key, even when several copies belong to the same dated issue and the library does not use accession numbers. Libcodesk generates a short title/date key with a sequence such as TITLE-2026-10-12-01, TITLE-2026-10-12-02, and so on. The shared dated issue remains grouped in Copy Information, while each physical copy keeps a distinct tracking key.

Issue keys remain stable after they are assigned. If an earlier copy is deleted, its sequence can remain as a gap; Libcodesk continues after the highest existing sequence instead of renumbering copies or reusing the deleted key.

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. Select an issue row with a click or with Enter/Space; the active row is highlighted. Use Add Copy or Edit Copies beside Close in the modal footer to work with that active issue. In Libcodesk WebApp, editable issue and publication dates keep the organization's displayed date format and provide a calendar button; selecting a calendar date stores the same normalized date used by the Standalone app. The issue grid therefore stays focused on issue information without a separate Actions column. After opening an issue with Add Copy, use Add Copies again for every additional copy received in the same issue, then save them together. New copies inherit the selected issue details, and staff can adjust the copy-specific fields before saving. On a narrow window, the footer actions wrap into reachable full-width controls without changing which issue is active.

In Libcodesk WebApp, switch to the copy-row view and use the row checkboxes when accidental unused copies must be removed. The header checkbox selects or clears the currently visible copy rows. Delete Selected appears only while at least one copy is selected. Libcodesk allows this only for copies with no circulation, reservation, or transaction history. Enter the reason and the shown confirmation code to stage the removal, then choose Save to update the copy count. If the final copy is removed, the title returns to the zero-copy arrival workflow. The Standalone app does not include this WebApp-only deletion control.

When Current issue, Past issues, or Archived issues has no records, Copy Information shows a centered message for that scope instead of an empty table header or scrollbar. Switch to another scope, or add/receive an issue when you are ready to create the first record. The All scope keeps the normal table view.

The selected-row action bar uses an outlined Clear action with an X icon. It removes the current row selection without clearing the active periodical filters or deleting records.

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. After you edit and save a selected past issue, Copy Information returns to the issue list and keeps that issue selected, so the archive action remains available without selecting it again. 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. The Copies badge shows the current issue's physical copies and remains the quick path to open the full Copy Information table, where past, archived, and all counts stay available.
• Leaving Copies to create at 0 adds the title without an issue or physical copy. Entering one or more copies while adding the title records those copies as the current issue, using the entered issue date and shelf details.
• The Periodicals table follows the Collections table pattern: movable columns, sortable supported headings, horizontal scrolling, row selection, and pagination. In the Standalone app, the selection checkbox, periodical title, and remaining columns move together when you scroll horizontally; no left-side column stays fixed over the results. 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.
• On phones and narrow windows, the title metrics wrap safely and the Refresh, Add Title, Import, MARC Import, and view-switch actions use equal-sized touch targets in a two-column layout.
• 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.
• Edit Catalog also supports older saved periodical categories. An older category remains visible in the form even when it is not part of the current category list, so staff can keep it or choose a current value without recreating the title.
• Cloud setup and Local setup remain separate. Work done in one setup does not silently sync to the other.

Troubleshooting

Problem	What to check
I cannot see Periodicals	Ask your organization admin to confirm you have access to Collection Manager.
A periodical title is missing	Confirm 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 updating	Continue 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 Collections	Open Collection Manager > Periodicals. Periodical titles are intentionally managed from the Periodicals workspace.
I do not see periodical types in Collections import	Use Periodicals > Import. Collections import shows non-periodical material types only.
All rows were Ready, but some did not import	Read the failed-row message in the import popup. Confirm the active library is correct, correct the named row, validate again, and retry. The validated rows remain in the popup until you close it or the import succeeds.
Issue actions are unavailable	Confirm 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 page	Use the Periodicals selection toolbar actions. Reports and exports are designed to stay inside the same workspace.