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Sources

A source says where a copy comes from: bought by the library, given by someone, lent by a partner library.

It belongs to the copy, not to the book. That matters: you may well have two copies of the same title, one bought by Ofelia, the other lent by the library next door.

Creating a source

From Advanced, open Sources, then click New source.

  • Code — short, no spaces: OFELIA, BM-GE, DON-DUPONT
  • Full name — what librarians will see in lists: "On loan from Geneva Library"
  • Notes — the contact, the expected return date, the terms of the deposit

Assigning a source

Three ways, from the fastest to the most piecemeal:

  1. While cataloguing — when you start a scanning batch, pick a default source: every copy in the batch will get it. That is the right method for a box of borrowed books.
  2. From the catalog — tick Search copies, select the lines you want, then Assign a source.
  3. One copy at a time — the Source field on the copy form.

The Excel import also accepts a PROVENANCE column.

Returning a borrowed collection

This is the case that justifies all the rest:

  1. Open the Catalog
  2. Tick Search copies
  3. Filter on the source concerned
  4. Select all, then Delete the selected copies

You see the exact list before confirming. The copies disappear, the records stay in the catalog.

Check current loans

The confirmation screen tells you how many of these books are out with a reader. Their loan will be closed as "lost" — better to get them back first, or wait for them to be returned.

Deleting a source

As long as one copy still uses it, BibliOfelia refuses to delete it: that would lose the only trace of where those books came from. The screen then offers to show you the copies concerned so you can deal with them first.

See also