Deleting Empty Bib Records

Occasionally you will come across a title in the catalog that does not have any copies attached to it. We call that an empty bib record. System has several processes to "clean up" these empty bibs.

Once a month, System runs a routine that deletes all of the copies with a status = 'wd' or withdrawn. Any bib records that end up empty through this process are deleted in a separate process once or twice a month as staff time permits.

For bib records that end up empty from other processes, System tries to clean those up at least every six weeks, but sometimes it stretches out longer. These empty bibs are harder to do because System staff have to examine them one-by-one. In some cases, the empty bib is actually a current title undergoing cataloging and in the case of world language materials, it can take weeks to get items attached. In other cases, one of the System members may input on order record, but doesn't create any copies as they should. So it's not a simple matter of "just delete all the empty bibs".

If you encounter an empty bib record you think should be deleted, report it to Cataloging using the Catalog Correction Form found on OZ. Clean up is an ongoing process and just like doing the dishes, there's always a new batch to "wash" every day.


rev. 1/2020

Request List Numbering Oddity

Every once in a while you may come across a request list where the number to the left of the customer's name does not match their number in the queue. For example, in the screen shot below Customer #1 Hauser, Paul B is #46 in the queue. This is an occasional bug where the request order numbers do not get reset as they are filled. We don’t know why it happens. But it doesn’t affect the order in which the holds are filled.

Requests by Minors on R-Rated Movies

Most of the time, a minor is prevented from even requesting an R-rated movie since our policy restricts them from checking this type of movie out (http://www.fresnolibrary.org/card/vpolicy.html). However, sometimes you will see a minor's account on the request list for an R-rated movie. How is that possible? It's complicated, but everything hinges on the itypes of the items attached to the title and whether or not the request was made through Horizon,  ValleyCat or the Enterprise catalog. If you notice an R-rate movie with requests made by minors, here's what is happening:

> At least one of the copies will not have an R-rated itype.
> Usually these copies are from another SJVLS member. They will have an itype that restricts the item from checking out to another System member, but not address the R-rating. These itypes have the word "new" in the description.
> If the minor makes a request on an R-rated movie that has copies with this mix of itypes, ValleyCat will allow the request. It cannot analyze both of these circulation rules at the same time. So it ignores the R-rated rule and allows the request.
> However, if the request was made in Horizon or the Enterprise catalog, both rules will be enforced. And in fact, these requests by minors will never actually be filled. Horizon will ignore these requests, skip over them and fill the allowable requests.





rev. 8/2018