Item Records
Overview
What are Item records?
Item records contain information about the items attached to your holdings records.
Item records are linked to holdings records. They are created:
- Automatically for:
- Print or Physical One Time orders
- Holdings and item records are created when a POL is created
- Upon Receiving for:
- Print or Physical Subscription orders
- Holdings records are only created when a POL is created
- Items records are created when they are received (Acquisitions>Receiving and Invoicing>Receive)
- Manually for:
- Standing orders
- They do not create holdings or item records. Holdings and item records are created in the MD Editor
- Existing items in the collection that are not in Alma
The relationship between Holding, item and Bib Records
The holding record provides the link between the bibliographic record and the physical inventory (items). They work together in a hierarchy where:
- A bibliographic metadata record (MD) is independent of any holdings or items and may exist in the system without such.
- Holdings records must be linked to a bibliographic record (MMS id), however, they do not require any item records.
- Item records must be attached to holdings records.
- A single MD record may have multiple holdings records linked to it.
- A single holdings record may have multiple item records attached to it.
Item Records Content
What is in an Item Record?
The Alma item record consists of a great number of fields including
- an indication of the item’s availability
- item barcode,
- temporary and permanent locations,
- material type,
- fulfillment (circulation) policy,
- enumeration and chronology fields for serials,
- and numerous fields for registering note information – e.g. internal note, fulfillment note etc.
Training and Documentation
