We have been doing this for periodicals for the title as a whole by putting a barcode where the title is shelved.
We placed a barcode on the title holder frame on the shelf, e.g.
Title
Barcode
(the title holder frames face towards a person. Since the barcode is in the title holder frame, it can be moved with the title if we shift titles)
This same barcode number was then entered into the single item record for the print periodical as a whole. After the barcoding of the shelves and records was finished, we did a printout from a review file in order to check that the barcodes matched up correctly.
We use a Percon portable scanner. Each time an issue is reshelved, the barcode on the shelf is scanned. If a student is shelving three issues of the same title, she/he scans the barcode three times.
Usually on Friday afternoons, the barcodes from the Percon are downloaded into our system and the Internal Use (INTL USE) field in the Item Record is updated. I would prefer Periodicals download more often (I worry about the batteries running low), but they have found once a week adequate so far.
We started a test run in January 2001. After zeroing out the INTL USE fields, we started for real at the beginning of Spring Quarter (March 2001).
Sandra Card
Systems Librarian and Technical Services Specialist
John F. Kennedy Memorial Library
5151 State University Dr.
California State University, Los Angeles 90032-8300
scard@xxxxxxxxxx
(323)343-4894 fax: (323)343-3992