Re: Barcode searching in webopac

[Alma Garcia <almag@xxxxxxxxxx>]

We added a barcode search at the request of our reference staff.  You 
can see it at http://library/screens/other.html  I just entered my 
patron barcode ad got  nothing, but the page header and footer.    We do 
not require PINs for out patron at this time.

Alma

Elizabeth Thomsen wrote:

> I know that this has been discussed before, and I've read previous 
> messages by Corey and Mieko and others on this topic, but it's an 
> issue that we're revisiting and I'm finding myself somewhat 
> unsatisfied with the way things work.
>
> The reason that we're interested enabling barcode searching is 
> primarily so we can create booklists that link by barcode.  We do lots 
> of linked booklists, using various types of links: title, ISBN, 
> keyword, record number, etc.  There are good and bad things about all 
> of these types of links, but we'd like to be able to add linking by 
> barcode to our repetoire.  And we also want to have staff be able to 
> do barcode searching.  There should be no harm in having patrons 
> search this way, although there may be little benefit.
>
> We've looked at the issue of patron barcodes being found in the same 
> index, and as far as we can see, this only identifies the existence of 
> a particular barcode, and doesn't display any information from the 
> patron record.  Our patrons can only access their records if they have 
> been issued an individual PIN, so we don't see this as a security issue.
>
> However, we do see one weird thing.  On the screen that you get when 
> you search a patron barcode, there is a Request button.  If you click 
> on that, you end up placing a bib level hold on the bib record whose 
> record number corresponds to the patron number.  In other words, the p 
> number is read as a b number, and you've placed a hold on a bib.  Now, 
> I'm not sure how often this will happen, and it would only happen if 
> someone sees that the system can search by barcode, tries a patron 
> barcode, and then tries placing a hold just to see what happens.  
> (After all, the idea of allowing patrons to place holds on other 
> patrons is rather an intriguing one!)
>
> Has anyone had this happen?  Any ideas on how to offer barcode 
> searching without allowing the system to find patron barcodes?
>

-- 
Alma García			Library Systems Administrator
Mills College Library		510-430-2021	
5000 MacArthur Blvd.		510-430-3155 fax
Oakland, CA  94613