[Koha-bugs] [Bug 7676] Barcode Prefixes

[bugzilla-daemon at bugs.koha-community.org]

http://bugs.koha-community.org/bugzilla3/show_bug.cgi?id=7676

Ian Walls <koha.sekjal at gmail.com> changed:

           What    |Removed                     |Added
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             Status|ASSIGNED                    |In Discussion

--- Comment #6 from Ian Walls <koha.sekjal at gmail.com> ---
Origin:

I believe this code came from PTFS/LL; two ByWater partners who jumped ship
brought with them as a requirement for continued operations.  The maintenance
of this code fell to me when I was with ByWater, and I've subsequently rebased,
enhanced and rewired it to keep it more or less functional for those partners.


Purpose of this development:

To allow multiple libraries with conflicting barcodes to come together into the
same Koha install without having to rebarcode their materials.  Typically, in
the US, most libraries with conflicting barcodes have too short a number (5-8
digits), where the most common standard is 14 digits, typically following this
form:

{2|3}{prefix}{zero-padded number}{check digit}

This development just glues on the prefix values (first two there, 2 is for
patron barcodes and 3 is for items) to the existing number, and zero-pads out
to a specified length.  This is a cludge at this particular format, but it does
make barcodes unique in the Koha database.


Fundamental problem:

Right now, barcode lookup is a unique process.   That is, looking for a barcode
is a 0 or 1 result affair.  If you're scanning a short barcode in an
environment where multiple libraries have that number, there is NO WAY TO KNOW
which item you mean.  You need to return multiple results, and let the user
choose.

Example:  two libraries, A (with prefix 1111) and B (with prefix 2222), have an
item barcoded '12345'. That's the number on the book itself, and that's what
comes out of the barcode scanner when scanned.  In the Koha database, however,
the two barcodes are:

31111000012345 and
32222000012345

Library A sends it's book over to Library B to fill a hold.  Library B now has
two books at the desk that scan to the exact same barcode value.  Which is
which?


Why this code is insufficient:

This development makes the assumption that the correct prefix to affix to short
barcodes is that of the CURRENTLY LOGGED IN BRANCH.  That works for libraries
that don't share back and forth, but if the above described situation ever
arose, this development would fail to properly recognize the material.


Ameliorations:

To be fair, this IS running in production on two large consortia in the US. 
These library networks have had plenty of problems with this code, most of
which are now fixed and integrated in the attached patch.  But their use case
is just one of many possible.

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