[Koha-devel] The Ghost Library (Field derived idea)

[Nicholas Rosasco]

While getting my usual pulp murder mystery fix at my local library, I went
hunting for a particular author... and discovered (after a confused moment
with the brochure listing the branches in their system) that I was
attempting to local a as-yet-nonexistant library.  Specifically, a branch
that did not exist in physical form, but rather in a warehouse while they
waited for a building to be built -- and whose collections were listed even
tho' unavailable.

I can see other uses for the ability to create 'phantom branches' --
branches that do not ever show to patrons at all.  After a brief discussion
with the information desk, I found out that their existing app (I assume it
is commercial, or commercially based -- it says DRA Web with a copyright
notice) apparently can't suppress this phantom from patron viewing.

You can, in fact, attempt this yourself
http://206.15.40.1:8032/MARION
is the library catalog,
search for author "Roberts John Maddox"
and try almost any of the "additional holdings" list -- anything you see
that says Crofton isn't accessible even to the staff, being locked up
somewhere.

Nick