Library Barcode Labels - a Guide

It is important to pick the location of barcode labels on library materials carefully, because there are various drawbacks and benefits to different locations. Library barcodes, when purchased for an entire collection, can be expensive, so many libraries only purchase one label per item. If you only plan to place one barcode on each item, then there are two main factors to consider: the longevity of the barcode, and the convenience it offers.

Placing the barcode on the inside back cover of a book offers good protection. Affixed to the inside of the book, the barcode will encounter less wear-and-tear and will be less likely to get picked off. As a result, your barcodes will last longer, and over time, fewer barcodes will have to be replaced. Furthermore, if you plan to use book pockets or due-date slips, barcodes placed inside books will increase the efficiency of your check-out system.

If you do not plan to use due-date slips or book pockets, however, placing your barcodes inside the back covers of books may not be the most efficient system. Placing the barcode on the outside cover allows you to take inventory and perform in-house scanning without opening the booking or, if the label is placed on the spine, without removing it from the shelf.

In order to establish a library barcode system, a unique item number must be assigned to each circulation item, and a corresponding barcode must be placed somewhere on each item’s surface or interior. The barcode is essentially a visual representation of the item number, which can be read electronically by a scanner. Furthermore, each item number (and, by extension, each barcode) is linked to a unique item record stored on a computer database.

With thousands and possibly hundreds of thousands of books, movies, magazines etc. in one collection, it can be difficult to make sure everything is properly linked. The challenge is to place the correct barcode on the correct item and to link both of them to the correct entry in the computer database. There are two approaches to doing so and two different types of barcodes to help you achieve your goal.

Dumb barcodes are less expensive to produce than smart barcodes and can be applied at random to the items in your collection. Dumb barcodes are barcodes that have not been linked to specific item records in your database. As a result, once they have been applied, your library staff will have to link the barcode on each book to the appropriate entry in your database. This will entail locating each book’s item record in the database, and either manually typing in the barcode number or using a scanner to scan it in.

Unlike dumb barcodes, each smart barcode is pre-assigned to an item records before it is printed. This is useful because it avoids the tedious work of linking each books and barcode to the correct item record in the database. Smart barcodes are usually produced by sending a full list of books and other inventory items to a vendor who then generates barcodes for each item and prints them out. For libraries with a comprehensive call-number system it is easy to apply smart barcodes, because they are usually printed according to shelf order. Since shelf arrangement is critical to the process, a preliminary self reading campaign should be considered to make sure everything is in order.