Requirements Analysis: Multi-part title requesting and fulfillment
Current situation or problem: Requests for multivolume series and continuing resources can only be done at the item level. Patrons should be able to request a volume or issue of a series/title without having to specify or select the copy. This is highly valued by public libraries and consortia that serve both public and academic libraries.
In scope: Working with (and maybe expanding if needed) the newly implemented title level request functionality (Lotus & Morning Glory, and Ramsons releases). The solution will need to work for both single and multi-tenant configurations. This will require multiple features.
Examples of controlled vocabulary
Source field | Designators | Preferred term in FOLIO |
490$v | Volume, Vol., v., Vol, v, V, vol | Vol. |
part, p., pt., Part can be considered equivalents
will cover different languages, numerals, and alphabets
Assessment and recommendations (Tim A.)
Hypothesis: All problems noted above can be solved if one foundational piece was put into place -- create item records for all pieces of a multi-part work. For example, if an instance has a series statement, use the series statement (e.g. volumes 1-6) to create six item records. When someone makes a request for the item and that item proves to be on-shelf, then add a barcode to the item record and fill the request.
The proposed solution assumes the following:
Use of a controlled vocabulary to normalize the designator values (e.g. $v - Volume/sequential designation) across all instance records. This type of controlled vocabulary would be managed via a customer controlled table to transform the existing volume designation within the bibliographic record.
In turn, when creating item records, the transformed bib volume designation would be populated in the item record volume statement. For example, a record with a 490$v1-6 would create an item record for $v1, $v2, $v3, etc.
When updating item records, each FOLIO item record volume statement would be replaced with the corresponding normalized statement.
When multiple copies exist, each item record will be updated with the corresponding normalized volume statement.
When a bib has a set of item records that do not represent all volume designators, item records will be created to represent the full range of volume statements. For example, if the library has items for v1-3 but not v4-6, item records for each volume will be created.
Automatically adding barcodes is not a part of the solution. Adding a barcode would only be necessary if the item was requested. As part of the inventory process, library staff would need to add a physical barcode to the item and add it to the FOLIO item record. This is a common process in libraries for un-inventoried items.
With the creation of item records, it is assumed that reasonable defaults or derived data from bib and holdings records should be used to populate location, material type and other required data elements.
All transformations and item creation will be performed as its own project and not performed on-the-fly as part of the request process. The intention of this development is to directly transform the existing data as a single service executed by hosting (we can talk about who does it later). Also, at a minimum the, transform layer should be usable by other FOLIO applications (e.g. FOLIO data import application) and the FOLIO API.
Must support Locate (and discovery) in the requesting of items.
Locate/discovery must support the selection of a volume in the user requesting process.
Locate/discovery must support FOLIO by selecting the correct item.
Goals
To always know when a patron is requesting a serial or monograph.
To always allow the user to select the part/volume, not an item or set of copies.
To always know which item to automatically select [based on existing requesting rules].
To never ask the patron to type free text describing which volume/part they want.
To never ask the librarian to read patron generated free text describing which volume/part they want.
To consistently present the normalized version of terms (i.e. controlled vocabulary) and numerics (e.g. arabic or roman dependent on customer controlled vocabulary) throughout all applications.
To always know which items belong to which volume and where each copy resides. [yep, dev done!].
Support batch requesting a single copy of each volume in series or a subset of all volumes in a series.
Dependencies
Data import
Inventory
Mod-search
Browse by series UXPROD-3741 (also required by GALILEO)
Bulk edit
Requests
Mediated requests (LOC LCSG requirement for congressional loans)
FQM
Edge APIs
API
Locate/EDS/Discovery
OpenRS (not LOC)
Test: take all requirements and concerns and address them one-by-one. (In progress)
Number | Requirement | Hypothesis supported? | Notes |
1.1 | A patron needs vol 52 of Science, but they don't care if it is coming from Library A, B or the Annex. | Yes | How does item selection work copies at different locations? See TLS. Pages v. holds |
1.2 | A patron would like season 3 of the Walking Dead tv show, but doesn't care which copy they receive | Yes | Same as 1.1? |
1.3 | Reserves staff needs the 5th edition of Principles of Biology to place on reserves (in this case the title may be cataloged as a series) | TBD | Editions are different than multi-part works. Is there a legitimate case for a bib to define multiple editions via a series statement? |
1.4
| As a patron I want book 9 of Virgil's Aeneid but I don't care which copy I get
| Yes | Same as 1.1? |
1.5 | A library has a serial that is partially inventoried and not all volumes have item records. These need to be requestable by patrons. | Yes |
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1.6 | A library has a serial that is partially inventoried; not all volumes have item records
| Yes | Same as 1.5 |
1.7 | Request placed by title of the series; volume needed typed into comments field and/or volumes before 1999 incomplete
| Yes | If we create an item record for each record, is this a valid use case? |
1.8 | A patron has found a title in a catalog. They look at the holding statement and need issue 56 out 80; they request the name of the articles and page numbers so just that can be filled, not the whole issue (currently occurs through Illiad which does not connect directly to Voyager) | Yes | Case: uninventoried records |
1.9 | A patron needs volumes 33-83 of an uninventoried serial run. They need the ability to get their requested items without putting in fifty individual requests. | Yes | Case: uninventoried records but, there is a wrinkle here -- batch requesting. Implementation in the UI should be straight-forward; batch processing a little less so. If this is at the |
2.0 | As a public services librarian, I would like to decrease the number of accidental requests made for a volume. | Yes |
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2.1 | As a patron, I would like to always request with confidence the correct part of a multi-part work. | Yes |
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2.2 | As a patron, I would like the system to automatically select the best copy for the title and part that I am entitled to request | Yes | We may need special routing rules if there is a preference to get all on-shelf available items from the same location as much as possible. |
2.3 | As a patron, I would like to be presented with a list of volumes so that I can select one, many or all associated volumes. |
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2.4 | As a public services librarian,, I would prefer that all requests for a batch of volumes to be directed to one location so they are easier and faster to retrieve. |
| This needs some details re operations. |
2.5 | Need another one here |
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2.6 | Need another one here |
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2.7 | As a cataloger, I would like FOLIO to apply a controlled vocabulary to all multipart works so that variations in spelling and abbreviations that have the same meaning are interpreted as the same. | Yes | Guess who wrote this user story? ;-) |
2.8 | Need another one here |
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2.9 | Need another one here |
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