Textbooks Management is where you add, view, duplicate, move, and modify standard information about the items in your database. To access it directly, add /textbooks or /tt-items to the end of your Alexandria URL.
Textbooks Video Playlist
Related Tips
Textbook Preferences
Textbook FAQs
Textbooks Management gives you a record list on the left, and shows the current record on the right. Navigate between the Textbook Tabs (Publication, Copies, Adoption, and Notes). Click the padlock to lock/unlock the interface for editing.
Actions Menu
Remove title. Permanently removes the textbook record and all of its copies.
Duplicate title. Creates a new title that’s identical to the current title.
Quick export. Quickly exports the selected title record as a .txt file
Move copies to this title. Moves copies to the current title from another title. This feature is helpful when a copy is mistakenly imported (or added) to the wrong title. Once you click on this option, a dialog box will pop up. Choose if you want to enter a barcode list or range to identify the copies to be moved. If Remove source titles with no copies is checked, titles that end up without any copies will be removed.
Title statistics. Shows title-specific circulation information.
Merge title. Get rid of duplicate titles, while retaining history for all copies, and updating the title history to reflect actual usage.
Copies are required to have a status of Available in order to be moved. Check a copy’s status on the Information tab of the copy record.
Basic Info
The basic information pane shows when viewing any tab, and contains the essential information for this title.
Title. Title of the textbook or asset.
Author. The suggested format is the author’s last name, followed by a comma, followed by the author’s first name (i.e. Downey, Phil). This field can also be used for manufacturer etc.
Title ID. This ID is defined by each school and can contain any combination of numbers and characters. Common Title IDs are the library call number, vendor stock numbers, or a unique course number. This should be unique for each textbook in your collection.
Title ID can be similar to a ‘call number’ but it must be unique. If you develop a scheme for your Title Ids, you can use them to easily select by specific ranges of titles in reports and utilities.
Textbooks FAQ
How do I check in a Temporary item barcode?
Temporary items are checked in the same way as other items. However, once the temporary item is checked back in, the transaction record and temporary item (barcode) information are removed from Alexandria. As a result, you will no longer be able to see any information regarding the temporary item after it has been checked in.
I am adding several eBooks to our collection. How should I catalog them?
Cataloging eBooks is simple but slightly different from what you may be used to. Unlike a book with a physical copy, eBooks do not require a copy barcode. Please visit our free online support center for Best Practices for eBooks to find out all the steps you will need to catalog your eBooks.
I have multiple copies of the same book with different title records. Is there a way to combine them?
Yes, merging the title records is an easy process. Please follow the steps below to complete this:
Open Items
Search for the title records you wish to merge and choose the one you want to keep
Unlock the program
Select the Actions Menu
Choose Move Copies to Title
Enter the barcodes of the copies you want to move
Select Save
Once you have moved the copies, you can delete the title record you no longer need.
Which MARC tag and subfield do I use?
In Alexandria, it’s easy to catalog items whether you understand MARC tags and subfields or not. However, if you can’t find a spot for the information you want to add in a title record, you may need to switch to MARC View and add it that way. So… where can you go to find information about what each tag and subfield represents?
The Library of Congress (LOC) website has a special section devoted to MARC tags and fields, which shows what each tag and subfield represent and examples of how each is used.
Click on Bibliographic under the MARC Formats section or Bibliographic under the MARC LITE section.
Use the Table of Contents to select a portion of MARC information you would like to learn about.
Use links from the resulting page to view specific tag information.
You can also click Read About This Tag when looking at a specific tag in MARC View to go straight to the relevant LOC page.
MARC LITE is a subset of the full MARC 21 Bibliographic Format. It includes all essential data elements that are needed to create bibliographic descriptions of information items. Records using only those elements are valid MARC records and may be integrated with fuller records without alteration.
How can I get a list of all items that are checked out and their due dates?
To get a list of all the items that are checked out along with their due dates, follow these simple steps:
Select Operations
Select Reports
Categories: Circulation
Select Loaned Items Information
Select Run
Once the report is generated, you can see all the checked-out items along with their due dates. Any due date that appears in red indicates that the item is overdue.
School has started and I want to clean up my item records. Is there an easy way to clean up mediums and genres?
You can do this in Authority Control, which is the part of the program that helps a user manage terms and edit, modify, or even remove them when no longer in use. To access Authority Control go to Tools and select Authority Control. You will find terms listed under both patron and item field headings.
By using the gear at the top you can select “Remove unused terms” to clean up some of these fields. This will only remove a term if none are entered into an item or patron record under the corresponding field. If you have any questions about best practices for managing Authority Control terms we recommend you call Customer Support for guidance and advice.