Item Maintenance: Item Barcode Is Duplicated on Multiple Items

Last updated: August 28, 2024.

Item barcodes should be unique within each institution and across the consortium. This report and maintenance project identifies when two or more item records contain identical barcode values, with exception of null values (i.e., no data assigned to the barcode field). The reasons behind duplication may vary. Some cases may represent typographical errors or and incomplete barcode scans, or use of copy and paste or templates to add part of a barcode value. Other cases may involve the use of a value that should not have been scanned as a barcode (e.g., a UPC, EAN, or ISBN); while some cases involve the use of a temporary or test value that could easily be used by any other institution.

Count Barcode Duplicated on Multiple Items, as of August 26, 2024

Items Barcodes Duplicated on Multiple Items, full list as of August 26, 2024

Report path: /Shared Folders/Carli NETWORK 01CARLI_NETWORK/Resource Management > Items, Barcode duplicated on multiple items.

Report output: Quarterly reports delivered to Secure FTP folders and Box folders.

What are the risks of duplicate barcodes?

Fulfillment transactions--loans and requests--require an exact barcode match to be filled correctly. If multiple items match the same value, Alma may select one of the matching items at random rather than report the ambiguity. This could result in the wrong item being associated with a loan or request transaction, while the correct item could still appear as available.

Where is the report and what data does it contain?

CARLI will distribute reports with filename "Items_Barcode_duplicated_on_multiple_items_XXX_yyyymmdd.xlsx" to each institution's Box and Secure FTP server folders. "XXX" represents your institution's CARLI code, and yyyymmdd represents the date of the report. All institutions should receive a report; some institutions will receive a report with no records, instead including the note, "As of [date], no item records where barcode is duplicated on multiple items."

Reports that contain data will include the following columns:

Barcode, Description, Item Copy ID, Institution Code, Library Name, Location Name, Permanent Call Number, Title, Suppressed from Discovery, MMS ID, Holding Id, Physical Item Id

It is possible that the Barcode field will appear to be empty; in these cases, the barcode includes one or more whitespace characters (e.g., blanks, tabs). Use other identifiers, such as the MMS ID or Physical Item Id to locate the records in Alma.

How should this issue be corrected?

Begin by confirming that the barcode value in the Alma item record matches the barcode on the physical item. If not, then correct the value in Alma.

If your institution contains both/all of the duplicated barcodes, assign new barcodes to the items and update the items' barcode values in Alma.

If your institution's item has a barcode matching that of another institution, change the barcode of your item, and the item barcode value in Alma, to something that will be unique across the consortium.

Example: Items have matching barcode values of 0123456.

This could be a valid barcode in a collection, but it lacks any detail that identifies the institution that owns the item. Consider adding a prefix or suffix that will be unique to your institution, even if the item does not circulate outside of your institution. If your institution already uses a unique prefix code, then replace the barcode value with an unused barcode for your institution.

e.g., 0123456 --> 35791000123456 (where 35791 is the prefix already used by the institution).

It may be possible that the item reported does not actually exist as part of your library's collection. If you determine this item is not yours, you may safely withdraw the item to delete the record from your IZ.

Is it necessary for each item to be corrected? 

While correcting one barcode for a matching pair may suffice to remove the item from the report, if the reason that the barcodes matched is not addressed, the item could land on the report again in the future. CARLI recommends that each institution correct every item reported.

Is there a list of institution barcode identifiers in use?

CARLI recommends that institutions should distinguish their barcodes from those of other institutions through the use of a code that is specific to that institution.  This code may be a numeric or alpha-numeric prefix at the beginning of each barcode, or it could be applied as a suffix on the end of each barcode. Some examples include:

• 30111
• 31234
• 32611
• A129
• A359
• AA
• SCJ

CARLI's list of I-Share Institution Identifiers includes details on prefixes used by institutions for both patron and item barcodes, as well as codes used on records in Alma. You may prefer to consult with CARLI staff before selecting a prefix or suffix, so that you do not select something in use by another institution.

Can I run this report directly in my institution zone (IZ)?

The report design may be viewed in Analytics at: /Shared Folders/Carli NETWORK 01CARLI_NETWORK/Resource Management > Items, Barcode duplicated on multiple items.

Running the report in your own IZ should reveal if any items in your collections contain duplicate barcodes. However, you will not be able to view whether your items' barcodes duplicate any other institutions' barcodes. CARLI staff must run this analysis in the network against all institutions.

How often will CARLI generate a report on this scenario?

CARLI will run this analysis on a quarterly basis.