Add Media to Catalog

Add books, journals, DVDs, and other materials to your library catalog. Each media record represents a title, with media units representing individual copies.

Time required: 5-10 minutes per title

Prerequisites

Library Manager or Assistant role
Media types configured
Publishers and authors set up (optional)

Concepts

Media vs. Media Units

Term	Description	Example
Media	A title in the catalog	”Introduction to Algorithms”
Media Unit	Physical copy of media	Copy #1, Copy #2, Copy #3

One media record can have multiple media units for tracking individual copies.

Steps

Step 1: Navigate to Media

Go to OpenEduCat → Library → Media
Click Create to add a new title

Step 2: Enter Basic Information

Fill in the media details:

Field	Required	Description	Example
Name	Yes	Full title	”Introduction to Algorithms, 4th Ed”
ISBN	No	ISBN-10 or ISBN-13	”978-0262046305”
Media Type	Yes	Type of material	”Book”
Author	No	Primary author	”Thomas H. Cormen”
Publisher	No	Publishing house	”MIT Press”

Step 3: Add Publication Details

Field	Description	Example
Edition	Edition number	”4th Edition”
Publication Date	Date published	2022-04-05
Language	Primary language	”English”
Pages	Number of pages	1312

Step 4: Configure Classification

Field	Description	Example
Subject	Subject area	”Computer Science”
Call Number	Library classification	”QA76.6 .C67 2022”
Tags	Searchable keywords	”algorithms, programming, data structures”

Step 5: Set Circulation Rules

Field	Description	Example
Loan Duration	Default loan period (days)	14
Fine per Day	Overdue fine amount	5.00
Max Renewals	Times item can be renewed	2
Reference Only	Cannot be checked out	No

Step 6: Add Description

In the Description field, add:

Summary of contents
Table of contents (optional)
Notes about the resource

Step 7: Upload Cover Image

Click on the image placeholder
Upload cover image
Recommended: 300x400 pixels, JPEG/PNG

Step 8: Save Media Record

Click Save to create the media record.

Creating Media Units {#creating-units}

After creating the media record, add individual copies:

Step 1: Open Media Units Tab

In the media record, click the Units tab or Units smart button.

Step 2: Add Units

Click Add a line
Fill in unit details:

Field	Required	Description	Example
Unit Number	Yes	Copy identifier	”001”
Barcode	No	Physical barcode	”LIB-2024-00001”
Location	No	Shelf location	”A3-Shelf-2”
Condition	No	Physical condition	”Good”
Purchase Date	No	When acquired	2024-01-15
Purchase Price	No	Acquisition cost	85.00

Step 3: Set Unit Status

Status	Description
Available	Ready for circulation
Issued	Currently checked out
Reserved	Held for patron
Lost	Marked as lost
Damaged	Needs repair
Withdrawn	Removed from circulation

Step 4: Save

Click Save after adding all units.

Bulk Media Import

Import multiple media records at once:

Step 1: Prepare Import File

Create CSV file with columns:

name,isbn,media_type,author,publisher,quantity
"Introduction to Algorithms","978-0262046305","Book","Thomas Cormen","MIT Press",3
"Database Systems","978-0133970777","Book","Elmasri & Navathe","Pearson",2

Step 2: Import

Go to Media list view
Click Favorites → Import Records
Upload CSV file
Map columns to fields
Click Import

ISBN Lookup (Enterprise)

Auto-populate details from ISBN:

Enter ISBN in the field
Click Lookup ISBN button
System fetches:
- Title
- Author
- Publisher
- Publication date
- Cover image
Review and save

Media Types

Default Types

Type	Description
Book	Physical books
Journal	Periodicals, magazines
CD/DVD	Audio/video media
E-Book	Digital books (Enterprise)
Thesis	Student dissertations

Create New Type

Go to Library → Configuration → Media Types
Click Create
Enter:
- Name
- Code
- Default loan duration
- Default fine amount

Field Reference

Media Record

Technical Field	UI Label	Type	Notes
`name`	Name	Char	Required, title
`isbn`	ISBN	Char	ISBN-10 or ISBN-13
`media_type_id`	Media Type	Many2one	Links to media type
`author_ids`	Authors	Many2many	Multiple authors
`publisher_id`	Publisher	Many2one	Publishing house
`edition`	Edition	Char	Edition info
`publish_date`	Publication Date	Date	When published
`language`	Language	Selection	Primary language
`page_count`	Pages	Integer	Number of pages
`subject_ids`	Subjects	Many2many	Subject areas
`call_number`	Call Number	Char	Classification
`tags`	Tags	Char	Keywords
`loan_duration`	Loan Duration	Integer	Days
`fine_per_day`	Fine/Day	Float	Currency amount
`max_renewals`	Max Renewals	Integer	Renewal limit
`is_reference`	Reference Only	Boolean	No checkout
`description`	Description	Html	Summary

Media Unit

Technical Field	UI Label	Type	Notes
`media_id`	Media	Many2one	Parent media
`unit_number`	Unit Number	Char	Copy ID
`barcode`	Barcode	Char	Physical barcode
`location`	Location	Char	Shelf location
`condition`	Condition	Selection	Physical state
`status`	Status	Selection	Availability
`purchase_date`	Purchase Date	Date	Acquisition date
`purchase_price`	Price	Float	Cost

Troubleshooting

”ISBN already exists”

Duplicate ISBN detected. Either:

Find existing record and add units
Check ISBN is correct
Allow duplicate if different edition

Media not appearing in search

Check that:

Record is saved (not draft)
Search includes correct media type
Name or ISBN matches query

Cannot add units

Verify:

Media record is saved
You have edit permissions
Unit number is unique

Barcode conflict

Each barcode must be unique:

Check existing barcodes
Use systematic numbering
Consider prefix by media type