BARCODE HELP A Plan for Barcoding Textbooks Barcoding may seem like a tedious task. However, pre-planning will make the barcoding tasks very simple. It actually can take as little as 4-8 hours per school, depending on the number of textbooks and helpers. Sample Table Showing Estimated Hours Needed To Barcode Your Textbooks (applying 75 barcodes per hour per person) Elementary School Middle School High School # students 450 1,000 2,000 # books per student * 10 12 15 # total books 4,500 12,000 30,000 # workers / # hrs needed 5 / 12 5 / 32 5 / 80 # workers / # hrs needed 10 /6 10 / 16 10 / 40 # workers / # hrs needed 15 / 4 15 / 10½ 15 / 26½ = includes classroom sets, textbooks, dictionaries, novels, etc. If your textbooks have not been barcoded, decide which textbooks, if any, will not be barcoded. For example, you may decide not to barcode textbooks in their last year of adoption, student workbooks, dictionaries or textbooks on loan from another source. On the other hand, you should consider barcoding student editions that are currently in circulation, teacher editions, teacher resources, workbooks, novels, paperback classics and/or dictionaries. Follett recommends using Code 3 of 9 symbology for your barcodes. This symbology is supported by Follett scanners and PHDs. Be sure to verify that you do not have multiple barcode symbologies within your school site(s)/district. On the top of the barcode, your district name should be used instead of the school s name. For more information on barcode symbologies, please see the section with that title later in this document. Barcode Placement Follett s barcode labels include the actual barcode and an identity strip that will allow you to identify the book should the barcode be removed. The identity strip should be placed on an inconspicuous page in the book such as the copyright page, bibliography page or index. The use of the identity strip is optional but strongly recommended. YOUR DISTRICT NAME 12345678910112 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 0 1 1 2 BARCODE IDENTITY Barcode Glossary 2/2003 Page 1
Outside Back Cover Outside Front Cover Spine The barcode can be placed in one location inside or outside the book. Follett suggests placing the barcode on the back cover in slot A or B for easy scanning. Place the barcode at least a finger-width away from the book edge and the spine gutter. If using label protectors, be sure to allow for overlap. To avoid confusion with the ISBN barcode, do not place your barcode in the lower portion of the back cover. Ideally, extended student breaks such as summer break, spring break and Christmas break are the best times to start and complete the barcoding project. However, with dedication and great organization any school can complete the barcoding project even if school is in session. Here are some suggested steps to follow. Assign a project leader The fastest and easiest way to affix barcodes is to gather all the textbooks in a large centralized location like a book room, gym, or cafeteria where there is minimal traffic so teams of workers can affix the barcodes and still keep the textbooks organized. Organize people groups to aid in the barcode application and textbook distribution processes. Members of the community / Parent volunteers Honor society students and other student groups Principals, Vice Principals, Textbook Coordinators, Librarians Barcode Terminology Textbook, Library and Patron Type Identifier one digit character that distinguishes the item type such as a textbook or library book from a patrons. For example, a school may choose 1 = library books, 4 = textbooks, and 2 = patrons. For Code 39 Mod 10 this character is numeric. For Code 39 Mod 43 this character is alphanumeric. For Follett Classic, the type identifier defaults to T = library books, X = textbooks, and P = patrons Location Code optional 4 digits that represent the school or district number for identification purposes. For example, a school may choose 0114 as their location code since their school number within the district is #114. For Mod 10 these characters are numeric. For Mod 43 these characters are alphanumeric. For Generic Code 39 it is alphanumeric. This helps to identify the original owner of a textbook before textbooks are loaned across the district. Barcode Glossary 2/2003 Page 2
Textbook or Patron Number the unique sequential number assigned to a textbook or patron. These characters are numeric for all Follett barcodes. Check Digit the last character in a 14-digit Mod 10 or Mod 43 barcode used by the scanner to determine the validity of the previous characters in the barcode and the accuracy of the scan. The scanned digits (1 13) are run through a specific algorithm and the check digit (14) is computed. The mathematical answer must match the printed last character on the barcode before the scanned barcode number is read by the scanner and sent into the application. For Mod 10 this character is numeric (digits 0-9). For Mod 43 this character is alphanumeric (characters A-Z plus the symbols -,., blank space, $, /, +, % ). Generic Code 39 and Follett Classic barcodes do not use a check digit. Once you have your barcode setup defined, you should test some patron and textbook barcodes in the application. If your barcode failed the test, go back and adjust your barcode setup. If you continue to have problems, contact Follett Software Technical Support for further assistance. Barcode Symbology Samples (Shown for textbook, but also applies to Library and Patron) Sample textbook copy barcodes showing 14-digit Code 3 of 9 Mod 10 Position Number 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Barcode Left 4 0 0 1 7 0 0 0 0 3 2 2 6 4 Barcode Center 4 0 0 1 7 0 0 0 1 5 8 2 6 7 Barcode Right 4 0 0 1 7 0 0 2 4 5 2 9 1 6 Type ID Location Code Item Number Check Digit The Location Code is 0017. The location code is four characters in length. The Item Numbers are 00003226, 00015826, and 00245291. The item number is eight characters in length. Note that your check digit is considered a separate character since it is computed for the scanner to verify the accuracy of the scan. Sample textbook copy barcodes showing 10-digit Generic Code 3 of 9 Position Number 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Barcode Glossary 2/2003 Page 3
Barcode Left X 0 0 0 0 6 8 1 2 5 Barcode Center X 0 0 0 3 9 0 4 8 8 Barcode Right X 2 4 2 0 6 5 9 3 1 The Item Numbers are 000068125, 000390488, and 242065931. The item number is nine characters in length. Generic Code 39 barcodes do not use a Check Digit. Sample textbook copy barcodes showing 14-digit Code 3 of 9 Mod 43 Position Number 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Barcode Left 4 0 0 1 7 0 0 0 0 0 5 4 0 L Barcode Center 4 0 0 1 7 0 0 0 0 5 7 7 6. Barcode Right 4 0 0 1 7 0 0 2 4 9 0 3 6 - Type ID Location Code Item Number Check Digit The Location Code is 0017. The location code is four characters in length. The Item Numbers are 00000540, 00005776, and 00249036. The item number is eight characters in length. Note that your check digit is considered a separate character since it is computed for the scanner to verify the accuracy of the scan. Sample textbook copy barcodes showing 7-digit Follett Classic Position Number 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Barcode Left X 0 0 0 5 7 9 Barcode Center X 0 0 1 7 3 9 Barcode Right X 2 0 2 8 6 4 The Type Identifier is X. The type identifier is one character in length. Barcode Glossary 2/2003 Page 4
The Item Numbers are 000579, 001739, and 202864. The item number is six characters in length. Follett Classic barcodes do not use a Check Digit. Sample patron barcodes showing 7-digit Follett Classic If these barcode numbers match your patron ids Position Number 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Barcode Left P 0 0 0 0 7 5 Barcode Center P 0 0 0 1 9 3 Barcode Right P 0 0 2 7 4 4 The Type Identifier is P. The type identifier is one character in length. The Item Numbers are 000075, 000193, and 002744. The item number is six characters in length. Follett Classic barcodes do not use a Check Digit. Barcode Glossary 2/2003 Page 5