Item Types Table

To edit the Item Types table, you must be assigned permission 656 (Edit Item Types). If you are assigned permission 651 (View System Parameters) but not 656, you can view this table but cannot edit it. See Permissions Used by Sierra for more information.

The Item Types table allows your library to define up to 2000 unique codes for your library's items (for example, books, journals, videos, CDs, etc.). These codes appear in the I TYPE fixed-length field in item records. The system uses item types in conjunction with patron types and locations to determine the loan rule for an item. They also appear as categories in circulation reports.

You can access the Item Types table via the following menu path:

Admin | Parameters | General | Item Types

For information on modifying this table, see Maintaining System Parameter Tables.

Because the Item Types table must contain exactly 2000 entries, each of which is identified by its numeric position in the table, the Append, Copy, Delete, Insert, and Move tools are unavailable when editing this table. To delete or insert an entry, select and edit the entry.

For more information, see Functionality Information and Data Elements.

Functionality Information

When viewing and modifying the Item Types table, note the following:

Exactly 2000 Entries: The Item Types table always contains exactly 2000 entries numbered 0-1999.
Changes to Other System Settings: When you modify the Item Types table, you might need to update other tables and settings that use item types, such as:

Loan Rule Determiner table
Record templates for new item records
Rules for requesting and rules for self-booking
System options Item types & locs for category A-D

Data Elements

Entries in the Item Types table contain a single data element:

Element	Description
Label	A descriptive name of up to 32 characters. At multi-lingual sites, the system repeats this element for each language enabled on your system.