How to add custom fields to subscriptions
It is possible for staff to create custom fields in serials subscriptions in order to record information that is not captured as standard.
Step 1 - Locate the functionality
To add a new subscription field go to Koha administration > Additional parameters > Additional fields > Subscriptions (subscription).
This will bring you to a page with a table of additional subscription fields. If no additional fields have been created the table will be empty.
Click +Create field.
This will take you to a new page with a form to define a new field in the subscription area.
Name
Authorised value category
This can be used to create a field with a dropdown menu. The options for this menu will be defined in the authorised value area of Koha.
MARC field
Specifying a MARC subfield will mean the newly created field will automatically be populated with information from the bibliographic record the subscription is attached to.
Searchable
If this box is ticked it will be possible to complete a search for content in the additional field.
The instructions below outline the three different types of fields that can be created.
Option 1 - How to add a free-text field
The instructions below outline how to add a free-text field to subscription records. This type of field will allow staff to type in the necessary additional information.
The Name is the label that will be applied to the field in the subscription.
The Authorised value category is left as None as this field is intended to be free-text as opposed to a dropdown menu.
The MARC field is left empty as this type of field is not intended to be automatically linked to a MARC subfield in the bibliographic record the subscription is attached to.
The Searchable option has been ticked to make the information recorded in the additional field searchable.
After the Save button is clicked the newly created field will appear in the table.
Option 2 - How to add a field associated with an authorised value
The instructions below outline how to create an additional subscription field associated with the Not for Loan authorised value, however this can be applied to any other authorised value.
The content of the Name feld is the description of the authorised value.
NOT_LOAN has been selected from the dropdown menu of available authorised values. This means the field will contain a dropdown menu of the defined Not for Loan statuses.
The MARC field is empty as this type of field is not intended to be automatically linked to a MARC subfield in the bibliographic record the subscription is attached to.
The Searchable option has been ticked to make the information recorded in the additional field searchable.
After the Save button is clicked the newly created field will appear in the table.
Option 3 - How to add a field linked to a MARC field
The instructions below outline how to create an additional subscription field associated with the 247$a MARC field, however this process can be applied to any MARC field.
The content of the Name field is the title of the MARC field.
The Authorised value category field is left as None as the MARC field is not associated with a predefined value. This means the field will appear as a locked free-text box, rather than a dropdown menu, which will automatically populate with the content from the associated bibliographic record.
The MARC field is input as 247$a.
The Searchable option has been ticked to make the information recorded in the additional field searchable.
After the Save button is clicked the newly created field will appear in the table.
Using the additional field
Additional fields will appear at the bottom of the second page of both new and existing subscription details.
Former Title
This was created as a MARC field and is drawing information from the 247$a field in the bibliographic record the subscription is attached to.
Not for Loan
This was created to link into the Not for Loan statuses that already exist on the site so it is appearing as a dropdown menu.
Additional Information
This was created as a free-text field so any required information can be typed into it.
How the fields will appear on the subscription record
Searchable fields
The fields that were created as part of this example were all marked as searchable. To use this feature go to Serials > Advanced search and this will take you to the advanced search page.
The additional fields will appear at the bottom of the search options.
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