What are item numbers and how can they be identified?
What are item numbers?
Item numbers are unique internal database numbers applied to all items on a Koha system. Unlike barcodes, which are assigned by the library, these are automatically generated by the system as items are created. These numbers do not show in the item record, unless their field is set to appear, which it is strongly advised not to do. Itemnumber fields should not be set to appear in the item record because that would allow them to be edited, which could cause catastrophic and potentially irreversible problems for the database.
What are they used for?
The main use for item numbers is to link different tables within the SQL database.
How can they be found?
It is not usually possible to search the catalogue by item number as it is not something that most users think about and seek to identify, however they can be found by running particular SQL queries. An example of such a report is:
SELECT items.itemnumber, items.barcode
FROM items
It should be noted that this is the report at its most basic and if there are many items on the catalogue it could slow the system searching for them.
For advice about the different ways to limit reports, please check our Help Centre for report information or contact Interleaf Technology directly.
2.3 | 28/11/25 | Updating for newer version of Koha | Holly Cooper |