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3.2. Adding New Items to Existing Records

Last Updated 01/09/2026

Manually Adding Copies to an Existing Record

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When cataloging newly purchased items, you can attach new copies to existing bibliographic records.

Words to Know

Holdings: The locally owned portion of a record, specifically the Call Number (Volume) and Copy (Item).

Volume: The Volume primarily refers to the call number. This is where ownership is designated. A single call number may have multiple copies attached.

When to Manually Add Holdings

Local Holdings are often added by bibliographic catalogers or Acquisitions Specialists as part of the process of importing MARC records. For more on how local holdings are added through these methods, see the following pages in the Bibliographic Cataloging book and the Acquisitions Book:

• Batch Import Bibliographic Records
• Load MARC Order Record (for Acquisitions)

When importing records via Z39.50 or after discovering an existing record for the item to be added, Item Catalogers should manually add the local holdings information.

How to Manually Add Holdings

There are two main places from which you can manually add holdings.

• From the Add Holdings button in the Bibliographic Record summary
  
• From the Holdings View tab in the Bibliographic Record, select your branch and choose Add Call Numbers and Items from the Actions Menu.
  

Both of these options will direct you to the Holdings Editor. In the Holdings Editor, you will need to:

1. Add Holdings
2. Set Attributes

Adding Holdings

1. Create at least one call number for each branch that will own a copy of the title.
2. Supply barcodes for each copy you are adding.

For More Information
Check out the page Adding Call Numbers and Copies in the Holdings Editor chapter of this Knowledge Book for more details about adding call numbers.

Setting Attributes

You can use templates if you have them for the item type you are cataloging. See the page on Item Attribute Templates for more information on setting these up. 

To set Attributes manually:

1. Click the attribute name.
2. Perform the relevant action (click a radio button, select a list option, or open a pop-up box).
3. Click Apply All & Save.

For More Information
Check out the page What Are Item Attributes? in the Holdings Editor chapter of this Knowledge Book for more details about setting Item Attributes.