Most school and community libraries in Nepal already have a catalogue. It’s the accession register: the big ruled book where every book the library has ever received is written down in order, with a number. Moving to library software doesn’t mean throwing that away. Done well, the register becomes the foundation of the new system.
This guide shows how to move from the register to software without losing track of a book, and without stopping the library for a month.
What an accession register is, and why it matters
An accession register is, in the classic definition, “the chief record of the stock added to a library”, with items numbered progressively as they arrive. Each book gets the next accession number, and that number is never reused, even if the book is later lost or withdrawn.
A typical register has columns for:
- accession number and date,
- author and title,
- publisher, place and year of publication, edition,
- pages, volume, binding,
- source (bought or donated) and bill number,
- price,
- call number or subject,
- remarks.
That is far more than you need to lend books. It’s also exactly the information that software asks for, so the register is your data source.
Before you start: decide three things
1. What will you type in?
You don’t have to copy every column. For lending and searching, the software needs:
- title and author,
- accession number, used as the copy’s barcode,
- call number or shelf location.
Add the ISBN, publisher and year where they’re easy to read. Leave price, bill number and binding in the register: they’re rarely needed at the desk, and typing them doubles the work.
2. Titles and copies
A register lists copies. If the library has five copies of Muna Madan, it has five accession numbers. Library software usually separates the two: one title (the work: title, author, publisher) and several copies (each physical book, with its own barcode). Enter the title once, then add a copy for each accession number.
3. Where does the new numbering start?
New books should carry on from the register. If the last entry is 4,318, the next book is 4,319, whether it’s written in the register or not. Set the software to continue from there, so the numbers never clash.
Step by step
- Photograph the register. Every page, before anything else. It’s your backup if the book is damaged, and it lets two people type from the same pages at once.
- Set up the library in the software: its name, loan periods, member categories, and the barcode numbering that continues after your last accession number.
- Decide the order. Entering 3,000 books in register order is slow and demoralising. Most
libraries do better with one of these:
- Busiest first: textbooks, class readers and popular fiction, the books that are actually borrowed.
- Shelf by shelf: take a shelf, find each book’s line in the register, enter it, put a label on it, put it back. This doubles as a stock check.
- At the desk: enter each book the first time someone borrows it.
- Type the accession number as the barcode. Don’t let the software invent a new number for an old book: the accession number is the one written inside the cover and in the register.
- Write Nepali titles in Unicode, not Preeti. A title typed in Preeti looks right on screen but can’t be searched properly. See cataloguing Nepali books in Unicode.
- Label each book as it’s entered. A barcode label with the accession number on the spine or inside cover makes every later loan a scan instead of a search. See how to barcode library books.
- Mark missing books. When a book is in the register but not on the shelf, don’t enter it yet. Keep a list, and check it again after the next term’s returns.
- Stop writing new books in the register only. From a chosen date, every new book goes into the software the day it arrives. Keep writing it in the register too if your school or committee expects the paper record.
How long does it take?
It depends on your typing speed, how clear the register is, and how many copies share a title. Rather than guessing, time yourself on the first fifty books and multiply. For a few thousand books, plan for weeks of short sessions rather than one long weekend. Try working in pairs, one reading from the register and one typing: the reader catches mistakes as they happen.
Common problems, and what to do
| Problem | What to do |
|---|---|
| Two books with the same accession number | Keep one number; give the other the next free number and note the change in the register’s remarks. |
| An accession number with no book | Leave it out of the software. The register keeps the history. |
| A book with no accession number | Give it the next number in the series, and write it in the register. |
| Handwriting you can’t read | Take the book from the shelf and copy the title page instead. |
| Titles written in Preeti in an old spreadsheet | Convert them to Unicode before entering; the Unicode article above explains how. |
Doing it with Khulla
Khulla is open-source library software built in Nepal, and it works well with an accession register:
- Each title can hold many copies, each with its own barcode. Type the accession number as the barcode, or leave it blank and Khulla assigns the next number from the pattern set in the library profile, where you can set the next barcode number to continue after your register.
- Titles, authors and members can be typed and searched in Nepali Unicode, and the interface is available in Nepali.
- Labels and barcodes accepts a pasted list of barcodes, one per line, so a day’s accession numbers can be queued for printing at once.
- It works without internet, on the library’s own computer.
Know the limits before you start. There’s no import from Excel or MARC, so books are typed in. Each copy’s acquisition date is the day it’s entered in Khulla, not the date in the register, so keep the register for the history, or note the original date in the copy’s notes. Barcode labels print Latin characters, so a Nepali book’s label shows its number and shelf mark but not its title.
Summary
- The accession register is the library’s catalogue already: use it as the data source.
- Type the title, author, accession number and call number; leave the rest in the register.
- Use accession numbers as barcodes, and continue the series for new books.
- Enter the busiest books first, or shelf by shelf, and label each one as you go.
- Keep the register as the permanent record, and photograph it before you start.
Questions
Should we keep the accession register after moving to software?
Yes. Keep the old register as the permanent record of what the library acquired and when. The software takes over the day-to-day work: lending, returns, searching and reports. Many libraries stop writing in the paper register once every new book is entered in the software.
Can we use accession numbers as barcodes?
Yes, and it's usually the best choice. Each accession number is already unique and permanent, so typing it as the copy's barcode links the book, the register and the software. New books then continue the same number series.
Do we have to enter every book before we start lending?
No. Many libraries enter the most-borrowed books first, or enter each book the first time it is borrowed, and fill in the rest shelf by shelf. The paper register covers anything not yet entered.
Can Khulla import our accession register from Excel?
Not yet. Khulla has no spreadsheet or MARC import, so books are typed in. Once they are in, a pasted list of accession numbers can queue barcode labels for all of them at once.
Try Khulla in two minutes
Open the demo in a browser: nothing to install, no account to create. When it fits, download Khulla for Windows, Linux or Android.
Want a hand setting it up?
Message us on WhatsApp (+977 981-9102869) or email info@sangamadhikari.com. See contact for what to tell us.