It's easier for everyone -- including patrons using self-checkout scanners, if the library system uses a consistent location. I see that top left of the front cover is a consistently favored standard, in spite of that being the one spot that would consistently obscure the title. Top near-the-spine so that one can inventory the shelves just by tipping the top of each book outwards to scan it Front cover is preferred over the back by librarians processing books, as books tend to get stacked in piles face-up. Many advocates for "cover the retail barcode", to avoid defacing cover artwork. But that a) requires completely obscuring the original barcode to avoid confusing the library scanner, and b) many librarians (and patrons) want to be able to scan the barcode for automatic data entry of the catalog details. (my wife has an extensive database of books she has read, and if purchased&kept, where they are shelved.) Back within a certain distance of the top and spine tends to cover the "back-cover blurb" which will also offend some library patrons, who will point out that the obscured portion of the book title on the front cover is redundant information because of the title also being present on the spine.
2 comments:
To the librarian: You had one job. One job.
It's easier for everyone -- including patrons using self-checkout scanners, if the library system uses a consistent location.
I see that top left of the front cover is a consistently favored standard, in spite of that being the one spot that would consistently obscure the title.
Top near-the-spine so that one can inventory the shelves just by tipping the top of each book outwards to scan it
Front cover is preferred over the back by librarians processing books, as books tend to get stacked in piles face-up.
Many advocates for "cover the retail barcode", to avoid defacing cover artwork. But that a) requires completely obscuring the original barcode to avoid confusing the library scanner, and b) many librarians (and patrons) want to be able to scan the barcode for automatic data entry of the catalog details. (my wife has an extensive database of books she has read, and if purchased&kept, where they are shelved.)
Back within a certain distance of the top and spine tends to cover the "back-cover blurb" which will also offend some library patrons, who will point out that the obscured portion of the book title on the front cover is redundant information because of the title also being present on the spine.
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