Getting Started with Serials

See the notes in Getting Started in Acquisitions to create an ongoing order. 

1. Note: If claiming or binding should be enabled for a title, this needs to be enabled in the POL for the option to be available in other apps. 

Create a Prediction Pattern (Sunflower)

Wiki Documentation: https://docs.folio.org/docs/acquisitions/serials/#adding-a-publication-pattern 

1. In the Serials app, select ‘New’ from the top right corner.

2. Use the “select PO line” option and use the search to identify the correct title or POL. 

   1. Designate a status of ‘Active’.

   2. Add Description and Notes as necessary.

   3. Select ‘Save & close’

3. Search under ‘Serials’ for the title that was just added and select it to open the full display.

4. Select the ‘Add publication pattern’ button to enter.

5. Determine the Status:

   1. Active for a new/current pattern.

   2. Deprecated for a pattern no longer in use (unlikely for a new pattern).

   3. Draft for a pattern that isn’t ready for use.

6. Add a Description as necessary.

7. Pattern template (replaces content in the form below with pre-defined values)

   1. This field can be used to select a template for label data only. 

8. Publication Cycle:

   1. Cycle length: The amount of time it takes for a single cycle of the publication pattern to complete.

      1. Time unit: will this piece be predicted in an interval of days, weeks, months, or years?

      2. Number of [time units]: this will display the corresponding time unit 

      3. No. of issues per published cycle: how many units make up one cycle pattern, for example how many issues are in 1 volume?

         1. For  "Time unit"=Year and "Number of years" = 1, a monthly publication would have ‘12’ issues per published cycle. A weekly publication would have ‘52’ issues per published cycle. 

   2. Days of publication, per cycle

      1. Select the ‘Day format’ for how the days, weeks, and/or months should be labeled. 

      2. Fill in the corresponding information for each issue.

         1. Day values are required for all publications, even if there is not one displayed on the physical item. The day will be used in the formula to generate the date of expected receipt, claiming, etc. and can be an estimate of when the item will arrive. 

9. Omission Rules

   1. If there are times during the publication cycle where an issue is not published, such as a holiday or a specific month, apply an omission rule to have it removed from the predicted set of issues. 

10. Combination Rules

    1. If there are issues that are combined during the year, apply a combination rule to have them automatically combined within the predicted set of issues. 

11. Labelling (how the individual piece will display in the receiving app)

    1. Label style (chronology or enumeration)

       1. Chronology labels can be created for Date, Month, or Year.

       2. Enumeration labels can be Numeric or Textual. Levels can be added to enumeration, if for instance a volume and issue number should be generated. 

    2. Template

       1. Using the labels created, generate the display. 

       2. A label that should display as Vol. 1, no. (Jan. 2025) would look like this:

          1. Vol. {{enumeration1.level1}}, No. {{enumeration1.level2}} ({{chronology1.month}} {{chronology1.year}})

       3. Before saving, preview the predicted pieces. Choosing a date in the middle of your publication cycle will allow you to confirm that the enumeration is continuing or resetting at the correct level. If this does not look correct, make the appropriate changes and preview it again. 

       4. Select ‘Save and close.’

Generate a Prediction Pattern (Sunflower)

1. Once a prediction pattern has been saved, go to the Actions menu and select ‘Generate predicted pieces.’

   1. For new serials:

      1. Enter the start date for the pattern.

      2. If enumeration is being used, enter values for each level of the enumeration.

      3. Preview the pieces before selecting ‘Generate.’

   2. For existing serials:

      1. The above steps can be used, or the option can be selected to continue on from a previous prediction pattern.

   3. Preview the pieces before generating them to confirm they appear as expected. 

2. The predicted pieces will display within the serials app (under the ‘Piece set’ tab). To move those into Receiving, go to the Actions menu and select ‘Generate receiving pieces.’

   1. Select the number of days between the date of publication and receipt. This will generate an expected receipt date.

   2. Select any of the applicable options for:

      1. Supplements

      2. Create item

      3. Display on holding (Select information about this piece should be displayed in the Inventory app in the Acquisition section of the holding record.)

      4. Display to public

   3. Select ‘Generate receiving pieces.’

   4. Go to the receiving app to review and receive pieces.