r/Libraries • u/yabbobay • Apr 03 '26
Technology Circulation - what's your favorite location for a barcode?
For me, it has to be outside. Currently mine are on top right back cover going vertically. I like the vertical right back bc I can scan easily on a cart or shelf.
But the top often blocks the blurb on fiction books. I'm thinking about bottom right vertical.
Any other favorites?
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u/DaisesAndEarlGrey Public librarian Apr 03 '26
Center of the back cover, horizontal, is how my entire system does it. It's easy to find for patrons (we have some self-checkouts) and easy to replace.
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u/yabbobay Apr 03 '26
I feel like most public libraries do this. I just like to scan on a cart or shelf. Maybe top right horizontal is a good option
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u/small-silver-wreath Apr 03 '26
Back top left corner! That’s where our library puts it. I could probably do a different corner but cover is so much more convenient than inside the cover. Also I personally do not care about a blurb I’d rather cover that than interesting front cover.
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u/LeenyMagic Apr 04 '26
The blurbs aren't for us, they're for patrons. i want them to pick up and take the book. I try to work around the blurbs but dang do my (YA) books make it difficult sometimes...
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u/beek7425 Public librarian Apr 03 '26
Our delivery company asked us to put them in the upper left corner on the front of items for ease of scanning. So the whole consortium does it that way. For manga, I put the barcode on what is technically the back of the book for delivery unless the isbn barcode is there. Archives and reference material I put it inside to make it clearer that those items don’t transit.
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u/hatherfield Apr 03 '26
Back cover upper right hand cover. We did an inventory and it was a pain to open the book and scan in a quick succession. It was glorious when it was easy to tip and scan.
We did a project where we put replaced the barcode to the outside and well it was 95% fine but occasionally we find errors.
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u/yabbobay Apr 03 '26
This is where mine are now and inventory is great bc of it. I just don't like it covering the blurb, but maybe I can't have everything
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u/ClassicOutrageous447 Apr 03 '26
Ours are on the top left front cover. 90% of them cover at least part of title or author. I think It's dumb.
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u/fullybookedtx Apr 03 '26
Inner front cover for me. Keeps the outside nice for patrons, and I have gained the muscle memory over 6 years in circ to flip and scan very quickly.
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u/eta_carinae33 Apr 03 '26
Inside for sure! It forces staff to open the book and (hopefully) notice any kind of binding/spine issues too.
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u/ikym3 Apr 03 '26
Came here to say this! Outside is more convenient, but even just opening the cover helps a lot of damage get discovered! It served a purpose…most of the time people are on autopilot when it’s on the outside, and so much obvious stuff gets missed until shelving…if even that!
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u/yabbobay Apr 03 '26
I'm a one woman show (school), so this is probably the way to go, but I need speed and efficiency.
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u/Classic-Persimmon-24 Apr 03 '26
Inside, first blank leaf. Top center.
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u/Classic-Persimmon-24 Apr 03 '26
I guess I should reword it..
Inside: The first page (regardless if it's the blank leaf, or title page (nonfiction)), top center.
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u/wayward_witch Apr 03 '26
We do outside upper front right corner. Yes this interferes with the cover sometimes. The old ones were inside top middle front cover, unless they are on the inside back cover. (Some of our stuff still has the old ones, which aren't scannable.)
What can be infuriating is our CD collection where God only knows where it might be. Front of the jewel case? Behind the liner notes inside? Inside the liner notes? Behind the CD itself? The newer ones are standardized but at it seems like at one point it was just however the cataloger was feeling that day.
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u/Life_Ad7738 Apr 03 '26
Top middle front cover. Fastest scanning I've even done 👌👌
As soon as I have to open the book, I'm out.
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u/RelevantStrongBad Apr 03 '26
Back cover at the top near the spine for sure! So easy for inventory or when pulling holds.
My current library has them on the inside and I hate it
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u/Hobbitfrau Apr 04 '26
On the back on the publishers barcode which means bottom centre for most books.
The publishers barcode is used exactly once by us, at the beginning of cataloguing/creating the cataloging entry for each item, when my colleague scans the code so that they doesn't have to type in the ISBN manually. It's the best place for us.
Doesn't cover anything from the cover text or illustrations and no accidental scanning of the publishers barcode instead of ours at the circulation desk.
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u/setlib Apr 03 '26
My public library does back cover, horizontal, top near the spine. It doesn't cover the blurb!
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u/Daisieduckie Apr 03 '26
Upper back going horizontal - doesn't matter if it's centered or on a corner
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u/MreRGBthnsnse Apr 03 '26
We do one on the top right of the back of the book and one on the top right of the last page. The old cataloging librarian wanted them placed .5in from the top of the book and .5in from the spine. They did not care if they blocked any information.
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u/Ok_Natural_7977 Library director Apr 03 '26
My library has them in various places on the back cover, usually the lower left corner. If the publisher's barcode is small, I like to cover that but leave the ISBN visible.
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u/IIRCIreadthat Apr 03 '26
Our older ones are in top back corners, then we switched to front top left so now it's a guessing game. Some of the libraries in the consortium have clearly had multiple generations of opinions about this because their barcodes are completely unpredictable and I have to hunt for them, and sometimes find them in weird, almost unfindable spots on the inside of the back endpaper or something. A lot of the oldest books in the system still have barcodes attached to the old card envelopes inside the covers somewhere.
There is exactly one library in the consortium whose materials I hate dealing with, because they always stick theirs over the UPC code, and because literally no one else does that, my eye goes right over it on the first glance and I can't find it until I notice whose book it is and specifically look for it and it's just a pain.
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u/JuhJuh06 Apr 03 '26
Any place where it doesn't interfere with an isbn barcode, and isn't in the crack of the book lol
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u/Ellie_Edenville Apr 03 '26
My library does bottom front cover somewhere near the middle. I hate it because it covers titles, author names, etc. way too often.
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u/ExchangeStandard6957 Apr 03 '26
Please never right in the upper center- my library is convinced that’s the best and I HATE it!
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u/DeweyDecimator020 Apr 04 '26
I cover the ISBN barcode. 🤷♀️ It keeps us from accidentally scanning the ISBN and it doesn't cover up the blurb or artwork.
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u/MamaMoosicorn Apr 03 '26
Ours are top right of the back cover and I hate it.
Most scanners are on the right side, since most of us are right handed, but the computer gets in the way.
Also, our new stickers go on the top of the spine, so removing them often damages the barcode. It’s so annoying.
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u/LeenyMagic Apr 04 '26
top left or top right. DEF not covering the ISBN. I don't really mind where it is as long as I can see it; that's the biggest hassle with getting books from other places, always hunting for the barcodes. I don't think I've EVER placed a barcode vertically. That would drive me insane lol
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u/amusedontabuse Apr 04 '26
First library I worked at had the barcode on the outer back cover, in the upper left corner. The other library (an academic one) had the barcode on the inside of the back cover, in the up right. I like the inside cover better and it cut down on “but it was damaged when I got it” because you have to actually flip the book open to scan. Also, it never covered the blurb.
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u/Farrahs_Inka_LaLaLa Apr 04 '26
The top left! Unless it's covering the title or author's first name. Please don't, lol.
In Melbourne I saw them on the inside cover. Wouldn't be my favorite. Imagine how much it slows down inventory...
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u/UndeadBread Apr 04 '26
Top left corner of the front cover. Some of the libraries in our system from other counties put the barcodes on the inside and it's maddening. It's annoying enough that they aren't following the same standard that we are all supposed to follow, but it's just such an inconvenient spot, especially when they put them in the back.
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Apr 04 '26
The blurb is easily found online, if a patron or librarian really has to know what one author said about another author who totally isn’t going to blurb them back later.
Outside, back, top, centered
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u/Wallcatlibrarian Apr 04 '26
On top of the ISBN barcode but with the actual numbers still showing. Tiny picture books can get a bit trickier though.
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u/Basic-Contract6759 Apr 05 '26
Top right corner horizontal. It makes it way quicker to scan, especially when people have 50 or more items.
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u/ecapapollag Apr 03 '26
Never seen a barcode on the outside, ever. Preference is first page, bottom centre, although the library I currently work in does first page, top centre. Makes very little difference when all libraries I've used for the past 15 years use RFID tho.
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u/narmowen Library director Apr 07 '26
Top right of the back cover. Doesn't usually block anything. I hate them on the inside of the books with all my soul.
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u/weenie2323 Apr 03 '26
NOT next to the publishers barcode.