What is an ACQSER item?
ACQSER items are items with call numbers that begin with ACQSER and have a home location of ACQ-S.
ACQSER items are attached to bib records for print serial materials that have dated orders.
ACQSER items do not represent any actual items on the shelf. They serve as a placeholder item.
How do we use ACQSER items for journals?
Order records are tied to call number records in Sirsi. By adding an ACQSER item to a bibliographic record, all of the dated orders for that title can be attached to the ACQSER call number record rather than attaching them to the individual items/call numbers representing volumes on the shelf or an electronic subscription. This is helpful for few reasons.
In Sirsi, if an order is attached to an call number/item record it cannot be moved to a new library location. For example, if you wanted to move a series of print periodical volumes from Hill to the bookBot, Sirsi would not let you change the library location of any call number/item records that had orders attached to them. However, if all of the orders for the title are attached to the placeholder ACQSER callnumber/item record, the individual items representing print volumes on the shelf can have their location library changed whenever necessary.
Attaching orders to the ACQSER is also helpful because it centrally locates all of the order information on a single call number record rather than dispersing the order information throughout a series of call number/item records representing each year of the libraries subscription. In essence, it affiliates the subscription/order information at the title/call number level rather than the individual volume level.
To see ACQSERs in action, take a look at the following instructions: