Buckets are virtual “containers” to use in batch processing items or bibliographic records. They can be used to perform various cataloging/holdings maintenance tasks in batch.
Item Buckets are used to manage item information. For instance, they may be used to change item location, circulation modifier, or status for multiple items. You can use Item Buckets to make batch changes in the Item Editor in much the same way that batch changes can be done from the Item Status screen. For straight-forward, one time changes, it is often quicker and simpler to use the Item Status screen than Item Buckets.
Item Buckets are very useful for groups of items which you will be dealing with over a period of time. If you are making temporary changes to a group of items, item buckets allow you to make group changes, and store the items in the Bucket so that more group changes can be made at a later date.
Some examples of ways you might use an item Bucket:
- To temporarily change the status or shelving location of a group of items for a period of time. For instance, if you are placing items in storage, temporarily transferring them to another branch, or using them in a special display. You can add the items to a Bucket, and change the location. By keeping items in the Bucket, you can transfer them to a different location when the allotted time is up without handling the actual items.
- To track leased items. If your library leases bestsellers or audiobooks for a certain period of time, you can add these items to a Bucket when you add them to the catalog. Then when you are sending the group of leased items back, you can delete all the items in that Bucket at once.
- To collect items for a particular project over a period of time. You can create a Bucket and add items for a future project over days, weeks or months before making changes, or sharing them with another user.
Opening the Item Bucket function #
You can open the Item Bucket editor from the Cataloging menu by selecting Item Buckets, or by clicking the Item Buckets link on the portal page.
By default, the item Bucket interface opens on the Bucket View tab. Any item adjustments will occur in this tab. Pending View is where items are scanned to be added to the open Bucket.
The parentheses next to each Bucket name will change based on the number of items listed.
Creating a new Item Bucket #
To create a new Bucket, select New Bucket from the Buckets drop down.
NOTE: You can manage buckets from either tab; however, you can only manage the items within a Bucket from the Bucket View tab.
The Create Bucket dialog box will open. Enter a unique, descriptive name for your Bucket, and enter a description (this is optional). Check mark the Shareable button to allow other staff to view the Bucket.
NOTE: Evergreen will not create a Bucket with a duplicate name. Instead, the existing Bucket with that name will open; however, Bucket names are CaSe-SeNsItIvE, so duplicates can be made by titling one, “Halloween books”, and the other, “halloween books”.
Click Create Bucket.
The Create Bucket dialog box will close. Below the tabs, the Bucket’s information will display: the Bucket number (ID), Bucket name, when it was created, by whom, and the description if one was entered.
Viewing Item Buckets #
To view a Bucket’s contents, click on the Buckets drop down and select a Bucket from the list.
Your Bucket will open with the contents displayed in the Bucket View tab. If there are many items in the Bucket, it may take several seconds for the Bucket to display.
Editing Item Buckets #
To edit the name or description of an open item Bucket, click Edit Bucket from the Buckets drop down.
The Edit Bucket dialog box will open. Modifications will make the text boxes turn green. Make your changes and click Apply Changes to save.
Adding items to Item Buckets #
Items may be added to item buckets via Holdings View or Item Status.
From Holdings View #
From the Holdings View tab, select the item(s) you wish to add to an item Bucket. Right-click or select Actions and choose Add Items to Bucket.
From the pop up, choose to add the item(s) to an existing Bucket from the drop down, create a new Bucket and add the item(s) directly to it, or add the item(s) to a shared Bucket by entering the Bucket ID.
Click Add to Selected Bucket. The window will close and return to Holdings View.
From Item Status #
From Item Status, select the item(s) you wish to add to a Bucket. Right-click or choose Actions and select Add to Item Bucket.
The Add To Bucket dialog box will open. Select an existing Bucket and click Add to Selected Bucket OR create a name for a New Bucket and click Add To New Bucket.
Adding Items to Item Buckets from the Pending Items Tab #
You can also scan items to transfer into a Bucket from the Pending Items Tab of Item Buckets. From Item Buckets, click on the Pending Items tab:
Click on the Buckets dropdown, and select the Bucket to which you want to add items:
The currently selected cart information will display:
Scan, paste, or type barcode numbers into the Scan Item field. Press Enter if you aren’t using a scanner. The items will appear in the pending area:
Select the item(s) that you want to add to the Bucket, then right-click or select Actions and choose Add to Bucket:
The item(s) will be added to the Bucket and the parentheses next to Bucket View will update to show the total number of items in the Bucket. Click on Bucket View to see the items in your open Bucket.
Items moved to an open Bucket will remain visible in the Pending Items tab until you refresh the page or choose Clear List from the Actions menu. You do not need to select the items to clear them from Pending Items.
Using Item Bucket Action Tools #
There are several tools available in the Item Bucket for managing items. In the Bucket View tab, select the items you want to edit, then right-click or select your action from the Actions drop down menu:
NOTE: When you use these tools, your actions will apply to the items that you have selected.
Apply Tags #
Tags may be added via an Item Bucket or Holdings Editor. Click Apply Tags to bring up the Apply Item Tags modal.
Select from the available Tag Type to match your tag and begin entering a Tag Label. If a tag has been configured, it will appear as you type the label name.
Click Add Tag to attach the tag to the item. Click OK when you’ve finished adding tags. See Item Tags for more information on Item Tags.
NOTE: Tags cannot be removed using the Item Bucket. They must be removed individually through the Holdings Editor.
Remove Selected Items from Bucket #
To remove items from an item Bucket, select them from Bucket View and right-click or choose Actions and Remove Selected Items from Bucket.
This is self-explanatory, as it will remove the selected items from the Bucket. There is no warning or confirmation modal that appears. Once clicked, the item(s) will be immediately removed.
Move Selected Items to Pending Items #
If you’d like to move items from one item Bucket to another, you will use the Pending Items tab. Select the items you wish to remove from the open Bucket into pending and right-click or select Actions and choose Move Selected Items to Pending Items.
The item(s) will disappear and the number next to the Pending Items tab will change based on the number of items moved.
Now, you may add them to a new Bucket or clear the list.
Request Selected Items #
You may place a Hold on items within an Item Bucket. Select the item(s) and right-click or select Actions and choose Request Selected Items.
You can select copy, recall,force, or title Hold. By default, the Hold(s) will be placed for whoever is currently logged in with their staff account. A Hold will be placed on all selected items.
TIP: You can enter another barcode in the User Barcode field to place the Hold(s) for another user.
Edit Selected Items #
You may wish to edit an item’s attributes. To do so, select the item(s) and right-click or select Actions and choose Edit Selected Items.
The Holdings Editor will open in a new tab. Any changes you make will be applied to all the selected items. When finished, click Apply All, Save & Exit. The Holdings Editor will close.
NOTE: Depending on your Holdings Editor preferences, clicking Edit Selected Items may open the Item Attributes tab or the unified Holdings tab. See the Holdings Editor for more information.
Edit Call Numbers #
You may wish to edit an item’s call number. To do so, select the item(s) from the Bucket list and right-click or select Actions and choose Edit Call Numbers.
The Holdings Editor will open in a new tab. Make the changes to the listed call numbers, then select Apply All, Save & Exit. The Holdings Editor will close.
NOTE: Depending on your Holdings Editor preferences, clicking Edit Call Numbers may only show holdings information, or show item attributes as well.
Transfer Selected Items to Marked Call Number #
To transfer an item to another call number that has already been marked as the transfer destination, select the item and right-click or select Actions and choose Transfer Selected Items to Marked Call Number.
Delete Selected Items from Catalog #
To delete items from the catalog within an item Bucket, select them from Bucket view, then right-click or select Actions and choose Delete Selected Items from Catalog.
NOTE: If the item is the only on that record at your library with that call number, the call number will be deleted as well. If the item is the last one attached to the Bibliographic record, the record will automatically be deleted.
A dialog box will open asking if you really want to delete these items:
Open in Item Status #
You may open selected items in Item Status by right-clicking or selecting Actions and choosing Open in Item Status. Item Status will open in a new tab with your selected items listed.
Print Labels #
You have the ability to open the Print Labels module through Item Buckets. To do so, select the items you wish to print labels for, and right-click or select Actions and choose Print Labels.
Sharing Item Buckets #
All item buckets marked shareable can be viewed by other staff members, even those at other libraries, if they know the Bucket ID number.
NOTE: Buckets which are not marked Shareable can be viewed by any staff member with a log-in which has VIEW_CONTAINER permissions. This includes catalogers, circ1, and admin.
To view an Item Bucket created by someone else, you must know the Bucket ID. The Bucket ID appears next to the Bucket name in the description area.
To view a shared item Bucket, open the Bucket drop down menu and select Shared Bucket.
A dialog box will open. Enter the Bucket ID of the Bucket you wish to view and click Load Bucket.
The Bucket will open in the Bucket View tab.
NOTE: Only the Bucket owner can remove items from the shared Bucket, but other users can use the Pending Copies tab to add items to the shared Bucket.
Deleting Item Buckets #
Deleting a Bucket means getting rid of your virtual container. It is not the same as deleting the contents of your Bucket. If you delete a Bucket with contents, the items will remain in the catalog.
Open the Bucket you wish to delete. If the Bucket has contents, it is a good idea to empty the Bucket before deleting it. See Remove Selected Items, if needed.
Once your Bucket is empty, re-open the buckets drop down and select Delete Bucket.
A dialog box will open asking if you are sure you wish to delete the Bucket:
The dialog box will close. Nothing else will appear to happen, but your Bucket will be deleted.
Your Bucket will still be displayed as the active Bucket, but it will no longer appear on the Bucket drop-down list. If you close the Item Buckets tab, or refresh the page, the Bucket you deleted will be gone.