Adding and Editing Instruments

Adding & Editing Instruments in Koha

Stirling MILL — Staff Guide

Every lendable instrument lives in Koha as a catalogue entry plus the physical item(s) underneath it. This guide shows you how to add a new instrument and edit an existing one.

Before you start: log in

1. Go to the staff site: staff.stirlingmill.ca
2. Click the Stirling MILL Staff Login button.
3. Sign in with your @stirlingmill.ca Google account.

If you don’t see a Cataloguing menu after logging in, you don’t have cataloguing permission yet — ask an administrator to turn it on.

How instruments work in Koha

Every instrument is two linked things:

• A record — the catalogue entry that describes the instrument (name, make/model, notes).
• An item — the physical instrument itself, with its own barcode, home branch, and status (available, checked out, etc.).

One record can hold several items — e.g., three identical ukuleles share one record, each with its own barcode. Every item has an Item type; use Instrument for instruments (other types are listed at the end).

Adding a new instrument

Two ways: use Fast cataloging for a quick single instrument, or New record when you want a fuller entry or several copies.

Quick way — Fast cataloging

1. In the top menu, click Cataloguing → Fast cataloging.
2. Enter the title (e.g., “Yamaha FG800 Acoustic Guitar”) and, if you like, the maker.
3. In the item section, set:
4. Item type: Instrument
5. Barcode: scan or type the instrument’s barcode
6. Home library: the branch where it lives
7. Click Save. It’s now in the catalogue and ready to lend.

Full way — New record (+ items)

1. Click Cataloguing → New record.
2. Fill in the details (title, maker, description) and click Save.
3. On the saved record, click New → New item.
4. Set Item type = Instrument, enter the Barcode and Home library, then click Add item.
5. To add more copies of the same instrument, repeat the last two steps — each copy gets its own barcode.

Editing an instrument

1. Find it: type the name or barcode into the search bar at the top and press Enter.
2. Open the record from the results.
3. To change the description: click Edit → Edit record, make changes, Save.
4. To change the physical item (barcode, status, notes, location, item type): click Edit → Edit items, update the fields, Save.

Common edits:

• Mark an instrument damaged or not lendable → set the item’s Not for loan or Damaged status.
• Move it to another branch → change the item’s Home library.
• Fix a barcode → edit the item’s Barcode field.

Item types reference

Pick the type that best fits what you’re lending:

Tips & troubleshooting

• No Cataloguing menu? You don’t have cataloguing permission yet — ask an administrator.
• Always give every item a unique barcode — it’s how check-out and check-in work.
• Set the Home library so holds and transfers behave correctly.
• Unsure which item type? Default to Instrument — you can change it later.