FOLIO apps & records overview

Summary: A breakdown of FOLIO apps and record structures as they pertain to TS work, and a mapping of Sierra record fields to FOLIO record fields, created for TS staff learning to navigate FOLIO.

FOLIO apps

FOLIO breaks out traditional TS functions into very specific "applications" within the FOLIO software suite. This is similar to Sierra's drop-down menu of functions, but the FOLIO apps are even more specific.

Function	FOLIO app
Ordering	Orders
Receiving	Receiving
Paying	Invoices
Viewing and editing Instance, Holdings, and Item records	Inventory
Bringing in record data	Data Import
Extracting record data	Data Export
Managing authority records	MARC Authorities (still in development)
Batch editing records	Bulk Edit (still in development)
Create Lists	Possibly a third-party module called "Library Data Platform" that can query FOLIO data ... TBD!

A comparison of Sierra modules vs. Folio apps:

FOLIO record structures

We are accustomed to the Sierra way of storing records (bib records with attached orders and items, free-standing authority records, and check-in records all accessible from various Sierra modules). FOLIO significantly departs from this structure.

Orders

The Orders app stores order information in a nested way.

Order (Purchase order or PO) = an entry for one or more items included in a single purchase
Order line (Purchase order line or POL) = an entry for one individual title included in a larger order

Inventory: Instances, holdings, and items

The Inventory app stores bibliographic information about our resources. There are three interrelated types of records in the Inventory app.

Instance = the high-level description of any single title, including typical data points like titles, subtitles, creators and contributors, subject headings, classification, etc. In most cases, for MSU, every FOLIO Instance will have an underlying MARC Bibliographic record as its source data. This MARC data resides in a layer called Source Record Storage (SRS). This will be the data that catalogers interact with.
- Holdings
  - More localized data like call number, location, copies, notes, and more
  - Must be attached to an Instance record
  - Item
    - The most specific level of local data, including barcode, volume enumeration, etc.
    - Must be attached to a Holdings record

A comparison of record structures and relationships in Sierra and in the Folio inventory app:

Diagram comparing types of records in Sierra and Folio

Inventory holdings/item fields and expected values

This chart maps out what fields MSUL is using in Inventory holdings and item records, and how those fields translate from what we used to record in Sierra.

NOTE: There are a number of fields in both holdings and item records that will remain unused. If the field is not present in the chart below, staff can ignore it in their work.

Contact	Autumn Faulkner
Team	CMS
Updated	July 2022
Created	February 2022

Record information	Folio holdings field(s)	Folio item field(s)	Sierra field	Notes
Location	Permanent location Temporary location	Temporary location	Bib record main location Item record sublocation	Use holdings permanent location as main location Use holdings temporary loc for circ locations like Browsing, Chavez, Faculty Books, etc. Use item temporary loc for staff processes, like T Loc, bind prep, etc. See location chart here for full list of location codes:
Holdings type	Holdings type		Check-in record	Will likely only use for serials (TBD) and bound-withs; do not use for monographs.
Holdings statements	Holdings statement Holdings statement for supplements Holdings statement for indexes		Bib record and check-in record 8XX fields	In Folio, we will not record holdings statements in the source MARC record – only the Folio holdings record
URL to resource	Electronic access		Bib record 856 field
Material type		Material type		For Acq processes, choose values beginning with "Acq" For all other processes, choose options from the provided list:
Copy number		Copy number	Item record copy number
Call number		Call number	Bib and item record call 050, 090, or 099	For MARC records brought in through the import command or Data Import, the default MARC-to-Inventory mapping and/or job profiles will handle this automatically When entering manually: Do not include any MARC delimiter coding Format like so: M1621.W547 G66 2012 Prefix = use for any items that still receive the “folio” designation; also use for Children’s Lit call number prefixes Do not use suffixes for additions like “Bluray DVD” or “Online” – these should follow the call number in the regular call number field like so: M1621.W547 G66 2012 Online Remember to choose call number type from the options shown below
Volume		Volume	Item record "v" field
Workstat		Item note, "Workstats note" type	Item record "w" field	When entering manually, mark as staff only Used only at point of cataloging or of adding a volume/copy to an existing title
Loan rules		Permanent loan type Temporary loan type	Item record "I type" field	For the moment, catalogers are advised to use the default "Can circulate" in item records Exception: assign other loan types where you are confident in the expected value (e.g., children's literature collection, DVDs, etc.) While more formal guidance is being developed, CatMan and branch staff who handle processing will want to double check these values
Status		Status	Item record status field	When holdings and item are generated automatically from a job profile, this will default to "In process" To manually change this status: Exit the "Edit" screen and return to the item record view. Click "Actions" and choose "Mark as [desired status]"