Even if you update you do not have to change to ERNs. It is a function you can choose or not as with any menu function. The School Libraries Unit is recommending changing over to ERNs as it will solve some barcode problems (such as when a leaver re-enrols) and provide consistency of student identifiers across all school applications as well as ease of change over to the [not in my lifetime] replacement of OASIS.
We have been changing over gradually and the biggest pain with the new facility is that it seems to be all or nothing. I have been doing the changeover in a staged way to avoid having to create new cards for the whole school all at once (we do our own library cards). New Year 7 students are all ERNs and as we use a swipe on system for attendance for seniors we have been converting seniors. The new system looks like you cannot do it by Year but have to do everyone at once. I may have to continue using the edit every record individually method to provide the staged changeover I continue to want.
B4 R3 (Student Refresh) with ERN barcodes
Reading the signs, I decided to switch all barcodes to ERN numbers. But when I decided to do a (Student) Refresh, the next barcode offered to me was from the old B00….. series. When I left the barcode field blank, OASIS wouldn’t move on until I had put a number in there.
I cancelled the Refresh and rang the Helpline for an answer, and have someone phoning me back, but I have to go to an appointment very soon, and I am at a funeral tomorrow, so I may not hear an answer until next week.
Has anyone dealt with the same situation? How did you resolve it?
You don’t have to worry, just accept the offer ofthe “next barcode number” even though it begins with B, ‘cos further down you select the “match barcode with student code” as Y = Yes, so they’ll all get their ERN as their Library ID.
