🎓 AdvanceCAT

ℹ️ Overview

AdvanceCAT is designed for cataloguing sessions where precision and completeness matter. Instead of a set of named fields, AdvanceCAT presents the underlying UNIMARC bibliographic data as an editable grid, with each row representing one segment of one UNIMARC field. This gives full control over every data point in a record — including multiple authors, multiple subjects, multi-paragraph abstracts, and any other repeatable UNIMARC element.

The screen is built around five tabs that keep the full picture of a BRN in view: the UNIMARC cataloguing grid, the stock inventory, attachments, circulation history, and audit information. This makes AdvanceCAT the natural place to go when you want to inspect every aspect of a record from one screen.

Like all four cataloguing tools, AdvanceCAT reads from and writes to the same database. A record created or changed here is immediately visible in EasyCAT, FastCAT, QuickCAT, and the OPAC.

🔀 How AdvanceCAT Compares

🖥️ Screen Layout

AdvanceCAT is organised into three areas:

Toolbar — the search field (highlighted in pink when a BRN is loaded), followed by Copy, Add, Save, Delete, OPAC, Download, and the catalogue navigation arrows.

Header panel — the ISBD citation line, Publication Type selector, ISBN + Find button, and URL field. The book cover thumbnail sits to the right.

Tab panel — five tabs covering different aspects of the BRN:

The system remembers the last active tab between sessions, so returning to AdvanceCAT will restore the tab you were working on.

🛠️ Toolbar Buttons

📋 Header Fields

The header panel, displayed above the tabs, contains fields that apply to the BRN as a whole rather than to individual UNIMARC segments.

📖 Cataloguing Tab — The UNIMARC Grid

The Cataloguing tab is the heart of AdvanceCAT. It displays the bibliographic record as a grid where each row is one segment of one UNIMARC field. The columns are:

Here is an example of what the grid looks like for a typical book record:

🗂️ UNIMARC Explained

UNIMARC (Universal MARC) is an international standard for encoding bibliographic information. Each data element — title, author, publisher, subject, and so on — is assigned a numeric field code and a subfield letter. In Papyrus Cloud the field name is displayed in plain language alongside the code so you do not need to memorise the numbers.

The UNIMARC fields you will most commonly encounter in AdvanceCAT are:

The exact set of fields shown for a BRN is determined by its Publication Template. A Fiction template might include fewer fields than a Non-Fiction or Journal template.

📄 Publication Templates & the Reload Button

Every Publication Type has an associated Publication Template, configured under Parameters → Publication Templates. The template defines which UNIMARC fields appear in the grid for that type, and which fields are compulsory (highlighted differently if left empty at save time).

When a new BRN is created, its grid is pre-populated with the full template for the selected Publication Type. As you fill in values and save, blank rows are removed — so the saved grid shows only the fields that actually have data.

The Reload button at the top of the Cataloguing tab restores the complete template, re-adding any rows that were previously empty and removed. Use Reload when:

• You want to add a field that was not filled in originally (e.g. adding a URL or edition statement later).
• You change the Publication Type and want to apply the new type's template to the existing record.
• You accidentally deleted a row and want to restore the template structure.

➕ Multiple Segments — Adding Extra Authors and Subjects

UNIMARC allows many fields to be repeated. AdvanceCAT implements this through the New link at the left of each row. Clicking New on a row inserts a new blank row for the same UNIMARC field, with the next segment number. This is how you add:

• Multiple authors — click New on the Author (200,f) row and type the second author's name.
• Multiple subjects — click New on the Subject (600,a) row for each additional subject heading.
• Multi-paragraph abstracts — the abstract field (300,a) is often spread across segments 0, 1, 2 … to accommodate long descriptions. Click New to add continuation paragraphs.
• Multiple ISBNs — for items with both a print and digital ISBN, add a second ISBN (010,a) row.

🔗 ARN Links — Authority Records

An ARN (Authority Record Number) is a unique identifier for an entity in the authority file — a publisher, a subject heading, or an author. When a value in the UNIMARC grid is recognised as matching an existing authority record, AdvanceCAT displays the ARN type and number in the last two columns of the grid row.

Clicking the ARN number link opens the Maintain ARNs screen for that record in a new browser tab. From there you can correct the authority entry, merge duplicates, or see all BRNs that reference that authority. Changes made to an authority record are immediately reflected across all BRNs that use it.

📦 Stock Tab

The Stock tab manages all physical copies (stock items) linked to the current BRN. Unlike FastCAT and QuickCAT which show only one stock item at a time, AdvanceCAT displays all copies in a scrollable grid — making it practical for titles with many copies.

Entry fields

Stock grid columns

📎 Attachments Tab

The Attachments tab lets you link digital files to a BRN — for example a publisher's catalogue page, a table of contents PDF, a curriculum document, or a reading guide. Attachments are stored on the server and can be accessed by staff from AdvanceCAT.

🔁 Circulation Tab

The Circulation tab shows the full loan history for all copies of this BRN — every time any copy was issued to any member. This is a read-only reference view; loans cannot be created or reversed here. Use Circulation → Front Desk for active loan management.

🕐 Information Tab

The Information tab displays audit timestamps for the BRN. All fields are read-only.

🖼️ Book Cover Image

A book cover thumbnail is displayed in the upper-right area of the header panel. Click the thumbnail to open an enlarged lightbox view. Inside the lightbox, an Upload or Delete Image link opens a separate page (UploadBRNCover.aspx) where you can upload a new cover image or remove the existing one.

If a valid ISBN is recorded and a cover image is available online, Papyrus Cloud may retrieve and display it automatically. Manually uploaded images take precedence over auto-retrieved ones.

🔁 Typical Workflows

Cataloguing a new item with full UNIMARC detail

1. Search the field or click Add to open the dialog. Enter the title and optionally the ISBN, select the Publication Type, enter the accession number, and click the dialog's Add button.
2. If an ISBN was entered and auto-fill succeeded, the UNIMARC grid is pre-populated. Review each field carefully and correct any errors.
3. Work through the grid row by row. Use auto-complete suggestions for Publisher, Subject, and Author fields to link to existing authority records.
4. To add a second author or subject, click the New link on the appropriate row and type the value in the blank row that appears.
5. Fill in the URL field in the header if there is an associated web resource.
6. Switch to the Stock tab. Click Next to generate an accession number, enter the Barcode, Shelf, and Price, then click Add. Repeat for each physical copy.
7. Click Save. Blank rows are removed automatically; only rows with values are retained.
8. Upload a cover image if one is not retrieved automatically, using the Upload or Delete Image link in the cover lightbox.
9. If needed, switch to the Attachments tab to upload any associated documents.

Adding missing UNIMARC fields to an existing record

1. Load the BRN in AdvanceCAT by searching for the title or accession number.
2. Click Reload on the Cataloguing tab to restore the full template, making all possible fields visible again.
3. Fill in the missing values in the newly restored blank rows.
4. Click Save.

Copying a BRN for a new edition

1. Load the existing BRN.
2. Click Copy. Confirm the dialog — note the warning about not using Copy simply to add more physical copies of the same title.
3. A new BRN is created with the same bibliographic data. Update the fields that differ for the new edition (title, date, ISBN, edition statement).
4. Switch to the Stock tab and add the accession number and barcode for the new edition's physical copies.
5. Click Save.

➡️ Next Steps