Publication Parameters — Publication Types
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Publication Types

Classifying every item in your library collection — books, ebooks, equipment, games, and more

Publication Types are the primary classification for stock items in Papyrus Cloud. Every item in the catalogue — whether a novel, a textbook, a board game, an ebook, or a piece of equipment — belongs to a Publication Type. The type drives how the item appears in reports, which lending rules (Privileges) apply when it is issued, and whether it is managed through the Textbooks module. Publication Types are the stock equivalent of Member Types.
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What Publication Types Control

Every stock item in Papyrus Cloud must be assigned a Publication Type. The type affects:

Area affected How Publication Type applies
Circulation rules The Publication Type is one half of the Privileges matrix (Member Type × Publication Type). The Privilege record for each combination defines the loan period, quota, grace period, fine rate, and renewal limit for that specific member-and-item pairing.
Reports Stock reports, circulation statistics, and overdue reports all group and subtotal by Publication Type, giving a clear picture of collection use by material type.
OPAC filtering Members searching the OPAC can filter results by Publication Type to find only fiction books, only ebooks, only board games, and so on.
Barcode labels When "Print Publication Type" is ticked in Barcode Settings, the Publication Type description is printed on each stock barcode label — helping with re-shelving and physical organisation.
Textbooks module When the Textbook checkbox is ticked on a Publication Type, items of that type are managed through the Textbooks module with its own issue and tracking workflow.
Restriction overrides The No Issue After, Quota, and Maximum Fine fields can set type-level ceilings that apply to all members regardless of their Privileges settings.
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The Publication Types List

The screen displays all defined Publication Types in a grid on the left. Clicking a type code button selects it and opens its detail panel on the right for editing. The list shows four columns: Publication Type code, Description, No Issue After (if set), and Quota (if set).

Publication Type Description No Issue After Quota
?? Games
01 Fiction
02 Non Fiction
EB Ebooks
G Board Games
G8 Grade 8
T Textbooks

The list can be sorted by clicking the column headings. The No Issue After and Quota columns show blank when no restriction is set at the type level — this is normal and means the Privileges matrix determines those limits instead.

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Sample Library — Publication Types Explained

The sample library's seven Publication Types illustrate how broadly the concept can be applied — from traditional library materials to non-traditional items and digital resources:

??
Games
Catch-all for items not yet classified. Acts as the default Publication Type for unassigned stock, similar to the ?? Member Type.
01
Fiction
Standard fiction books. The backbone of most school library collections — novels, short stories, picture books.
02
Non Fiction
Reference and information books. Often has shorter loan periods than fiction to keep reference material available to all.
EB
Ebooks
Digital books. Configured as hourly loans (Days = 0 in Privileges) in this library, making them session-based resources.
G
Board Games
Physical board games for in-library or home use. A good example of non-book items that a modern library manages alongside books.
G8
Grade 8
A grade-specific collection — books selected specifically for Grade 8 curriculum, managed as a separate type for reporting purposes.
T
Textbooks
School textbooks managed through the Textbooks module. The Textbook checkbox is ticked on this type, enabling the specialised textbook tracking workflow.
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Publication Types are not restricted to traditional library formats. Any category of item that a library manages — equipment, DVDs, musical instruments, puzzles, charging cables — can be defined as a Publication Type with its own lending rules.
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Adding a Publication Type

Enter the type code and description at the top of the screen and click Add. Once added, click the new type in the list to open its detail panel and configure its restriction fields.

Type…
Description…
Add
Print
Field Description
Publication Type A unique code of up to 3 characters. Used throughout the system — in stock records, Privileges, reports, OPAC, and barcode labels. Choose short, meaningful codes. Examples from the sample library: 01 (Fiction), 02 (Non Fiction), EB (Ebooks), T (Textbooks).
Description The full name of the Publication Type as it appears in drop-down lists, the OPAC, barcode labels, and reports. Maximum 30 characters.
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Adding a new Publication Type automatically creates a Privilege row for every existing Member Type. These new Privilege rows start with blank values — no quota, no loan period limit, no fines — meaning items of the new type can be issued indefinitely with no restrictions. Review and configure the Privileges for the new type before items of that type go into circulation.
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The Print button produces a printed summary of all Publication Types and their restriction settings — useful when reviewing your collection configuration or sharing with staff.
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Editing a Publication Type

Click a Publication Type code button in the list to open its detail panel. Edit fields as needed and click Update to save, Delete to remove the type (only if no stock items are assigned to it), or Cancel to discard changes.

Field Description
Pub Type The type code — displayed read-only. Set when the type is created and cannot be changed once stock items have been assigned to it.
Description The full name of the type. Can be updated at any time. Maximum 30 characters.
Textbook A checkbox that marks this Publication Type as belonging to the Textbooks module. See the Textbook flag section below for full details.
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Restriction Fields

These optional fields set type-level ceilings that apply to all members, regardless of what the Privileges matrix specifies. Leave them blank to let Privileges determine the rules for each Member Type × Publication Type combination. Only set them when a hard limit at the Publication Type level is genuinely needed.

Field Description
No Issue After A date (format yyyy MMMM dd) after which no new loans of this publication type can be issued to any member. This is a type-level override — it takes precedence over the loan period calculated from Privileges. Leave blank if there is no date restriction for this type. Useful for example to lock a set of curriculum reference books in place from a certain date so they cannot be taken home by anyone.
Quota The maximum number of items of this publication type that any single member may have on loan at the same time, regardless of their Member Type Privileges. Leave blank to use the quota defined in Privileges for each Member Type × Publication Type combination. This is the maximum number of this type across all members — not a per-member limit in the same way as the Privilege quota.
Maximum Fine A cap on the total fine that can accumulate for any single item of this publication type. When the fine reaches this amount, no further fine is added regardless of how many more days pass. Leave blank for no cap — the fine will continue to accumulate based on the Privileges settings.
Example — using restriction fields for reference materials

A library has a Non Fiction type for reference books that must always be available for study. They set Quota = 1 at the Publication Type level, meaning no member can take more than 1 non-fiction reference book at a time regardless of what their Privileges would normally allow. They also set No Issue After to the exam period end date to ensure all reference books are returned before examinations finish.

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Publication Type restrictions apply universally — they override Privileges for all Member Types. If you want different rules for different member types (e.g. Staff can borrow 3 Non Fiction books while students can only borrow 1), leave the Publication Type restriction blank and configure the per-member-type rules in Privileges instead.
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The Textbook Flag

The Textbook checkbox on a Publication Type links it to Papyrus Cloud's dedicated Textbooks module, which provides a specialised workflow for managing school textbooks — issuing sets of books to classes, tracking individual copies by student, and managing returns at the end of the school year.

Textbook checkbox unticked Textbook checkbox ticked
Managed through Standard cataloguing and Front Desk circulation Textbooks module (Textbooks → Textbooks)
Issue workflow Standard item-by-item issue at Front Desk Bulk issue to classes or individual students via Textbooks workflow
Reporting Appears in standard circulation reports Appears in Textbook Summary and Textbook Report
Example in sample library Fiction, Non Fiction, Board Games, Ebooks, Grade 8 Textbooks (type T)
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Only tick the Textbook checkbox if you are using the Textbooks module and intend to manage items of this type through that workflow. Ticking it for types that should use standard circulation will cause those items to be excluded from the standard Front Desk issue process.
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A library can have more than one Publication Type with the Textbook flag ticked — for example, separate types for textbooks by subject area or school phase. Each will be managed through the Textbooks module independently.
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Planning Your Publication Types

Publication Types should be designed before stock is catalogued, as changing a type code after items have been assigned requires updating all those stock records. Here are practical guidelines:

Guideline Detail
Think about Privileges first Each new Publication Type will need a Privilege row per Member Type. Before adding a new type, consider how many Privilege combinations you will need to configure and what the lending rules will be.
Use short, meaningful codes Type codes appear on barcode labels, in OPAC search filters, and throughout reports. Keep them to 2–3 characters and make them self-explanatory: 01 or FIC for Fiction, NF for Non Fiction, DVD for DVDs.
Don't over-segment Creating too many Publication Types makes Privileges configuration complex and reports harder to read. Aim for the minimum number of types that gives you meaningful distinctions in lending rules and reporting.
Keep a catch-all type The ?? type in the sample library serves as an unassigned catch-all. Having a similar default type is useful for new items that arrive before their type has been determined.
Leave restrictions blank by default Configure detailed lending rules in Privileges rather than at the Publication Type level. Only use Publication Type restrictions (Quota, No Issue After, Max Fine) for truly universal limits that must apply regardless of the member's type.