Anatomy of a record page

The record page is where readers decide whether they need a book and where to get it. In the old catalogue it was a long table of fields. We started from a different question: what does a person want to know in the first three seconds?

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1. The call number as a spine labelThe record page shows the call number as a large spine label, like the book on the shelf. The same label appears on every row of the search results.
2. Items: where and howEach copy shows its call number, status (“On shelf”) and loan rule (“Home loan”). The “Request” button appears once a reader is logged in; the screenshot shows a guest.
3. Bookmark and linkAdd the book to the saved list or copy a link to the record with one click.
4. Details after the essentialsThe bibliographic details matter, but they come second. Empty fields are not shown at all.
5. Nearby on the shelfThree books before and three after by call number. The current one is highlighted; the arrows move along the shelf.
6. A panel over the catalogue“Back to catalogue” — and you are exactly where you were, with the same filters and results.

Why a panel and not a separate page

The record page opens on top of the search results. Close it and you are exactly where you were, with the same filters. For a reader going through a dozen similar editions, this saves more time than any server optimisation. Every record still has its own address and can be sent to a colleague.

What we deliberately left out

• Internal status codes such as “01” and “02” — they mean nothing to readers.
• Fields that are the same for every record.
• The record number is shown in small print above the title: the librarian needs it for cross-checking; readers don’t.