BRN Routines

A BRN (Bibliographic Record Number) is the title-level catalogue record in Papyrus. One BRN represents one title — it holds the full ISBD string (Title, Author, Edition, Publisher, Year, ISBN) along with all associated authority references (Author ARN, Publisher ARN, Subject ARNs, Series ARN).

Physical copies of that title are held as Stock records (also called Accession Records) linked to the BRN, each with its own Accession Number and Barcode. When a copy is issued to a member, the transaction is recorded against that stock record, which in turn is linked back to its BRN.

Keeping BRNs clean — no duplicates, accurate authority links, no orphaned records — is essential for reliable search results and accurate reports.

Found at Routines → BRN Routines → Update BRNs. This single screen provides two separate background maintenance operations that rebuild the catalogue's internal indexes and cross-references.

Update BRNs

Reprocesses all BRN records in the catalogue. Specifically, it rebuilds the Search Index, updates Cross References between records, and recalculates the ISBD Title string for each BRN. The operation runs as a background task and is logged to User Activity. A confirmation dialog is shown before the process begins.

Update ARNs

Reprocesses the Authority File — the ARN records for Authors, Publishers, Series, and Subjects. It updates all cross-references from BRNs to their authority records, ensuring that when you search by author or subject the correct titles are returned. Like Update BRNs, this runs in the background and is logged to User Activity. A confirmation dialog is shown before the process begins.

Found at Routines → BRN Routines → Merge BRNs. Over time, especially after imports or cataloguing by multiple users, the same title can end up with more than one BRN. This screen finds those duplicates and consolidates them.

Finding duplicates

Use one of four search options to display potential duplicates:

The results grid shows: Primary (button), Merge (button), Merge ISBNs (button), Merge ISBDs (button), BRN, ISBD, ISBD Prefix, ISBN, Stock (copies currently on loan), and Copies (total physical copies).

Merging duplicates

There are four merge actions available per row, plus one bulk action at the top of the screen:

Found at Routines → BRN Routines → Weed Out BRNs. The screen title is Maintain BRNs. This is used to identify and delete BRN records that are no longer needed — records with no physical copies, records that have never circulated, or records with incomplete data.

Filters

Three filter checkboxes can be combined in any combination. The grid refreshes automatically (AJAX) when you change the filter selection:

Results grid

The grid shows: BRN (links to the full record in EasyCAT), Catalogued Date, Last Updated, ISBD, Created By, Copies, Issues, and a Delete button. Deletions are per-row — there is no bulk delete. Deleted records disappear immediately from the grid.

Found at Routines → BRN Routines → Import BRNs. The screen title is Import ISBNs. This is used to add large numbers of new catalogue records and their associated stock from a structured text file or spreadsheet, rather than cataloguing them one by one in EasyCAT.

Input method

Either paste tab-, backslash- (\), or pipe-delimited (|) data directly into the text area, or upload an .xlsx file. The first row must contain column headings with no spaces. A sample file is available at \downloads\BRN Import Sample.xlsx.

Columns

ISBN is the only mandatory column and must be the first column in the file. Multiple rows with the same ISBN are grouped under a single BRN automatically. Common optional columns include:

Import options

Three-step process

The import runs in three sequential steps, each of which unlocks the next:

1. Parse — reads the file and checks the structure and column headings.
2. Validate — checks the data values and flags any rows with problems.
3. Import — writes the new BRN and stock records to the database.

Found at Routines → BRN Routines → Browse BRNs. The screen title is BRN Browser. This is a read-only browse screen for navigating the catalogue by Publication Type and alphabetical title.

Using the browser

Select a Publication Type from the dropdown — the count of BRNs for that type is shown immediately next to the dropdown (e.g. "13 BRNs"). Then use the A–Z alphabetical navigator to jump to titles starting with a particular letter, or click All to show every BRN for the selected type.

The results grid shows: BRN (clickable), Catalog Date, Last Update, and ISBD. All columns are sortable. Clicking a BRN number opens the full record in EasyCAT in a new tab, where it can be edited.

Found at Routines → BRN Routines → Browse Master BRNs. The screen title is Master BRN Maintenance. This screen is for creating and managing Master BRNs — parent catalogue records that group related subordinate BRNs beneath them.

What is a Master BRN?

A Master BRN is a parent catalogue record that has one or more Subordinate BRNs linked to it. This structure is useful for three main situations:

Circulation models

Once you have set up a Master BRN and its subordinates, there are three ways to manage how the items circulate:

Creating subordinates in EasyCAT

Subordinate BRNs are created from within EasyCAT using the SUB button, which copies the current BRN as a new subordinate linked to the Master. Do not use the COPY button for this purpose — COPY creates an independent record with no Master BRN link.

Using the Browse Master BRNs screen

Search for a BRN, Accession Number, Barcode, or title using the autocomplete search field. Once a Master BRN is loaded, the screen shows:

• The Master BRN's ISBD title (read-only)
• The Publication Type dropdown (editable)
• The book cover image — drag and drop an image file (up to 12 MB) onto the grey area to upload a cover, or click the current image to enlarge it
• An Add BRN field to attach an existing BRN as a new subordinate by scanning or typing its BRN, Accession Number, or Barcode
• The subordinates grid listing all currently linked BRNs, with columns for BRN (clickable), PubType, ISBD, MasterBRN reference, Last User, Created By, and a Remove link

Additional buttons on the screen: Clear resets the search field. Copy copies the Master BRN (with confirmation). OPAC opens the Master BRN in the OPAC in a new tab.

Found at Routines → BRN Routines → Browse Stock Status. The screen title is Stock Browser. This screen lists all physical copies (stock records) that have been marked with a status other than Normal.

How stock statuses work

Every copy in the library is created with a Normal status. When a copy is sent for binding, reported lost, moved to a reference collection, or flagged for any other reason, its status is changed in EasyCAT. The Stock Browser gives you a consolidated view of all these non-normal copies across the entire catalogue in one place, which is useful for periodic stock reviews and audits.

Filtering by status

Select a status from the Stock Status dropdown to display all copies currently carrying that status. The available statuses are:

Results grid and actions

The results grid shows: BRN (links to EasyCAT in a new tab), ISBD, AccNo, Barcode, Shelf, and an Action dropdown. The Action dropdown for each row offers: