FOLIO calls them material types - they are similar to the ILS's item types. This would be a good time to reconsider how we use these and make them more efficient and less redundant.
Here is the current list of item types:
Note that several include whether or not they circulate or belong to the Methodist Library or Special Collections. Some indicate that the item is online. I would like to suggest that since these details are covered by other attributes...
Whether or not something
...FOLIO's material types should not attempt to cover all of those bases. Another thing to take into consideration is that item types were limited to ten upper-case characters w/out spaces but FOLIO's material types are not. FOLIO's USGOVDOCS could be US Government Document (note that all of the other item types are singular.)
The item type known as SPECIAL was set up so that those items would not be able to circ in the ILS where SPECIAL is not mentioned in the circ map. I suggest that we give them the material type "book" and the loan type "reading room" so that the option to "check books out", and collect usage statistics, is available to the folks who work in the Wilson Reading Room.
While USGOVDOCS makes for a good example above it does not need to be a material type since GovDocs are books, microfiche, online resources, etc - if something is a GovDoc that will be indicated by its location:
The following list of material types (some are consistent with RDA carrier types and others with ISBD material designations) have been created via API using /opt/folio/api/POST/mtypes.pl
Walter will consider not just the item type but also other attributes such as location, call number, RDA content, media, and carrier types when deciding which material type to assign to each item.
Online titles will not have call numbers with locations or items with material types like E-REF. In order to identify online titles as belonging to a group such as Reference or US Gov Docs we could assign relevant instance tags: e.g. Online, Reference, USGovDoc, etc. If we decide to use these we should assign all that apply to all: all USGovDocs get the USGovDoc tag and all that are online also get the Online tag.
Then there is the notBibliographic stuff: perhaps we could have one title, as generic as possible, and an item/barcode for each individual thing? What it is (room key, locker key, USB, etc) could be in an ASIS call number and the description of what it is, or which room it unlocks, could be put in an item note.
KITs are a mixed bag - some are USBs and others are books w/CDs, etc. For the books w/etc I'd like to make them books and follow up later to add additional items for each additional thing. Are USB flash drives av equipment? And then a few are just kits.