Notice: As of April 8, 2013, we are changing our barcoding procedure for books printed right-to-left
For the majority of books, the barcode is placed in the lower right corner, inside the right-hand cover.
This means that:
- For books printed left-to-right (English, German, Russian, etc.), the barcode is placed on the inside of the back cover
- For books printed right-to-left (Arabic, some Chinese, Hebrew, etc.), the barcode is placed on the inside of the front cover
Note: Before April 8, 2013, right-to-left printed books were barcoded inside their back cover (which would often be the left-hand cover). However, our self-checkout machines cannot be used with this barcode placement, so right-to-left books processed after that date will be barcoded as described above.
Exceptions to the usual barcoding procedure include materials such as WRC books and rare materials, maps, books that need a pocket attached, books that need special binding, etc.
Typical Barcode Placement
| Left-to-right printed materials | Right-to-left printed materials |
|---|---|
| The majority of books we process are printed in a language that reads left-to-right. The barcode is placed inside the book's back cover. | Some books are printed in a language that reads from right-to-left. The barcode is placed inside the book's front cover. |
 |  |
Information on various writing systems:
- Languages commonly written right-to-left
- Writing system directionality
- Horizontal and vertical writing in East Asian scripts
- Boustrophedon
- Bi-directional text
Special Barcode Placement Examples (coming soon)
Woodson Research Center (WRC), LSC-WRC and LSC-SPECL (Art-rare) monographs.
The barcode is attached to the top of the reverse side of the acid-free call number flag.
If the rare book is in an acid-free box or envelope, the barcode should be attached to the lower right-hand
corner of the outside of the box or envelope.
"Fondren Library Livres d'artistes collection"
The barcode is attached to the top of the reverse side of the acid-free call number flag.
The books in the collection should not be marked.
Visual materials (videocassettes and DVDs).
The barcode is placed on the front of the videocassette or DVD case, center toward the bottom right.
If there is a clear protective cover over the video case, the barcode is placed between the case and the clear cover.
Direct access electronic resources (CD-ROMs, DVD-ROMs and diskettes) and compact discs.
Barcode is placed on the lower right front corner of jewel box or case.
Books with special bindings
Dos-à-dos binding & Tête-bêche binding
.