[Prefatory note: from the summer of 1992 through the spring of 1993, the Stanford University Libraries set about the gargantuan task of barcoding their holdings. In the initial phase, barcodes were produced from the Libraries' online catalog, each title record generating a sticker with five lines of information. The first contained the call number and copy number of the piece. The second contained an often truncated title (the cutoff point being 30 characters or the point at which the subtitle began, whichever came first). The third contained the phrase "Stanford University Libraries" as an identify of the organization owning the volume. The fourth contained the actual barcode, and the fifth the barcode in numerical form.

The stickers were printed out in sheets containing multiple stickers in call number order, and turned over to library employees, who, so armed, proceeded to the stacks to seek out and afix them to the matching volumes. The second and third lines of a given sticker, when read together, occasionally produced an amusing pseudo-title, instances of which were avidly recorded by the employee barcoders. Some of these were later published in SUL News Notes, the libraries' electronic newsletter, for the edification of all. Or, as stated in the publication:]

Because smart barcodes can only accommodate a portion of lengthy titles and, to indicate ownership by SUL, "Stanford University Libraries" follows titles on barcodes, sometimes barcodes on books can be both misleading and humorous. The following barcode title was submitted by Jill Otto of the Falconer Biology Library:

     The spawning population of the Stanford University Libraries

Those SUL staff members who have "spawned" recently may want to peruse the book to see if they're mentioned!?

--Tom Holt, Co-Editor

Originally published in SUL News Notes, Volume 1, Number 44, November 6, 1992. These titles reflect the compiler's notions of the humorous, wry, ironic or unusual, and should not be construed as reflecting any other opinion or judgment, including the editorial opinion of the original publisher.