Passing the UPC Code
When an item lacks an ISBN in the 020 field (DVDs and CDs only generally have UPCs in the 024 field) the cover image is very much hit or miss. Syndetics has been contacted, however, it appears that Sierra needs to "pass the UPC code” in order for this to work. This addition would be helpful.
Grace Palmisano
shared this idea
This idea will be included in the Sierra November 2026 release (v6.7).
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Shawn P. Farrell
commented
We just came across an instance of the wrong cover art appearing because of this & would also like to see it addressed.
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Grace Palmisano
commented
Yes @Lloyd Chittenden! The last two digits of the UPC are cut off and if that truncated number matches an ISBN number then that's the image that appears (regardless of whether or not it's the correct item).
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Lloyd Chittenden
commented
Because of this bug you occasionally actually get the wrong cover. It does send a number from the 024. It takes the 12 digit UPC and chops off the last 2 digits and sends a 10 digit number. Syndetics tries to match that with a 10 digit ISBN. Now and then it finds a match, but it is not for the thing you have, it will send a cover for something completely different.
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Grace Palmisano
commented
We've had the exact same experience! We discovered the problem with the attached titles, but looking back at the example brought up by the original author, that title is also impacted in our catalog.
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Lloyd Chittenden
commented
It turns out that this is not working, but the problem is at Syndetics, not Sierra.
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Lloyd Chittenden
commented
We are on 6.0 and it is not fixed in our system. I've opened a support ticket, but I really don't think this was ever fixed.
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Leslie Kimble
commented
Incorrect images for DVDs and music CDs are displaying in Sierra because the UPC is being truncated, which creates an issue when it matches a book ISBN.
Idea Value
Staff use the images as guides for searching for an item on the shelf. It is their form of a finding aide.