Library Barcode Generator
Item and patron barcode numbers with their check digits, laid out on your label sheets.
Try before you buy.
- Free preview: the first sheets (up to 3) as watermarked page images with every barcode blocked, and the size of the whole run.
- Locked until you unlock it: download and print.
- Unlock: Premium pass, ₹799 for 30 days or ₹249 for 1 week, a one-time payment unless you choose automatic renewal. Unlock: Premium pass, $19.99 for 30 days or $7.99 for 1 week, a one-time payment unless you choose automatic renewal.
Ways to unlock shows how to get the full result.
Printing this result is locked in the free preview.
The numbers
- First
- —
- Last
- —
How the check digit is worked out
Copy the layout of a barcode you already have
The labels
Sheets
Print at Actual size (100 %), with no scaling. Test-scan one label before printing a large run.
Check barcodes you already have
Locked in the free preview. Opens the ways to unlock this result.
Locked in the free preview. Batch runs unlock with a pass.
Locked in the free preview. Query results unlock with a pass.
About the Library Barcode Generator
Make the barcode labels for a library’s books and patron cards. Many library systems number their barcodes in one fixed 14-digit layout: a type digit (in the usual scheme 2 for patron cards and 3 for items), the library’s own 4-digit prefix, an 8-digit running number and a check digit worked out with the Luhn (mod 10) formula. Set your prefix and the range you need, and every number is made with its check digit and printed in Codabar, which libraries have long used for their barcodes, or in Code 39 or Code 128.
Every part of the layout can be changed to match your own system: another type digit or none, a longer or shorter prefix, another length, no check digit. Type one barcode your library already uses and the page copies its layout and tells you whether its last digit is a Luhn check digit. The labels are laid out on US Letter and A4 sheets (Avery 5160, 5167, 5195 and the usual A4 sizes), thermal rolls, or a sheet you measure, with the library’s name above each barcode and the number under it.
Without a pass you see a free preview: the first sheets as watermarked pictures, with each barcode blocked so it cannot be scanned. With a Premium pass you get the PDF to download and print.
How to use it
- Choose Items (books) or Patron cards, then set the layout: the type digit, your library’s prefix, the number of digits and the check digit. To match the barcodes you already have, open Copy the layout of a barcode you already have and type one of them.
- Type the first running number and how many barcodes you need: the page shows the first and the last number with their check digits. Continue a series by starting one after the last number you printed.
- Choose the barcode type and the label sheet; add your library’s name for the line above the barcode. If part of a sheet was used before, type how many labels are already gone.
- Look at the sheets on the right; tick Draw the label outlines to test the alignment on plain paper held against a sheet of labels.
- Without a pass the sheets stay a free preview. With a Premium pass, Download PDF or Print, at Actual size (100 %), and test-scan one label first.
Examples
Items · type digit 3 · prefix 1234 · 14 digits · Luhn · first 1 · 500 barcodes · Avery 5160
First: 3 1234 00000001 6 · Last: 3 1234 00000500 7 · 500 labels on 17 sheets
3123400012345
Doubled (1st, 3rd … 13th digits): 3→6, 2→4, 4→8, 0→0, 1→2, 3→6, 5→10→1 = 27 The others: 1 + 3 + 0 + 0 + 2 + 4 = 10 27 + 10 = 37, so the check digit is 3: 31234000123453
A doubled digit over 9 has 9 taken off (10 → 1). The check digit is what brings the sum to the next multiple of 10.
Patron cards · type digit 2 · prefix 1234 · first 1
First: 2 1234 00000001 8
Common uses
- A school or church library putting barcodes on its books for the first time.
- Printing the next 500 item barcodes after the last series ran out.
- Making patron card barcodes for new members in the layout the library system expects.
- Checking whether a barcode that will not scan into the system has a wrong check digit.
The 14-digit layout and its check digit
In the common layout the first digit says what the barcode is for (usually 2 for a patron and 3 for an item), the next 4 digits are the library’s code, the next 8 are the running number, and the last is the check digit. The check digit is worked out with the Luhn formula (the mod 10 formula of ISO/IEC 7812-1, Annex B, which payment cards use too): starting from the right of the first 13 digits, every second digit is doubled, 9 is taken off any doubled digit over 9, all the digits are added, and the check digit is what brings the total to the next multiple of 10. A scanner and the library system test it, so a misprinted or mistyped number is caught.
Systems differ: some use another type digit, a prefix of 3 or 5 digits, or no check digit. Check one of your existing barcodes in Check barcodes you already have: if it fits the layout and its check digit agrees, new barcodes made here will fit too.
Codabar, Code 39 or Code 128
Codabar has long been widely used for library barcodes; it starts and ends with a letter from A to D (A … B here unless you choose another pair), which scanners usually leave out of the number they send. Code 39 is wider and read by almost every scanner. Code 128 packs two digits in each symbol, so a 14-digit number fits even the smallest labels. Whichever you choose, ask your library system which it accepts, and test-scan one label. The bars are drawn as exact vector rectangles, 0.17 to 0.33 mm wide (the widest that fits the label), with quiet zones of 10 bar widths on both sides.
Printing so they scan
Print the PDF at Actual size or 100 %, never “Fit to page”, which shrinks the bars. Laser printers give the sharpest bars; on an inkjet use the best quality setting. Print one sheet on plain paper with the outlines on first, hold it against a sheet of labels to the light, and correct the sizes of a measured sheet if the labels are off.
Limitations
- The page makes numbers in the layout you set; it cannot know which numbers your library has already used. Start each new run after the last number you printed.
- Only the Luhn (mod 10) check digit is made. If your system uses another method, choose no check digit, or check one of your barcodes first.
- The line above the barcode prints Latin letters only (the label font has no other scripts).
- One PDF holds up to 10,000 labels; make a larger run in parts, each starting where the last ended. Printing through the page works up to 30 sheets; print longer runs from the PDF.
Privacy
On this device: nothing is sent
Everything is made in your browser: the numbers, the label sheets and the PDF. Nothing you type is sent anywhere; the layout and the sheet you chose are remembered on this device for next time.
Frequently asked questions
What do I get without a pass?
Without a pass, Library Barcode Generator shows the first sheets (up to 3) as watermarked page images with every barcode blocked, and the size of the whole run. Until you unlock it, the result can’t be downloaded or printed. A Premium or Ultimate pass, a one-time payment unless you choose automatic renewal, unlocks the full result. The pricing page lists the passes and their prices.
What is a 14-digit Codabar library barcode?
A barcode number of 14 digits in four parts: a type digit (usually 2 for patrons, 3 for items), a 4-digit code for the library, an 8-digit running number and a Luhn check digit, printed in the Codabar symbology. Many library systems and label suppliers use this layout; the page lets you change every part to match yours.
How do I find my library’s prefix?
Look at a barcode already on one of your books or cards: in the common layout the prefix is the 4 digits after the first one. Type that barcode under Copy the layout of a barcode you already have and the page sets the type digit, the prefix, the length and the check digit from it.
How is the check digit worked out?
With the Luhn (mod 10) formula: from the right of the number without its check digit, double every second digit, take 9 off any result over 9, add all the digits, and the check digit is what brings the sum up to the next multiple of 10. For 3123400012345 the sum is 37, so the check digit is 3. Open How the check digit is worked out to see the sum for your first number.
Which label sheets can I use?
Avery 5160, 5161, 5167 and 5195 (US Letter), the usual A4 sizes with 14, 21, 24 or 65 labels, thermal rolls, or any other sheet whose sizes you type. Small labels such as Avery 5167 suit Code 128, which fits a 14-digit number in less width than Codabar.
Will my scanner read these barcodes?
Library barcode scanners usually read Codabar, Code 39 and Code 128; if yours does not read one, check which types it is set to read. The bars are drawn at an exact width with the quiet zones the symbologies need; print at 100 % and test-scan one label into your library system before printing a whole run.