While browsing through the catalog and identifying a number of books I wanted to check out, I started adding the books I was interested to the "kept list." However, after adding a few titles, I logged into my library account and found that the kept list was empty. Having logged in, I then readded those titles along with about a dozen others, reflecting about an hour's work of searching. Today, I have finally found my kept list (after about 20 minutes of searching around for it, expecting it to be available within my library account) and it is empty.

So I wonder: is there any way to access this kept list that seems to be empty or have I wasted this research time? Also, do I have to login to my library account with my uLogin password BEFORE adding items to the kept list? I would expect adding books to this list would prompt me to login to keep a record of the items I add to it so I can access these titles when I arrive at the library ready to check them out.

[I'm really sorry that you've had this trouble but I'm really glad that you wrote to me about it else I wouldn't have realized how bad it is.

The way that the "kept" list works is such that it really shouldn't be named that way since it isn't kept after you finish using the catalog. When I wrote the new catalog interface several weeks ago the only reason that I didn't change the name of the kept list is because I intend to make the kept list keep-able. What I hope to change is the technology behind the words so that you would be able to keep your kept list and find it the next time that you log-in to your library account in the catalog.

What I didn't realize was so bad, and am glad that you have brought to my attention, is that after putting titles into a kept list you can lose your work by looking at your library account. I will try to fix both issues but if I can't make the kept list keep-able right away I will at least find a solution to the other problem. ]

Sometimes students don't know who their professor is, but they know either the course name or course title. Will there be a reserves by course title list?

I've discovered another display glitch on Web 2.
Title: Guidelines on subject access to individual works ... In workflows it has an item type ref-book, locations Catalog. On the PAC, it displays as 'Reference' when it should display 'Catalog.' We have bunches of books back here in cataloging with the same coding. Another title with the same problem: Anglo-American cataloging rules
[see 5/24 : this problem was solved once all location were set up to display properly.]

Guy--This is really impressive looking at some of the new features you've added. I noticed one thing browsing in the title list for the Faculty Staff collection in University Archives. Are you using a dummy floor level on the Fac-Staff collection? As far as I know they are all on G level; the ones I looked at looked random. Also, will those updated images I showed you for Levels A-G work for your purposes?
[Thanks for catching that. There was a problem with the way locations were displaying which is now fixed. The maps worked out really well. I think they're awesome! - Thanks]

After performing a search in the catalog, we now have the option of adding limits to reduce the number of hits (on the same page as seeing the results). This is very user-friendly! Could we also include the search field, thereby allowing one to edit what was put in to search for (without having to go back to initiate a new search or to change the current one)? I am thinking similar to a google search, where you are able to edit your search without having to go back to the original search page and initiate a new search.

Was thinking today on your presentation of the new catalog/website for the library. I didn't see the Methodist Library on the front page or on the list of special collections. I wonder if you might be able to include it somewhere on either page?
[done]

Hi Guy,
this catalog is already a million times better than what we have had, especially including the enhancements you showed at the staff meeting today. Working a bit more with it, in anticipation of it soon being our official catalog, I have just 2 suggestions.
I wonder if it's possible to build a small help page as a guide for patrons. I did actually show the help page on the old catalog to patrons, MAINLY just for the option to use the search qualifiers au, ti, and su. Those are sometimes helpful in searching and I find patrons often forget they are available. The help page would not need to include all the stuff in the old catalog, but perhaps we could build it as we go along, adding things that come from users as they work with it. (perhaps the help page could be linked from Caritas, along the top of the rose window!)
The other thing would be, if possible, to add an option on any given record to browse the shelf around it. The old catalog offered this thru the link: Items on the same shelf. This is less useful now and even a bit misleading in the divided collection we have (between LC and Dewey) but it might still be a nice feature to have, provided patrons understand the limitations of it. thanks Guy for all your hard work on this.

• the link to the MARC record wasn't working if you got to it via anything other than a keyword search - now it does
• added limit drop-down boxes to the top of the hitlist for simple and advanced searches
• diacritics did not display correctly - now they do
• if the Call Number info tells you what Level to go to that "Level.." will be a link to a relevant map
• added microstuff to the materials drop-down...now I just have to add that info to the Call # display!

Also started working on setting up special pages for Special Collections...

Hi Guy:
Could the default for Exact Search be "Title(s)" instead of author? I would think most searches are for book titles and journal titles not author.
[good idea - done!]

Hi Guy,
I have a request about how searches can be done with limits ("Simple with limits")for music materials. I tried Verdi as my test case. I see that one can limit for "format = music" to get a list of audio formats (CD, streaming audio) and one can limit for "format = visual materials" to get VHS/DVDs of his operas. But to find out what we have for music scores, I must enter "Verdi" as "authors' names" and "materials = books," and then sort through books and scores by authors whose name contains Verdi. Is there some way to refine the "format" choices, so that there are three choices: "audio" (for CDs, streaming audio links); "visual materials" (for VHS/DVD); and "music score" (for scores)?
[see 4/12 : there are now two formats for music, Recordings and Scores, and Visual Materials are now Videos. Thanks, Leslie]

from Krista...

I would find it helpful to have a link to a thesaurus that tells me what's in each of the Collections options offered on the interface. Despite being at Drew for more than 10 years (7 of that as a graduate student), I couldn't begin to tell you what's housed in the Cornell Room (or any of the other collections listed, for that matter).

This may be outside the scope of the project as it currently stands, but I'm wondering about adding an export feature for online bibliographic software like MyEndnote Web. Is that in the works for future additions to the catalog? I think it would be really useful for students to be able to export citation information directly from our collections.

from Matthew...

When I enter in an isbn number that does not correspond to a record in our catalog, in this case 9781443821063, I don't see a response along the lines of "Your search revealed no hits". Maybe we should add that kind of language near the link to "revise search"?
[see 4/5]

from Carole...

Thank you for all the work you have done so far. Here are a few things:

We wish to retain the current on line hold feature. Only users that have a Drew ID and password to log in can place a hold on a checked out item. This is to exclude Alumni and outside users from placing holds. The location of an item must be checked out in order to prevent users from placing a hold on an item that is in the stacks. Holds may only be placed on items that have been checked out to the current user for a minimum of 30 days.
[see 4/5]

One thing that frustrates Kumar is that you cannot place a hold on an item in a multi volume set. This is due to the fact that the hold connects to the title in the bib record. I do not think there is anything that can be done to change this at this time.

When you get into the My Library Account feature, it would be great if all the checkout could display and you can scroll through them. Our users do not realize that they have more items than they see and that they need to renew in batches.
[see 4/4]

from Michelle...

Hi, Guy!
The new library catalog looks great! I was hoping you could add one feature: a link that shows what books are next to the item the user is currently looking at. For example, if I'm looking at "Ariel" by Sylvia Plath, the "next on shelf" list would show books that are to the left and right of this book. So, a book by Mary Oliver would display as coming before this book and Sylvia Plath's Collected poems would show as appearing after this book. It makes a nifty reference tool. Thanks!
[I like this idea and have an idea for how to make it happen - stay tuned and thanks!]

Added "1800-1899" and "<1923" to the 'dates' select box on the advanced search page. (thanks, Jenne!)

Fixed the call number search form - I thought that it didn't need to ask you whether you wanted to search for LC or Dewey call numbers but I was wrong. (thanks, Lisa!)

from Jody...

Hi, Guy!
I was searching TS Eliot as a subject in the test catalog, and came across this record in the brief list:

Raine, Craig.
T.S. Eliot / Craig Raine.
xxi, 202 p. ; 22 cm. Oxford ; New York : Oxford
University Press, 2006.
Available online : http://www.loc.gov/...

The link is to the TOC info - so such a link isn't all that helpful in the brief list. Also, is there a way for the call number to show up in the brief list - it's often useful to get a sense of the general classification number so that students can shelf-browse productively.
Thanks!
[re the call number: see 3/10/11 - re the link: stay tuned]

Questions raised included : will there be a link to view the MARC record? (yes [see 3/9/11]) - how to search SuDoc numbers? (I don't know, will figure it out) - can the 'dates' select box on the advanced search page include the whole of the 19th century and anything published before 1923? (yes [see 3/11/11])

from Lisa...

I'd like to see a next previous or next link at the bottom of the search results page. On my monitor, I have to scroll to get from top to bottom, and when I'm done and want to go on, I have to scroll back up to continue with search results.
[see 3/10/11]

from Kathy...

Hi Guy-
This looks great so far! Here in ILL we use the catalog frequently in both lending and borrowing so I plan to use this version and provide feedback as much as possible. I was thinking, would it be feasible to include a link to the ILL form somewhere in the main page, or in the search results page? Something like: Drew doesn't own it? Get it from another library.
[see 4/5]

from Lisa...

I tried a shelf list search on: BV3462 and getting an odd result. I land in the list on a record with 2 call numbers (which I'll fix at some point--it doesn't need to be, although there's no reason why there can't be 2 call numbers for 2 different locations except for neatness.) I scroll backwards (previous) and find myself at the end of the BV range going backward. I tried BV346 and BV34 and finally BV3 and I'm ending up at the end of the range. Adding space between the letters and the numbers doesn't seem to make any difference.
[see 3/11/11]

from Dorothy...

Hi Guy:
One issue I'm noticing with the 856's in the search results is that some of them are to Tables of Contents or other things (Library of Congress records). In the regular OPAC the link has text that says "publisher description" or something like that instead of "available online." Check Race and Sex in Latin America as an example. I think the "available online" will be confusing to users in the cases where it's not.

from Johanna...

Hi:
Really like having the Rose window come up. Would be great if there could be an advanced-type search (like Worldcat) where you could put in both an author and a few words of the title so you limit the search more.

Not quite sure what order things are coming up in. Seems to differ from the current catalog. Recommend keeping some sort of browse search--particularly for subject searches and periodical title searches.
[see 'exact headings' - maybe it needs a different name? - i just don't like 'browse']

There was particular concern that the new catalog should include both the 'kept list' and 'my library account' features. I explained that the demo is only barely off the ground, that the new catalog will not only include all of the features in the current catalog (such as 'my library account') but include better implementations of some features (like the 'kept list') which currently is not keepable.

from Lisa...

Guy-
I suggest we display the library holdings for serials on the PAC. This information is found in workflows in the MARC holdings tag. This is a MARC holdings record separate from the MARC bib record (obviously.) Here are a couple of titles:
1.) Bee Hive (Nashville, Tenn.)--this has ceased publication and has one type of MARC field in the holdings record.
2.) New Mexico Conference news--this has several types of MARC holdings fields, including a 'live' check in.
[see 3/10/11]