Tag Archives: Top News

I’m Finding the New Library Search Confusing. Please Help.

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I am finding the library’s new search, Library Search, somewhat confusing. For example, when I search for a book and there are multiple locations, why isn’t the information for each location all together in one place? What can you do about this?

Thank you for contacting us about your frustrations with the Library Search. At this time, the staff at Temple University Libraries are still working to address some of the changes caused by our library system migration over the summer.

In some cases, for instance, there may be multiple records of the same work for items at different library locations. We encourage you to report problems with the Library Search to asktulibrary@temple.edu, so that we can do everything that we can to identify and address specific issues/bugs.

If you are unsure if an item is available at your current location, though, here are some tips for filtering by location and availability in order to get most out of the Library Search:

1.  If you are getting too many results after your initial search, you can limit your search by selecting one of the filters in the left-hand column. This includes Availability, which allows you to limit to items available “Online” or “At the Library,” and Library, which allows you to limit to a particular library location.

2.  In the search results, you can see if an item is available online and/or in a physical location. When something is available in more than one library, one of those locations will be highlighted in the search results, but not all. Make sure to open the record page for full details on the locations and statuses of library items.

3.  You can also text a call number from the Library Search to your phone for quick reference. Look for this option in the search results and at the top of record pages. 

If an item is unavailable at your campus, you can request that item from another library. For more information, see the FAQ How do I request an item that is unavailable at my library?

For general information about the Library Search, you can also check out the Library Search FAQs, which includes information about how to find books, articles, and more. If you need further assistance, you can Ask a Librarian or contact asktulibrary@temple.edu

Limitations of Library Catalog’s Text Message Feature

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Hello!  One feature of the online Diamond catalogue I love is the ability to send a library record to my phone via a text message. This is very convenient and I do it constantly. However: if the title or other information is too long, the text message that comes through does not include the call number, probably because it gets cut off — and that is the most important part of the message! Is there a way to ensure that the call number is always transmitted in those texts, even for books with a very long title?

UPDATE: As of 2/16/15 we have modified the structure of the catalog text messages so that the call number always appears at the top of the message. That way, if the bibliographic information exceeds the SMS message character limitation, the call number will always be transmitted in the text message. Thanks for your suggestion!

Thank you for using Temple Libraries. We are glad to hear that you appreciate the text messaging feature in the Diamond Catalog. It’s a convenient way to keep track of the information you need to locate the book once you get to the library stacks.

Unfortunately there are going to be records with significantly long titles or many authors and when that is the case you may not receive all the necessary information (such as the call number) owing to the character limitation of a text message – which happens to be 160 characters. When this happens some of the information you need will be left out of the message.

We currently do not have an immediate solution, but out library technology team is looking into the problem to determine if they can come up with one. If they do it will be reported here.

Please keep in mind an alternate, albeit not quite as convenient, option. You can also save a catalog record to your “My Library Account” – everyone at Temple has one in our catalog system. You can access your account by clicking on “Renew My Books” in the upper right corner of the library homepage.

When you find a record in your catalog search you can elect to save it to a “list”. You can have multiple lists with any number of books in the folder. The list feature works quite well with our mobile site, so any book you save to a list can be retrieved on your phone. This will allow you to have a more permanent record of your books that is also retrievable on your phone. Admittedly, it takes a few more steps than the text message feature. It may be an option you wish to explore.

Sorry But Paley Library’s Roof Is Off Limits

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How about building a geo/biodome on the roof of Paley Library. It would make a great study space – like an artificial jungle. While you’re at it, can you give students free coffee on Monday mornings?

Thanks for your creative suggestion for an improvement to Paley Library that would no doubt put our library on the map. How many university libraries have a biodome on the top of the building? Unfortunately, as much as we might like that study space, Temple University Facilities department might look less favorably on this type of project. This is not the first time we’ve received a suggestion or request involving students doing something on the roof of Paley, and the Facilities folks are pretty strict about access to the roof – as in they don’t allow it. For now we will do our best to make sure the roof is sealed tight. We don’t want any rain leaking in that might damage our books.

While we’d love to hand out free coffee to students as a great way to start the week, we need to be responsible stewards of the funds that we receive from the University. That means purchasing all the important resources that make Temple Libraries a great research collection. But we also understand the importance of freebies. Don’t worry. It’s coming. For the last several years, during finals, students are invited to come to Paley Library for late-night coffee and cookies. We’ll be offering it again this year during finals week. It’s just one of the ways Temple Libraries supports the Temple student community.

Book Wasn’t In the Catalog But It Was On the Shelf. What Happened?

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I was searching for a book from home using the Libraries’ online catalog system – I connected to it through the Libraries website. According the information I got from my search of the catalog, the book I wanted was not available – there was no record for it. But the next day I was at the library looking for another book and low and behold, the book I was searching for – the one the catalog didn’t list at all – was the first book that I saw sitting on the shelf. How is it possible that the book wasn’t in the catalog yet was there on the shelf. Something’s wrong. Can you explain this?
The next issue, with the same book, is the call number. I believe the number is incorrect. It is numbered as a book for Computer Aided Design (CAD) programs when it is actually the information gathering portion of designing a building also called programming. I think you should correct the call number.

We are grateful that you brought your problems with this book to us, and doubly grateful because finding it required some extra work on your part.  The book did not, as you say, display in Diamond (our online catalog), because at some point in the process of being checked in, or checked out,  or moved from one location to another, or even because it went missing for a while, the record for the book was removed from public view.  We are pleased to have been able to restore the information about the book to you and others who might need it.

As for the shelf number of the book: here at Temple we use Library of Congress classification, which divides subjects and genres more or less arbitrarily into an A-Z range.  The NA range is for architecture and contains a large number of topical and geographic subdivisions.  Which subdivision a book is placed in is based largely on a correspondence with the Library of Congress Subject Heading that is chosen by the cataloger.  In this case the cataloger was actually at the Library of Congress, and chose the topic—and sub-topic  “Architectural design–Data processing,” apparently on the basis of the title word “programming.”  As you mention, this involves a misunderstanding of what “programming” means to architects and other design professionals, and so the book wound up in the wrong classification. It’s worthwhile to help people looking for books on your topic by reclassifying the book.

That said, cataloging is a highly cooperative enterprise involving the work of professionals all over the U.S. The Library of Congress itself is considered the “gold standard” for cataloging.  For this reason, Library of Congress cataloging is merely given a low-level quality control check here at Temple, along with a  little physical processing.  We kept the original classification, as did the other 250 or so libraries that I can find that have the book.  In our field there is something of an understanding that all libraries that hold a book keep the original classification unless there’s some very good reason to make a change.  So when you’re through with the book, we’re going to take another look at it, just to be on the safe side.  In the end we will most likely follow your advice.