Catalogue
From SLNSW
The catalogue can be your most effective reference tool.
The Library Catalogue
No matter how many resources you examine every day, you just can't know all of them. The catalogue is a small search engine which helps you find library resources in different ways. It's both a good beginning to your strategy and a resource in itself. It is useful in several ways.
- Use the catalog to find books which will have sections on your topic, even though the book is not cataloged under that topic. For example, when a patron asks for information on German Shepherds, and the catalog shows nothing under that specific breed of dog, you would then look up "dogs" and check the general books on the subject for chapters on German Shepherds.
- Sometimes it takes very creative use of the catalogue to find a book which will help on more obscure topics. For example, something on old egg beaters might be found in books on kitchen implements, general antiques, metal tools, folk designs, or histories of technology, among others. It is good practice to check first under the most specific heading you can think of. If you don't find what you need, broaden your search.
- Use entries for other books on the same subject to help you find the correct subject headings to use. For example, if you don't know the subject heading, you may do a keyword search. If the term you used isn't in a subject heading but appears in the title of a book, from that catalogue record you can get the correct subject headings to use.
- Use the catalogue to quickly locate miscellaneous information such as authors' names and dates. Or use call numbers from sources that you found in your search to determine a good place to start browsing the shelves.
New Connections: Web and Online Catalogue
Accessing records for library resources is easy online, but you're still tied to a work station. Placing terminals throughout the library is one solution. The shape of things to come includes roving access, using laptops or PDAs (personal digital assistants) and wireless networks.
A cataloguing challenge is connecting the library collection to Web resources. Have a look at your library’s web site to determine how it is being done.
Put in an example from www.oclc.org/reports/pfds/Percept_all.pdf or social networking report
Major Point: The catalogue is a good place to start your search and can help you find books, subject headings, or author names and dates.
- Locate an encyclopaedia of science and/or technology in the catalogue.
- Locate a handbook of chemistry and/or physics in the catalogue.
- Look in your catalogue for books about New South Wales. Look closely at the catalogue records for 2 or 3 of these items. What can you learn about dates for the authors? What can you learn about other subject headings to help you find more resources?
