Searching Voyager#1: The Basics

Zale Library at Paul Quinn CollegeDavid Hamrick, 2012

“Now, voyager, sail thou forth to seek and find…” - Whitman

voyager.pqc.edu

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Here is where you start.

Don’t take it personally.It treats everyone this way.

TECH STUFF: The server only has a certain number of ports available to send and receive data. If you are inactive for a few minutes, it drops you in order to open the port for other users.

(If you really wanted to know why.)

CLICK ON

“WebVoyáge”

TO GO BACK TO THE

START SCREEN

If you ever see this…

CLICK ME

ENTERYOUR

SEARCHHERE

THIS CONTROLS THE TYPE

OF SEARCH

alchemist

Suppose you have to read The Alchemist by Paul Coelho, and write a reflective paper on it.

Let’s look at the results screen.

This gives us a summary of the item:•Title•Author

Wrong author!

This is what we wanted:•Title•Author•Date of publication•Location (which part of the library)•Call number (exactly where on the shelf)•Status (can you check it out?)

• “Charged” means it is checked out• “Discharged” or “Not charged” means it is available• “Multiple item statuses” means there is more than

one copy, you have to check the holdings record

What if you want to know more?

“Multiple item statuses” means there is more than one copy. Is there one available to check out?

What’s the difference between these copies, other than the dates?

CLICK ON THE RESULT NUMBER…

OR ON THE TITLEIF IT IS LINKED

The default item view is “holdings.”

This tells you the same basic information about the book, but also gives the status of each copy.

Now, what is the difference between this edition and the others?CLICK

“BIBLIOGRAPHIC” TO SEE MORE

DETAIL

This edition of The Alchemist has some extra features. Good for writing a paper!

The bib view has all the details about edition, publisher, etc.

To get specific information about the book you want:

• The search results screen will show basic info– Author, title, date of publication– Location, call number (where to find it)– Status if single copy (available or not?)

• Click on the number (or title) to see more– Default item view is holdings (available or not?)– Click the “bibliographic” tab to see the most

detailed description

Now we need to go find it on the shelf. To do that we need the location and call number.

CLICK “HOLDINGS”TO FIND THE

ITEM’S LOCATION

“Location” means the collection, or part of the library.

“Call number” is like a specific street address for the item.

LOCATIONS IN THE LIBRARY

• STACKS (The main collection, 1st floor)• AV (Audio-visual; ask at the front desk)• REF (Reference, 1st floor, back left area)• Circulation Desk (Reserve materials)• ECC (Ethnic Cultural Center, 2nd floor)• CM (Curriculum Materials, 2nd floor)• Law Collection (2nd floor)

LOCATIONS IN THE LIBRARY• Some locations have sub-collections• STACKS– Ashley Sloan Collection (1st floor near labs)– Hiawatha Williams Collection (1st floor near labs)– Fiction classics (2nd floor)– Texas Collection (2nd floor)

• CM (Curriculum Materials)– Children’s Picture Books (2nd floor)– Children’s Chapter Books (2nd floor)– Children’s General Books (2nd floor)

• These are indicated in the holdings record too

The book we want is in STACKS, and there is no note about a special collection.

NOW WE TACKLE

THE CALL NUMBER!

PQ 9698.13 .O3546 A4513 1998b • The call number has at least three main parts:– First is a group of 1-3 letters for the broad subject• “P” is language and literature• “PQ” is French, Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese lit.

– Next is a number, a subdivision of the subject• Since the number is in the 9000s, what language do

you think The Alchemist was written in?• The 9600s are for Portuguese literature from Brazil• “9698.13” is modern Brazilian authors whose last

names start with “C”

PQ 9698.13 .O3546 A4513 1998b – Next is a “Cutter number”• The first Cutter always begins with a decimal point…• Then a letter…• Then a number

– This identifies a specific author or topic– Sometimes there are two Cutter numbers– “.O3546” identifies Paul Coehlo– All his other novels will be under this number too– “A4513” identifies The Alchemist

PL PL PL PN PN PN

PQ

PQ PR

PN

PR

PQ

PRPR

PN

PQ

PR

PN PQ

PR

PQ PQ

PR

PN

PR

First we have to find the PQ’s.

Each section of shelves reads left to right, top to bottom, like a page in a book

PQ6728

PQ6728

PQ6732

PQ9263

PQ9288.3

PQ9289

PQ9698.11

PQ9698.13

PQ9698.13

PQ9687

PQ9698.11

PR108

PQ9698.2

PQ9622

PQ9698.1

PQ9698.15

PQ9698.1

PQ9698.12

PQ9698.13

PQ9698.1

PQ9698.1

PR108

PQ9684

PQ9698.2

Now we’re looking for the 9000s.

Now for the 9600s...

HERE THEY ARE---9698.13

PauloCoehlo

Zafir

PQ9698.13 .O3546

2005

PauloCoehlo

TheAlchemist

PQ9698.13.O3546 A4513 1992

PauloCoehlo

TheWitch of

Portobello

PQ9698.13.O3546 B7813 2007

PauloCoehlo

Alchemist

PQ9698.13.O3546 A4513 1998

PauloCoehlo

TheAlchemist

PQ9698.13.O3546 A4513 1993

PauloCoehlo

Alchemistwith notes

PQ9698.13.O3546A45131998b

PauloCoehlo

TheAlchemist

PQ9698.13.O3546 A4513 1992

If there were more authors under 9698.13, we would look for the first Cutter number, .O3546.

HERE IS THE ONE WE WERE LOOKING FOR

PQ 9698.13 .O3546 A4513 1998b • Remember, look first for the section of the

stacks where you find:– The letter group (class)– Then the number (subdivision)– Then the decimal point and letter/number

combination (Cutter number)

END