This resource supports the 'Course design' module of the University of Birmingham’s PG Cert, created as part of the JISC/HEA-funded DELILA project; it also stands alone for any user wanting to learn how to get the best out of the Library Catalogue. This guide covers how to search for books, periodicals and archive materials as well as how to manage ones library account online

Library Services, Subject Advisor

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University of Birmingham Research Archive, E-papers Repository

 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.5 License.         Using the Library Catalogue    1  To find out if we hold the book you require you should use the Library Catalogue at http://libcat.bham.ac.uk/TalisPrism/. This catalogue gives detailed information about all our books and e-books, as well as selected information about journals and other types of media. Some older material (pre 1972) is listed on the Card Catalogue Online at http://www.cardcat.bham.ac.uk/main/. Detailed information about electronic journals, abstracts and indexes can be found by using eLibrary at www.elibrary.bham.ac.uk. For rare books and manuscripts there is an Archive catalogue at http://calm.bham.ac.uk/DServeA/.   1. The Library Catalogue   Accessing the Library Catalogue  The Library Catalogue can be accessed at http://libcat.bham.ac.uk/TalisPrism/ or from the Library Services homepage at www.library.bham.ac.uk.    Searching the Library Catalogue  To search the catalogue you can either use the standard search or click on the advanced search option at the top of the screen.    Using the standard Search option  This allows you to search for items using:   Keyword – to look for books on a subject choose one or two words to describe your topic e.g. water pollution  Title – If you know the title of the book e.g. student’s writing guide.  Author – to select works by an author. Enter the last name of the author, then a comma, then the first name or initial e.g. Dawkins, Richard    Searching for a Book When You Know the Author and/or Subject  Type in the author’s name and a keyword which should represent the general subject area of the book e.g.  Keyword: organizations  Author: Handy  Click on Search  You will now be presented with a list of records which match your search. On each record on the list you can click on the title to display the full record of the book. You can also choose to search for other books by the author and other books on the subject.    When you see the book you want click on Show Copies. In this example search choose Inside organizations: 21 ideas for managers.  The next screen shows you which libraries have the book, the shelfmark, the number of copies and whether they are on loan. The shelfmark (also known as classmark) is the series of letters and numbers which you need to find the books on the shelves. Note this number down accurately, including any prefixes and suffixes. Now click on Show details. In this case choose the details for the Main Library copies and the loan type of each copy of the book will be displayed. There are a variety of loan types available e.g. long loan, week loan, short loan and reference only.  You now have all the information you need to find the book. You know the:  Author – Charles Handy  Title – Inside organisations: 21 ideas for managers  Location – Main Library  Shelfmark – HM 131/H  Loan Type – long loan (and whether any copies are already out on loan)  You now need to find the shelf for books with the classmark HM 131. For items in the Main Library you will see a Find in the Library link on screen. Click this link to find out where in the Library the item is shelved. You will see the message “Inside organizations : 21 ideas for managers / Charles Handy can be found in Zone 1A on the 1st floor of the Main Library.”  You are also given the option to click on a more detailed plan of Zone 1A, so that you can see where in zone 1A the books with classmark HM are located.  There is also a leaflet for  the Main Library called Classmark Location Guide, which gives you an overview of where to find all classmarks in the Main Library. In other libraries the site guide to the library will show you where the books are located. If the item location is Store the item is not on open shelves. Click on the Request from Store link to order the item and for details of the Store     2 fetching service. If you have any problems finding a book please ask library staff for help.    Placing a reservation  You may find that all the copies of the book you need are already on loan. In this case you can place a reservation. When you have the list of all copies of the book on the screen click on Reserve then type your borrower number, which is printed with the barcode on your University ID card. Please note that    reservations can only be made on long loan or week loan books. You can book short loan items up to a week in advance at the issue desk in the library where the book is housed.    Check and renew your loans  You can find this and other information about your library use by selecting my account from the top menu bar and entering your borrower number from your University Identity Card. For example for BU P0123456 X, type: 0123456X. Then click on logon. You can check and renew your loans, check what you have reserved and any fines you may have incurred. Remember to click on logout when you have finished.    Refining Searches  The default on the Library Catalogue is the Main Catalogue covering all collections, sites and years for the University of Birmingham (except the Card Catalogue Online and the Archive catalogue).  You can refine your search by choosing from several options. To choose more than one option from the same list hold down the control key and click on your choices.  Source  Use this option to select from a range of national and local catalogues.  Collection  Choose from these options to restrict your search to a section of the Library Catalogue Main – for all the Birmingham collections  Music - for musical works (see also Searching for Musical Works in this guide)  Periodicals – for printed and electronic journals (see also Searching for Periodicals in this guide)  Theses – for University of Birmingham theses (see also Searching for Theses in this guide)  OLRC – for items at the Orchard Learning Resources Centre (Selly Oak)    Advanced Search  Choosing advanced search from the top menu bar allows for more sophisticated searching with all of the options already described as well as others, including language and format.    Print, Email or Download Records  You can choose to print, email or download a record or list of records using the options at the bottom of the screen.     2. Searching For Periodicals The best way to search for electronic journals, abstracts and indexes is to use eLibrary at http://www.elibrary.bham.ac.uk/. It is possible to use the Library Catalogue to search for a periodical, but eLibrary gives fuller information for this type of material and so you should prefer eLibrary over the Library catalogue for this sort of search. To find out about eLibrary you can use the online demo at http://www.elibrary.bham.ac.uk/guide.shtml#demo  eLibrary is a portal system that provides a single point of access to high quality information, particularly for eJournals. You need to enter your normal username and password at the eLibrary Welcome page. The next page you see defaults to the Find eJournal - titles search box. The easiest way to search for eJournals is to enter the title of a journal here.  If electronic full text is available, you can use the  option in eLibrary to link directly to the full text of the article you want.  3. Searching for Theses  You can search for theses by using the same type of searches used for locating books (keyword, title and author). Just type in your search terms and choose Theses Catalogue on the Collection list and click on Search. Click on Show copy to see details of the item you are interested in. Access to theses is on a request only basis. If you wish to consult a thesis please contact the Information Desk in the appropriate library. Theses in the Main Library should be requested by clicking on Show details and completing the online Request thesis form.        3 4. Searching For Musical Works   The Library Catalogue contains a subset of music material (scores, printed music and recordings). Use this option to search for composers and their works. You can search for these by using the same type of searches for locating books e.g. Author (i.e. composer or editor), Title, Keyword. Type your search words in the relevant box(es) then select Music Catalogue from the Collection list.  Please note that older books and scores, and all recordings on LP are listed in separate card indexes in the Barber Music Library.  5. Other Online Catalogues     Archives Catalogue  To enable you to find details of archives, early printed works and manuscripts there is a separate catalogue, the Online Archive Catalogue, which is a union catalogue and includes catalogues of holdings from three repositories at the University of Birmingham: the Special Collections Department in the University’s Main Library; the Orchard Learning Resources Centre on the Selly Oak Campus; and the Shakespeare Institute Library at Stratford-upon-Avon. It can be accessed at http://calm.bham.ac.uk/DServeA/. Please contact Special Collections staff for advice if you do not find what you are looking for (email special-collections@bham.ac.uk).    Card Catalogue Online  The card catalogue online lists books acquired by the University of Birmingham before 1972. Authors can be personal names (e.g.: Smith, John) or corporate names (e.g.: Amnesty International; United States; Conference of Amalgamated Trades). Please note that the Library Catalogue should always be the first place to look. You will only need to use the Card Catalogue Online if you cannot find the item you are looking for in the Library Catalogue and the item was published before 1972. It can be accessed at: http://www.cardcat.bham.ac.uk/main/  Searching the Card Catalogue Online  You have three options  i) Browse the list of drawer labels       ii) Select an initial drawer label letter  iii) Enter a search key. The search key can be an author (i.e. person or organisation), a drawer number or drawer and card numbers, separated by a colon.            You can view either the cropped or full-size images. Viewing the cropped images will display 10 cards per page (by default). Viewing the full image will display one card per page. The full image viewing offers more features.  Click on the drawer and view (full or cropped image) required. Whether entering the drawer at the start or the middle of the sequence, it is likely that you will have to search or browse through the drawer to find the card you are looking for. Use the online help screens for more details.    To find the item on the shelves, you need to make a note of the classmark found in the top right hand corner of the card. Classmarks are normally a mixture of letters followed by numbers followed by a letter and some more numbers.  Some cards have classmarks which designate special collections or are held in a Site Library.  If the name of a library or collection (e.g. Shakespeare Institute) appears above or before the classmark, check its location in the list of libraries and locations. If the name of the collection is not one of these, it may be in Special Collections. Books with no library or collection prefix are in the Main Library.    6. Barber Fine Art Library Card Catalogue  Some reference items acquired by the Barber Fine Art Library before 1992 are listed in the Barber Fine Art Library Card Catalogue located in the Main Reading Room of the art library. The Library Catalogue should always be the first place to look. If you cannot find the item you are looking for online, and the item was published before 1992, search the Barber Fine Art Card Catalogue. All loan copies for Barber Fine Art books are listed on the Library Catalogue.  All Library Services documents are available in other formats, please contact Library Customer Support on 0121 414 5828 or http://www.library.bham.ac.uk/help/ask.shtml for information         G.32-EL-02/10/2009  

Guide for using the library catalogue

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