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SOIC Library Catalog ... Help!

1. I can't find it in the catalog, but I know it has to be there!!
2. What does the "Search" box search and how can I use it?
3. Why do I see very few articles in the Library Catalog?
4. Why are the Call Numbers not like any I've seen before?

1. I can't find it in the catalog, but I know it has to be there!!

• Try other search terms from the title or author's name, or smaller components of the term.
  For example, try "Write" rather than "Write-on".
• The database will not search on apostrophe's, so leave them off.
  For example, search for "Miller" rather than "Miller's".

2. What does the "Search" box search and how can I use it?
The "search" box searches the following fields:
- Author
- Title
- Call Number
- Abstract (see Question #4 for more information about this)

Multiple terms entered into the box are searched as a phrase.
e.g. typing "inkwell society" will NOT search for "inkwell" and "society" as separate terms, but will search them exactly as they appear together.

3. Why do I see very few articles in the Library Catalog?
Libraries do not technically own "articles" -- they own magazines that hold articles. Library catalogs list items the library holds, such as magazines. To search articles, you must usually consult a separate list, created by someone else such as an article indexing company, or an independently created bibliography. In the case of the SOIC, there are a few bibliographies dedicated to inkwells, and the newest edition of the SOIC Bibliography that abstracts the entire SOIC collection is currently available from the SOIC Store.

The reason why you do see a few articles in the Library Catalog is because some clipped articles from magazines have been submitted to the library. Because these articles are originals, and not photocopies, and the library does not otherwise own the entire magazine they have been clipped from, they have been included in the collection as "owned". However, these will be removed from the Library Catalog list as the SOIC obtains each of the original magazines the articles appeared in, and at that point you will be able to access the articles through use of a bibliography and the Library Catalog.

4. Why are the Call Numbers not like any I've seen before?
The SOIC Library call numbers are simple, sequential numbers, rather than Dewey or LC numbers for several reasons:

1. Assigning Dewey or LC numbers can be somewhat complicated, especially for people not trained in cataloging. They can also be complicated to use when shelving an item. Because the position of Librarian is voluntary and the volunteer may not be trained in cataloging, it is essential that the systems in place to maintain the library be as "librarian-friendly" as possible, leaving the Librarian time to focus on other tasks such as expansion of the library.

2. Assigning Dewey or LC numbers requires the purchase of cataloging tools, often in the form of yearly subscriptions that can be costly. Monies that might be spent on these tools can be spent on expanding the collection.

3. If the library is ever taken over by a larger institutional library, having the library cataloged in either Dewey or LC will only ensure a 50% chance of it matching the new host library's system. Besides this, while in many cases the call numbers assigned in one library often match the call numbers assigned for the same item in another library, this is not always true. Call numbers are NOT unique identification numbers for an item (ISBN numbers are unique numbers), and would have to be checked for each item upon admittance into the new host library system. And this is all *if* the library is ever taken over by a larger library.

4. The numbers are very simple to use, both for patrons and the librarian. Users who are not familiar with traditional call number schemes may find them confusing to use. The SOIC call numbers are short and simple.