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    browse search call number problem

    • Article Type: General
    • Product: Aleph
    • Product Version: 18.01

    Description:
    We have an acc index for LCC
    H LCC ACC 22 00 00 LC Classification

    Our OPAC search for call number looks for LCC

    tab_filing says

    !* LC Call Numbers
    22 del_subfield
    22 lc_call_no
    22 compress [q.]

    And we can't figure out any logic for browsing call numbers that works for many call numbers.

    Example: try to find 'the oxford companion to children's literature' by call number PN1108.5 .C37 1984

    but 'Quintett es-Moll f?r Klavier' comes up with a search on M512.4

    and 'this republic of suffering' can be found by searching E468.9

    We can't figure out any logic for the way call numbers are indexed. It seems to have something to do with the presence of a '.' in the LC class, but not always. It also doesn't matter whether we're looking for a 'pre-conversion' call number or one that originated in ALEPH.

    This is a problem when a student comes to the desk with a call number and can't remember the title. We can't find the call number in order to check the title or figure out what the 'correct' call number or location might be.

    Resolution:
    I believe you're asking why "Is there a text in this class" is indexed in the LCC index as just PN81, rather than the full PN81 .F56. Is that correct? If so, the reason is that the LCC index is defined as indexing just the subfield $$a of the 050 tag in the bib record. If you look at this bib (System # 10444), you'll see that the PN81 is in the subfield $$a and the .F56 is in the subfield $$b.

    I don't know what you intend to show in the OPAC when people search by Call Number, but I think you probably should be using the actual call number on the Holdings and Item records - not the one in the Bib. They may not necessarily match. I see that you have already built a browse index for LC-classed call numbers in Holdings and Items with code LOC1. You may want to use this for OPAC Call Number searching.

    *********************
    Thank you thank you.

    This is another example of our not understanding how the system worked. We assumed since LCC was the example www search that that was what we were supposed to use. I still don't understand all the LOC*, PST*, etc. ways of identifying things. I didn't know what the browse index LOC1 was for.

    Our music librarian is thrilled:
    I'm loving it. Seems to work great. For music stuff, if I don't put [q.] in front, I do indeed get only mini scores and recordings. If I put [q.] in front, I get oversized scores. If you use [q.], you DO need to put a space in between the right bracket and the call number. Spacing after that doesn't seem to matter.

    So we have happy folks here on this one.
    [3/19/2008 12:06:20 PM Central Standard Time <Kathleen Isaacson > ]


    • Article last edited: 10/8/2013