More Changes

Wow, it's been busy this summer. This Sunday I made a couple of different changes to the catalog.

Permanent Link
I've added a "permanent link" option to the catalog. This link is in the full bib view for a title and is located on the bottom left side right above the "MARC Display" link.

Why do you care? Currently, the link that appears in the address bar is very long and unwieldy. For example, this is the original URL for Jennifer Crusie's book Faking It:
http://catalog.mylibrary.us/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=131R91I5819K0.9033&profile=weld&source=~!horizon&view=subscriptionsummary&uri=full=3100001~!921724~!6&ri=1&aspect=subtab240&menu=search&ipp=20&spp=20&staffonly=&term=faking+it&index=.TS&uindex=&aspect=subtab240&menu=search&ri=1
As you can see, it's horrible. This is the shortened permanent link for the title: http://catalog.mylibrary.us/ipac20/ipac.jsp?index=ISBNEX&term=0312284683.

This feature is still in testing so there are a couple of caveats. First, when possible, I have the catalog connect using the title's ISBN. This is a slightly more stable number than the bib number. If the ISBN doesn't exist, it next looks for a UPC (many movies and music CDs don't have ISBNs). However, it turns out that multiple products could have the same UPC. See this link for an example. I'm still debating with myself if I'll keep the UPC search as an option. If it doesn't have either an ISBN or a UPC it will use the "search URI" link. I'll probably continue tinkering with this over the next couple of weeks to refine it but the general concept should work.

Please let me know what you think of it and if you run into any problems trying to use it.

New collection code for Overdrive eBooks
Tech services has added a new collection code for Overdrive eBooks. This means that you can now search for eBooks separate from Audio eBooks. To limit to Audio eBooks, go to the Advanced search page and then under the Format box highlight Books - Audio eBooks. To search for just eBooks, follow the same steps except highlight Books - eBooks.

Note: we have eBooks from a variety of different vendors including Overdrive, Safari, and Netlibrary. Books from Safari tend to be technology related while Overdrive books tend to be newer than the Netlibrary books. So, if you just want books from a particular vendor, you can enter "overdrive" or "safari" as a General Keyword search and use it in combination with the eBook limit.

New Electronic Resource Images
We found that some borrowers were confused by the records for electronic books showing up in the catalog. To try to make it clearer, we've added images that say, "Get Audio eBook Now", "Connect Now", or "Get eBook Now" along with the direct link to access these resources. You can see examples here:

• Audio eBook - A Hat Full of Sky
• Safari eBook - Using iPhone
• Overdrive eBook - The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth

As always, let me know if you have any questions about any of these.

3 Advanced Search Limit Changes

This Sunday I added a new mp3 format to the advaced search page as well as making it possible to limit to non-fiction TV series. In addition, I renamed Audio eBooks to say Books - Audio eBooks.

Limiting by MP3 CD
Our district has started buying audio books in an MP3 CD format. Typically, CDs come in two varieties: audio and data. Audio CDs were specifically designed to play in a normal CD player. By constrast, data CDs were designed to be read by computers. MP3 CDs are techincally data CDs so while newer cd players likely can play them, older CD players will not. For example, the CD player that came with my 2003 Toyota cannot play MP3 CD audio books but the car stereo we bought several years later can.

There are a couple advantages of MP3 CDs that, depending on your circumstances, can outweight their disadvantages. First, an entire audio book is often on one MP3 CD. This means if your car can play MP3 files, you won't have to try switching CDs while going 75 mph down I-25. Second, MP3 files are easier to transfer from a CD to your portable music player, such as an iPod. If you do transfer library audio books to your iPod, you should delete them when your check-up period is over. However, unlike Overdrive audio books, your computer will not prompt you to delete them.

To see a list of all the MP3 CD audio books we own:

• Click on the Advanced Search link in our catalog
• Next to Title Keyword type an *
• In the Format section scroll down and click on Books - MP3 CD
• Click the Red Arrow to begin your search

Here are the results. This limit also works with the Audience Adult - Fiction and Adult - Non-Fiction limits.

Limiting by Non-Fiction TV Series
We've been able to search for TV Series for a while. However, we now have a non-fiction TV series collection code so we can limit specifically to non-fiction TV series also. This is how you do it:

• Click on the Advanced Search link in our catalog
• Next to Title Keyword type an *
• In the Format section scroll down and click on Video Recording - TV Series
• In the Audience section highlight Adult - Non-Fiction
• Click the Red Arrow to begin your search

Here are the results.

Audio eBooks
As I mentioned above, I renamed Audio eBooks to say Books - Audio eBooks. I did this in order to have a consistent naming scheme for all our audio book labels. To find all audio ebooks that are currently in our catalog:

• Click on the Advanced Search link in our catalog
• Next to Title Keyword type an *
• In the Format section scroll down and click on Books - Audio eBook
• Click the Red Arrow to begin your search

Here are the results.

A couple of notes about Overdrive Audio eBooks. First, many of the Overdrive books do not have catalog records that we can download from other places easily. This means that each record has to be painstakenly created by our catalogers, which takes time. As a result, for now, if you are looking specifically for Overdrive books, it's best to go directly to our Overdrive Website. Second, there's only one collection code for Audio eBooks, regardless of whether they are fiction or non-fiction. So, the Adult - Fiction and Adult - Non-Fiction limits won't work.