Cofrin Library

University of Wisconsin Green Bay Cofrin Library Cofrin Library - Quality service, quality information, quality learning - UW Green Bay

FAQs about the Cofrin Library Catalog

As questions arise, about the new Cofrin Library Catalog, we will add them to this page with an answer from the system administrators. It is our hope that this page will help users better understand how the system works. If you have a question or comment please feel free to send it to us. Click here to contact us.

Q: Can I search the online catalog 24 hours a day?

A: No. Generally, the catalog is available from:

7:30 a.m. - 2:00 a.m. the following day Monday through Friday
7:30 a.m. - 9:00 p.m. Friday
10:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. Saturday
11:00 a.m. - 2:00 a.m. Monday Sunday

Backups and maintenance are performed outside these service hours. Hours may be extended during exam week and reduced during summer/break periods. The catalog is always unavailable during scheduled backups. Normally, this occurs between 3:00 a.m. and 5:30 a.m.

Q: How do I search for the new books?

A: Click on the New Materials tab. From this screen you can search for new books, videos, etc. added in the last 1 to 4 weeks. You can also limit it to a specific location and sort by call number, author or title.

Q: Are all books subject to recall and are recalls restricted by patron status?

A: Yes, items that typically circulate, such as books, government documents, microfilm, and the paperback collection, are subject to recall by all patrons. Recalls are available for most patron statuses, however patrons who are using the Universal Borrowing module to request items cannot recall items.

Q: How do I search for videos?

A:

  1. Select the Basic search
  2. From the 'Basic Limit Options' box select "video recording"
  3. In the 'Find words in' box choose Boolean.
  4. In the 'Find' box type in a subject or keywords. Connect the words with Boolean operators (And, Or, NOT) and add "video recording" to the end. Example: vietnam and "martin luther king" and video recording
  5. Click the Search button

Q: Why don't limits work on some searches?

A: Limits do not work on author, subject, or call number searches from the Basic Search screen, nor do they work on course reserve searches because they are set up as either browse or authority searches. The best compromise is to use the Advanced Search and specify either Subject or Author Name in the 'Find words in:' box. You can either set the limits before searching or perform the search and apply limits afterwards with the 'Post Limits" button.  This technically is not a subject or author search, but a keyword search on the subject or author fields. Also, searching by journal title and limiting by Type does not work and has been reported as a software bug.

Q: What is the difference between Medium and Type on the Limits screen?

A: Medium specifies a physical characteristic of an item, for example, map, computer file, or microform. Type specifies a characteristic of the item, which may or may not be a physical characteristic. This might be book, serial (a publication which is issued in parts with no expected end date), archive/manuscript, music score, map, musical recording or one of various others.

Both Medium and Type can be repeated for a single item. For example, an online version of a book would be coded as both a book and a computer file.

The problem with limiting your search to a specific Medium is that this looks at a relatively new field in a MARC record (the kind of data record used in most libraries). Older records in the catalog won't have been coded this way, so if you limit your search by Medium, you will miss some records that do, in fact, fit your criteria, particularly records more than a few years old.

Bottom line: The Type limit applies to every record, but the Medium limit only works for newer records. Limiting your search by Medium can be useful, but there is a chance you will miss some things you are interested in. A better way to search would be to use a Keyword search and include the format you are interested in. The following terms are consistently used as a part of the MARC record, but not necessarily in the Type or Medium fields:

computer file; Internet; filmstrip; kit; microform; motion picture; interactive multimedia;

Example: Use the Advanced Search and type blues in the first 'Find' box and sound recording in the second 'Find' box.

Q. How do I place a Universal Borrowing request?

A. for step by step instructions with illustrations, see how guide on placing your Universal borrowing request at http://www.uwgb.edu/library/research/Universal%20Borrowing%20guide%20.pdf

revised 8 November 2007