Ramblings-n-Writings

Posts Tagged ‘online catalog’

We’re heading to the “big city” library today. While I love our local, small town library in Spencer, I get really excited about going to the “big city” library in Charleston.

Guess what? The big city library has 3 floors of books! Three floors!!! Three biiiig floors – like one floor is twice the size of the small town library. (The small town library could probably fit inside my house. Things might be a little tight, but it would fit.)

The only gripe I have about the big city library is the layout is confusing. Couldn’t they start the Dewey Decimal system at the front door with the 000′s, then 100′s, then 200′s? Nope, that would be too easy! They have special sections that repeat poor Mr. Dewey – oversized books, reference books (can’t check out), reference books (can check out), W.Va. stuff, new releases, not-so-new releases-but-still-new  etc. Does your library do that?

Over the years I’ve learned to pay close attention to the card catalog. Besides having a call number, each book also has a location stating the floor and section. Now when I plan my library list … wait, what?! You don’t plan your library list? I sure do!

Since the big city library has limited parking (Who wants to pay for a meter when there’s free 15 minute parking? Oh, and there’s that whole parallel parking thing. I live in the country and don’t intend to parallel park my car again. Ever.) As I was saying, since the parking is limited, I always go online the day before and use the library’s online catalog to plan my list.

I search for books by author, title, keyword, or subject. (The online catalog is identical to the catalog system in the library.) Sometimes I hop over to Amazon to read more about a book that sounds interesting.

If I find a book I want, I write down the call number and location (the most important part LOL). And if I plan enough in advance, I place a hold on the books I want and have the books waiting at the circulation desk when I walk in.

I like to think I’m being frugal – by planning in advance, I save time in the library plus money in the meter (25 cents for 30 minutes. No thanks.). And by checking the catalog ahead of time, I save needless driving to and from the library (small town is 25 miles one way, big city is 60 miles one way) if books aren’t available.

And, don’t worry, I still like to browse around the library stacks and pick up random books. Browsing the big city library is cool because they have books on just about every topic. Plus browsing means I don’t have to think like Sherlock Holmes to find Dewey #737.4 oversized book.

Do you access your local library’s online catalog at home?

P.S. – The teacher in me says that showing your kids how to browse the online catalog at home might alleviate some of the nightmares caused by Junior needing a real book, not the Internet, as a research source for an English paper. Imagine a teacher actually expecting a high school freshman to get a book from the library. *gasp* What a mean teacher!