1. Library search simply does not work, ever. I have never found
anything I was looking for using the Library search engine. Doing
things that are as simple as typing in the title of a book I know
is in the library will find results that are not at all related. In
all of the search results, the book will not even appear. I
regularly use Amazon.com to find the books I need and then just
search for the ISBN in the Library catalog. This really shouldn't
be necessary. I would not want to be someone who does not know this
trick and needs to find a book. For a library (a place that stores
and lends books), I find this really, really vexing on an every day
basis, both when I am working and studying. This is one issue that
must be fixed as soon as possible.
2. the search functions on the website, such as the search for
titles etc. are terrible. The closest match often comes at the
middle of the page when I search. The subject headings are also
often confusing and many times I've searched for two very similar
books and realized that they are in two very different subject
categories. Overall things could be more streamlined.
3. The online catalogue is pretty difficult to use. I have gotten
used to it, but it is very counter intuitive. Displaying results by
alphabetical order means that often typing in the exact title
leaves the book I'm searching for far down the page. Also, there
should be an easy way to for example find a list of all of the DVDs
or all of the Russian Language Literature books. If there is such a
way, I have not been able to find it and I have looked very hard
for such a method.
4. If there are things to be desired, for me they are primarily
with the electronic organization of information. I have noticed
glitches in the electronic catalogue, subject headings are not
always helpful. I have come to the conclusion that if I really
wanted to make sure I have done my research right, I cannot rely
only on the electronic catalogue
5. The only problems I ever encounter are with electronic
resources. Specifically, when the search engine indicates we have
access, but the actual page requires a login and password.
6. I wish the search methods were more clearly defined and that the
searches yielded more accurate results with better descriptions of
the books
7. The library website's catalog search is AWFUL! There have been
times when I have the title and author of exactly what I'm looking
for and it still won't come up, even though the library has
it!
8. Last year I tried to find several books by using the online
search. I knew their titles and authors, but the search turned up
no results. Later I found the book by accident while I was browsing
in the stacks. Sometimes that search function is really
tricky.
9. The on-line catalog needs to be redone. I've never had such a
difficult time finding materials. Multiple times I have entered a
title which comes back with no match, but if i search the author or
subject of the book i find the book. There must be a more efficient
system.
10. Also, I think it is still difficult to locate books that are in
a series--for instance, to figure out which volume of WUNT or SBL
Dissertation Series is on the shelf by looking through the online
catalog.
11. the library's search engine is terrible! Sometimes even if I
type the exact name of a book, it won't show up even if the library
has it.
12. Library catalog is horrible. It is hard to use,
incomplete.
13. the catalogue could be a little better-- sometimes repeat
titles in searches get confusing
14. Finding music (esp. scores and parts) is very difficult with
the current library search engine.
15. The library website has had problems recently. Sometimes when I
am browsing the course catalog, I'll get an error message and it
won't allow me to click ahead to see all the titles under the
subject heading I'm looking at.
16. library catalog is impossible to use, and should be replaced
immediately.
17. the catalog search is abysmal... can't you get a smarter search
engine?
18. We need a more efficient webpage (for the library
catalogue)
19. The weakest elements of the library's total services are:- the
catalog (missing entries, missing cross-references)
20. The online catalog search features need work. Searches do not
produce complete findings.
21. The search function on the library catalog is abysmal. If you
miss one word in your title search, nothing similar will come
up--consider switching to Google or some other intelligent fuzzy
search engine.
22. I have not had much luck at all when I try to search for a
title using the Search: Library Catalog search bar on the library's
main web page.
23. Library catelogue is hard to use. When searching for a
particular material, irrelevant results show up and there's no good
way to limit the search further. It's a confusing system.
24. The electronic access is unreliable - links to journals often
don't work.
25. My most important comment related to the public catalog -
espec. for searching & browsing print/electronic serial
publications - listed information types are often confusing or
counterintuitive, and the layout of individual serial records could
be improved.
26. online catalog inconsistent and information often incorrect;
finding titles can be very frustrating links to electronic journals
are often behind passwords, even on library computers, making them
inaccessible
27. Search using basic search under main catelog is difficult.
Especially using subject, and sorting with publish year is not
available.
28. I would like to use the library more often on the web but find
it impossible to navigate thru and no help even when just locating
a book.
29. The electronic catalog needs updating. Sometimes the required
information is in the wrong fields, and this delays finding a
needed item. On occassion, I have also had trouble accessing harder
to find journals through the library but I'm sure the library is
always trying its best to increase its subscriptions.
30. appearance of could not find search term when clicking through
the links in the library on-line catalog, something I use very
frequently
31. WHY does the library website produce a pop-up window for
searches? Please, please remove this. It's really irritating.
32. Updating the online catalogue with links to electronic
journals. Often these are not up-to-date (some journals are online
but are not so marked in the library catalogue). I would like to
visit the catalogue and know if that particular journal is online
(and what volumes) without having to independently search for
it.
33. One simple but hugely difficult problem: I believe the Slavic
collection still has two overlapping catalog systems, so it is
difficult to browse the stacks. New items frequesntly get cataloged
correctly, but as a result find themselves mixed in with the old
system in a place on the shelf that makes no sense.
34. Improve and speed up cataloguing process. (I miss the detailed
info. on the older catalog but I understand that you can't have
everything.)
35. I also hate the fact that two books that I recently requested a
search for, were in the electronic catalog, but the library had not
yet received it....and no one knows when they will arrive...this is
misleading...
SUGGESSTIONS
36. I wish that I could manage the list of items I find in the
catalog more efficiently, for example I would like to be able to
sort and then print the list by library, by availability, by floor
and shelf location, and by call number order; similarly, I would
like to be able to manage lists of materials via a library database
so that I could build bibliographies on-line for use with different
topics, etc.
37. And it would be extremely useful if searches from the library
catalogue could be directly downloaded into Endnote - WorldCat has
a function like that and it is very useful. Return to TOC
1. Sometimes I have difficulty finding the right electronic
resource to use to look for a journal. I have found that it is
often linked from the library catalog, which helps. However, I have
run into difficulties accessing those websites from the catalog
(probably user error). I have not had many issues recently. I
suppose also that some problems are on the interface of the
resource (out of the university's control).
2. FindIt works reasonably well, but not always.
Return to TOC