Not very often but sometimes, I really don't like libraries.
I was over at the University today for a group meeting and afterwards, went to the Business Library because the catalogue showed that they (as well as our main library Weldon, the Taylor library and a few others in the system had a copy of a book I wanted, Copyight Guide for Canadian Libraries.)
I picked the business library because it is (arguably) the closest to our building and also because they showed two copies available. I scribbled down the call number and off I went. When I get there, I go to the basement (if you haven't been to the business library you should go – for all the money Ivey supposedly has, not a lot seems to get directed to the library. Or to be fair, I think it's just a total lack of space.) But neither book is on the shelf, either at its usual spot or in the oversized section although the I know the catalogue had said both were “in library”. I take a quick glimpse on nearby shelves knowing books often get misplaced or misshelved but, though I find some other useful books, I don't see the one I want.
Having been scared/scarred by 503 RQ's where we were told “You must NOT ask the reference librarian for assistance!”, I didn't ask for help when I left and instead hiked up to to Weldon. (I probably should've double-checked the catalogue but another strange feature of the business library is they don't seem to have even one terminal down among the stacks and only 1 or 2 in the main reading area.)
So anyhow, I go to Weldon and same thing – no copy at either the regular or oversized spot. Here, I do go to the catalogue and realise what's happened. The reason I didn't find it at the business library is that the book has been given a different call number there compared to all other UWO libraries! (I'd only glanced at the holdings locations and the top call number when I did my original search, assuming the call number would be the same at all locations.)
[Can anybody out there who works as a cataloguer (Jen?) or took Advanced Cataloguing tell me why this would happen, especially when I thought that Western had central processing for items?]
Looking more closely at the catalogue, I also see that Weldon has a copy but it's a “no loan” reference copy (fair enough.) So now armed with the proper call number, I go back to the business library but even though it's in the same area (KE2994 instead of KE2799) and I had already scanned the nearby areas the first time, I still don't find either book! Again, I refuse to ask, partly because I don't feel like going upstairs only to have to turn around and crawl back down the stairs again (really, it's a truly scary place!) and instead, decide to try my luck at the Taylor library. “This is a fun day for a UWO library tour” I try telling myself.
I go there, not holding out much hope by now to be honest, but when I go right to the spot, there it is. Sweet sweet digital copyright text… Delicious taxonomy of bibliographic control.
On the other hand, I happened across this library catalogue whild doing some other research tonight and it made all my anger go away. Try the visual search and the digital catalogues – very cool!
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