Tip of the Iceberg: Part 2, Discovering What's Hidden

Abstract

Remote storage for large collections is becoming common, making those books inaccessible for physical browsing by researchers. The main libraries at Temple University and the University of Central Florida (UCF) each have approximately 1.3 million print items on-site. Both libraries are storing 90% of their collections in automated retrieval systems with 10% remaining available for browsing in open stacks. In Part 1, “Choosing What Shows,” Karen Kohn, Temple’s Collection Analysis Librarian, describes the decisions and processes used for the 10% left physically visible. This second part explores UCF’s efforts to improve discoverability of the items in storage. The visual aspects of a book (height, multi-volume, etc.) that often provide useful clues regarding the content disappear when the patron can only view a list of search results on a computer screen. How can the loss of these visual clues be mitigated? Online browsing guides have been created at UCF to help researchers explore the hierarchical subject structure of call numbers. Other finding tools and displays may also improve awareness of stored materials.