Uh, typo, my Worldcat Local search was actually:
"Bibliotheca americana sabin"
I guess I got too riled up and misquoted myself.
-Ross.
On Thu, May 7, 2009 at 4:09 PM, Ross Singer <rossfsinger_at_gmail.com> wrote:
> Also, I would like to point out that Worldcat was bucketloads of fail
> in this equation.
>
> 1) It appeared nowhere in my Google results.
> 2) The 2nd link in Google /was a freaking Dynix catalog page/
> 3) It could not show me the holdings of my local public library
> 4) When I searched it directly, I couldn't find the record that I had
> with the OCLC number -- even though it /knows where I live/, it didn't
> show me a record anywhere near me in the first page
>
> So a search in Worldcat Local for bibliotheca americana brings back a
> ton of stuff.
>
> Overwhelmed, I click on the "Joseph Sabin" facet.
>
> FROM THERE THE RECORD I WANTED WAS #41. WORLDCAT TRIED TO HOCK FORTY
> ONE THINGS, THE CLOSEST OF WHICH IS 2 HOURS AWAY (UTK), when there was
> a copy a half hour away. -- And, if I was looking for v. 19, there's a
> copy 10 minutes away (not that Worldcat can tell me that, per #3).
>
> So, yeah -- some switchboard.
>
> Shows you that maybe Casy Bisson's and Tim Spalding's argument that
> we're failing because we're not really on the web might actually have
> some legs.
>
> -Ross.
>
> On Thu, May 7, 2009 at 3:57 PM, Ross Singer <rossfsinger_at_gmail.com> wrote:
>> Wait a minute, there was nothing about a "digitized copy" in the
>> "requirements document".
>>
>> I found a copy. Near me. Using a simple Google search and my head
>> for slightly more than a hat rack.
>>
>> -Ross.
>>
>> On Thu, May 7, 2009 at 3:53 PM, Patrick Cates <Cates_at_gts.edu> wrote:
>>> Re: Sabin: the point is there is no simple search to find it. It's
>>> there on GBS, but good luck finding it because GBS doesn't link volumes
>>> in a set or even indicate volume #s on the results pages. A library
>>> catalog treats sets as sets. If I can find the record for Sabin, I can
>>> find all the volumes. If I search the keywords Sabin Bibliotheca
>>> Americana in a library catalog, if it's owned, I'll find it and I can
>>> get any volume I need off the shelf. In GBS, those keywords give you
>>> 1751 results, the irrelevant ones begin with the fifth result, and you
>>> have to click on each of the relevant ones to see if it is what you
>>> want. Again, the point is sometimes it is not easier to search GBS etc.
>>> than a library catalog.
>>>
>>> My other point was that even if you find the book (Parsons), if you
>>> can't get the stuff in it, it's worthless. And the title is in Parsons,
>>> BTW.
>>>
>>> Patrick Cates
>>> Technical Services Librarian
>>> St. Mark's Library
>>> General Theological Seminary
>>> 175 Ninth Avenue
>>> New York, NY 10011
>>> 212-243-5150 x354
>>>
>>>
>>> This e-mail was sent from the GTS and Desmond Tutu Center email service. If you are not the intended recipient of this email, please notify the sender immediately or call us at 212.243.5150 x376.
>>>
>>
>
Received on Thu May 07 2009 - 16:12:04 EDT