Reading HOLLIS Catalog Records
Terms you’ll hear Harvard Librarians use:
- Bibliographic record: the collection of
data, or information about a particular item that the library owns and
that is necessary both to identify and catalog it. The screen shot on
this page shows you the full bibliographic record for Henry Weston Farnsworth’s
book, Log of a Would-Be War Correspondent.
- Fields: the individual pieces of information
that together comprise the bibliographic record. Certain fields are used
to enumerate physical characteristics of a library item—e.g.,
how many centimeters high a book is, how many pages long, whether there
are illustrations. Other fields will tell you something about the item’s history—e.g.,
where and when it was published, whether it is part of a larger series,
what edition it is. Subject fields (also called “subject headings”)
address the intellectual features of an item and give you some
idea of its content.
- Library of Congress classification system: a
sequence of letters and numbers that are used to build call numbers of
items held in a library. A call number serves two functions:
1) it groups items on similar topics together and
2) it helps to distinguish items in the same or similar class.
For that reason, no two call
numbers are ever the same. Public libraries and many high school libraries
use the Dewey Decimal System, rather than LC, but the purposes are
the same: to organize the world of information into manageable parts.
- Widener “old class” call numbers: Harvard’s
library collection is not only breathtakingly vast; some of its materials
are very, very old. Before there was a Library of Congress Classification
system (or a Dewey Decimal System), there were Harvard librarians,
and they devised their own numbering system.
Books that are classified according to the “old” Widener system will have call numbers that are preceded by the word “Widener” or the abbreviation WID. Don’t confuse WID with WID-LC.
- Availability: links you to a screen that
details whether an item at a library location is on the shelf and ready
to be borrowed. Before you venture into the library stacks—or trek across
the Yard to another building, make sure the item is listed as “not checked
out.” If multiple copies of the item are held at a location, their circulation
status will be listed here, too. In the rare instances when only one
copy of a book exists at Harvard and the even rarer instance when every
copy of an item has been checked out, the HOLLIS catalog will allow you
to recall the book online.
- Holdings: term librarians will use two
ways. “Holdings” can mean the sum total of materials (print and non-print)
that a library owns (e.g., the Harvard libraries hold 14 million
items). “Holdings” is also the way we identify which individual libraries
at Harvard own which items. The Log of a Would-Be War Correspondent,
for example, is held by Widener, Lamont, and the Harvard Archives.
In general, holdings information is more useful to consult when you’re tracking down periodicals (magazines and journals). Availability information is usually sufficient for books, as it tells you the call number and circulation status (i.e., whether there are multiple copies of an item and whether these copies are still on the library’s shelves.
- HOLLIS number: a seven-character identifier
given to every library item when it enters the database. It functions
something like a database accession number and is used mainly by librarians
to quickly locate an item in the HOLLIS system that is problematic for
some other reason. It has nothing to do with the location of an item
on library shelves. Don’t confuse it with an LC call number!
- Library of Congress subject headings: LC
subject headings are applied to most HOLLIS catalog records in order
to facilitate a user’s
access to items in the catalogue that pertain to similar subject matter.
By clicking on these links, researchers can find other materials
in HOLLIS catalogued under the same subject heading.
- The information
icon will give you information about a particular library, including library
hours. Especially at night, on weekends, and during holidays, it’s
always smart to check how late a library is open before you trek all
the way over there.
All of the books in the Lamont Library are arranged by the Library of Congress classification system. Many of Widener’s books are also arranged this way—but many more are not, so be careful when you consult Widener floor location charts. Widener books that are classified according to Library of Congress rules will have call numbers that are preceded by the abbreviation WID-LC.
And a few more terms to know
- Union catalog: the combined holdings of
a group of libraries or library collections. The HOLLIS catalog, for
instance, “unites” information from throughout Harvard’s vast library
system and identifies all the locations at which materials you are searching
for can be found.
- The Harvard Depository: an off-site storage
facility about 20 miles from Harvard. Books that we cannot make room
for on campus are kept there. You request depository items online, in
the HOLLIS catalog. They are normally delivered to campus the very next
day by 3 p.m.
- Microforms (Lamont) and Documents (Lamont): When you see these designations beside a call number, they indicate something important about special locations in the building. Both Microforms and Documents (catalog shorthand for “Government Documents”) are accessible to you on Level 1.
Page Last Reviewed: October 3, 2006