Searching course reserves in WebPAC
Searching in the WebPAC for items on reserve can be done in multiple ways. Patrons can search the Course Name index, for course name or course number. They can also search the Prof/TA index for the names of any teachers associated with the class. And finally, they can search in the full WebPAC by any of the access points for the bibliographic record, and find that it is on reserve.

Depending on the design of the WebPAC, patrons can either click on a Course Reserves link, which will bring them to a page that will offer both the course name and professor index link, or they can link directly to the two indexes, as shown here:

Searching by course name is made easier if the record reflects a number of different ways that the students may search for it, such as:

  • CHEM210
  • Chemistry 210
  • Organic Chemistry 210
By entering a number of course name/number fields in the course record, the library is increasing the likelihood of patrons finding what they are looking for.

Searching by professor or instructor name is more straightforward. If there is more than one instructor for a course, then multiple entries may be added. These entries may also be used to add Teaching Assistant names, if the professor so wishes. Keep in mind that some students may only know the name of the TA, and thus search that way.

If the search only has one match, that course record will open and the items on reserve for that course will display. If there are multiple matches, a browse list will display, and the patron will be able to select the course they are looking for.

WebPAC Options that affect Course Reserve display

The following are some Web Options that can affect the display of Course Reserves records in the WebPAC. Review these Web Options before making changes.

RSRV_FORMAT

This option can be set to true if a library wishes to display the format of items that are on reserve. If the option is set to false, then only Title, Author, and Call No. will display. By default, this option is set to true.


RSRV_HEADER

This option controls what displays at the top of the display of the list of items that are on reserve.

Examples:

RSRV_HEADER=Reserves List
RSRV_HEADER=Materials for this Course

TABLEPARAM_RSRV_BIBS

This option controls the display parameters of the table showing the items on reserve in the bibliographic display. The data entered in this option is inserted between the <TABLE> and </TABLE> tags. The values for this option must be valid HTML tags. The format of this option may be:
TABLEPARAM_RSRV_BIBS=cellpadding="2" cellspacing="20" border="20"
This option can vary by scope, if need be.

Within Course Reserves, an item can be suppressed from the normal WebPAC , but remain visible in a search of the reserves. This is most often done with a personal copy of an item that a professor has placed on reserve, or with individual articles. If a patron searches for the title in the regular WebPAC, they will not see the record, but if they search within the reserves, they will find the items available.

At the end of a semester, items can be suppressed from view in the reserves by making them inactive. See Changing an item's status.

Effect of Changing Courses/bibs to Inactive/Active

Changing courses or bibs from active to inactive (and vice-versa) will affect how patron's WebPAC searches turn out. If bibs/items are made inactive within a course record, they will no longer show up when searching under a course record. However, they will show up in the regular, non-reserve section of the WebPAC.

If course records are suppressed, they will not be available in the WebPAC. A professor's name will return no hits, and any items on reserve for that course will not be seen. However, as with inactive bibs/items, the items on reserve for the suppressed course will be returned in searches in the non-reserve section of the WebPAC if they do not contain suppression values.