Browse Titles in Multiple Libraries on One Virtual Shelf!

One of the pleasures of walking through and browsing the Library’s stacks is finding that gem you didn’t know existed but ends up being the source you rely on most. Wouldn’t it be great if you could increase your chances of discovery by being able to browse all the Library’s titles by call number wherever they reside? Now you can!

If you’ve searched for a book in Virgo recently, you’ve probably noticed an icon next to the call numbers—a red-and-green image of books on a shelf. Clicking this “virtual browse” icon opens up all the Library’s holdings adjacent to that call number for you to view, wherever they’re located and whatever their format, including books in the closed stacks of Special Collections and the Ivy stacks remote shelving and retrieval facility.

If you’re researching poet William Blake, for instance, and find an interesting title in the PR call number range, clicking the virtual browse icon will show all holdings on Blake’s literary output—the bound copies in Alderman, Special Collections, and Clemons as well as e-books and PDFs in the Hathi Trust’s pre-1923 public domain holdings—side by side on one virtual shelf.

Clicking the same icon in other ranges—NC (drawing, design, and illustration), ND (painting), and NE (print-making and engraving)—will show titles on Blake’s engraved illustrations, whether they’re in the Fine Arts library, Special Collections, Ivy stacks, Hathi Trust, Alderman, or Clemons.

You can explore other call number ranges and the topics they cover by clicking the “Browse by Topic” button in the upper right corner of the shelf browse window. See instruction below (click images to expand).

When you find a title, click the shelf browse icon next to the call number (extreme lower right):

A window opens (below), showing other titles in that call number range from multiple libraries. Click any title to show detailed description.

If you’d like to explore other call number ranges, click the “Browse by Topic” button at the upper left of the shelf browse window to get an expandable listing of other call number ranges and their associated topics.

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