Library Skills Tutorials

Tutorial 2: TOPCAT, the Library Catalogue

TOPCAT Records

Watch this page in a video.

A TOPCAT (catalogue) record is a description of an item in the library.

Every item in the library has a record in TOPCAT that provides:

• the call number,
• bibliographic details (author, title, publisher, publication date, subject headings),
• location,
• number of copies, and
• circulation status of each copy. 

Sometimes (depending on the item) there's even more information in a record, like subject headings and descriptions.

Here is a record for the book entitled Peterborough and the Kawarthas (3rd ed.):

Sections

The TOPCAT record is divided into 3 sections.

1. The orange box at the TOP gives you the basics about the book itself - title, author, call number.
   
2. The dark green box in the MIDDLE gives you more detailed information about the item, including the publication details, number of pages, subject headings (if applicable), and other authors.
   
3. At the BOTTOM of the record there is information about each copy of the book. In this case:
• 3 copies are at the Bata Library:
  • 1 on Reserve,
  • 1 in the Stacks, and
  • 1 in the Archives (A unique call number shows that one copy is in a special area of the Archives - TC is the Trent Collection).
• 2 copies are at the Oshawa Campus Library:
  • both are in the Stacks.
• Note that the number appearing under "Copy" is the copy number, and not the number of copies. Sometimes a copy has been removed, lost, or stolen, resulting in a confusing number system.
• Material tells you the type of material (book or "special item").
• None of these are signed out right now - if they were there would be a Due Date beside them.

Here is a screen capture of another book, with different locations. It shows a copy in Science Fiction, one that's missing (likely stolen), and one that's signed out. All copies are Bata.

When it says "nocirc" beside a copy, it means you can't sign it out. Although we have three copies of this book, none are available to be signed out. It's always a good idea to check the location of an item before you go looking for it.

The next page looks at Advanced TOPCAT features.

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