Find that DVD!

In the past semester or so, there have been several search requests for DVDs.  Since DVDs can be stashed literally everywhere and since we only have an hour or so to look for things, below is a strategy I use to search for DVDs.  In the catalog they are displayed as DV COM 6049 or DV COM 11361J.  However, on the shelf the genre sticker is above the DV.  Also, the J is to differentiate between the Entertainment DVD and the Instructional.  Some Instructionals have become Entertainment and had already shared a similar number, so we just added a J to the end.  Those that have a J come after the ones without it (example: DV COM 6049 would come before DV COM 6049J, but may or may not be the same film).  TV series all have the same call number, but will have a colon followed by the season and disc numbers (i.e. All of the seasons of The Big Bang Theory has a call number of DV TV 12928J:3/2).  Therefore, TV series can be particularly tricky to search.

First, I think it would be useful to give a theory as to why many DVDs disappear from their shelving location.  The most obvious reason is of course that it could be on a staff member’s desk awaiting to be checked out on his/her break, or by a student who found a DVD and has either stashed it in his/her locker or maybe holding on to it while studying, looking for other books, etc. before checking it out and leaving the library.  The other more depressing motive is that unfortunately the movie has been stolen from the collection.   We must search for them to the best of our ability for 6 weeks since we don’t know when or if these movies will ever make it back or to the Checkout Desk and is required before the liaison will consider a reorder request.

However, there is a mere glimmer of hope that it could be miss-shelved on the shelf and here is how you should search for them.  Sadly, you must basically shelf-read the genre to which they belong because some patron browsing will either confuse the numbers or put it back on the shelf at random totally missing the empty re-shelving shelf.  I would also look behind the shelf and the makeshift holder to see if it slipped behind.  Since students shelf-reading the DVDs ought to be looking behind them anyway, I would just do the section where it is supposed to be to save some time.

If you don’t see it in the genre to where it belongs, then you must branch out to the other genres.  Of course look to where it would be normally shelved within the other genres because someone might disagree with the genre it was cataloged in and are trying to be passive-aggressive about it.  However, you have an advantage here with looking in the other genres by our DVDs are coded with brightly colored labels with their abbreviations on them and therefore it is an easy task to look through these other sections.

Also, it would be a good idea to search the DVD Reserves shelves (because Entertainment DVDs can be on Reserves) and the Instructional return basket behind the Checkout Desk because sometimes folks get confused about their proper shelving location especially if a professor has placed a booking on the DVD.  Look in the damaged DVD basket and billing areas.  In addition look in the Instructional shelving location in Cathy Rothermel’s office because it could be hiding there on the shelf too even though this is rare. 

As for searching an Instructional DVD, shelf-read that whole collection since sometimes they don’t make it back in their proper place or the case is really skinny since they are boxed differently than our Entertainment DVDs.  Also, if you search for an Instructional DVD, make sure you look in the Entertainment collection as well.

This concludes the search tutorial for DVDs.  Good luck hunting for that missing DVD!