Tip of the Iceberg: Part 2, Discovering What's Hidden

Remote storage for large collections is becoming common, making those booksinaccessible for physical browsing by researchers. The main libraries at TempleUniversity and the University of Central Florida (UCF) each have approximately 1.3million print items on-site. Both libraries are storing 90% of their collections inautomated retrieval systems with 10% remaining available for browsing in open stacks. InPart 1, “Choosing What Shows,” Karen Kohn, Temple’s Collection Analysis Librarian,describes the decisions and processes used for the 10% left physically visible. Thissecond part explores UCF’s efforts to improve discoverability of the items in storage.The visual aspects of a book (height, multi-volume, etc.) that often provide usefulclues regarding the content disappear when the patron can only view a list of searchresults on a computer screen. How can the loss of these visual clues be mitigated?Online browsing guides have been created at UCF to help researchers explore thehierarchical subject structure of call numbers. Other finding tools and displays mayalso improve awareness of stored materials.