Re: [Refdb-users] call numbers

[Matt P. <mat...@ut...>]

On Thu, Feb 05, 2004 at 09:33:10PM +0100, Markus Hoenicka wrote:
> Matt Price writes:
>  > Hi,
>  > 
>  > I'd like to include local library call numbers in my bibliographical
>  > databases.  Is there a semi-stnadard place for me to put such numbers?
>  > (really it seems to me there should probably be a sep. tablei n the
>  > database,  call_number, with fields maybe:
>  > ref_id
>  > library_system
>  > library_branch
>  > call_number
>  > but maybe such call numbers are really not the point of a
>  > bibliographical system like this.  anyway, just a thought)
>  > 
> 
> This would not be hard to implement. The question is whether this is
> within the scope of a reference management and bibliography tool. Is
> it of general interest to include this feature?
> 

I would love to see this implemented, but I'm not sure that I'm really
a typical refdb user.  Maybe I should outline my situation and also
the reasons why I'd like to have this feature; then maybe you and
others can judge how extensive demand is likely to be.  

I'm a historian; I use OpenOffice for writing papers and run GNU/Linux
exclusively.  This means that there is currently no really good
solution for citation management for me at the moment.  (Bruce, I
seem to remember you're involved with OOo-biblio, so you cna correct
me if I'm wrong).  So, I've more or less decided I can learn to live
without it for the time being.  On the other hand, I do need a way t o
keep track of bibliographic references; but if that was my main
interest, I'd probably use pyblio or jabref or sixpack or something.

I'm mainly interested in RefDB as a teaching tool.  I want to implement
collective bibliographies in my courses, which I would expect students
to add to over the years.  This would mean that some of the work
students do would persist from year to year, rather than just vanish.

For a project like this, call numbers are really handy.  The
bibliography will mostly be used by students as a way to start
research on term papers -- so that means thy'll likely be going
straight to the library to look the book up; having a call number on
hand is a way to cut one step out of the research process; and since
the computers at the library have long waiting lines, cutting out
a step is a substantial bonus.  

I should say that having the call number is a pretty big advantage for
me, too.  I find I often want to refer to books I've read before, and
I prefer to know where to find it if possible.  I think a lot of other
people in the humanities have the same relation to sources -- we tend
to return to them periodically, which means a trip to the library,
which means having the call number on hand is... handy.  

Anyway, I don't really know how typical I am.  But maybe y'all can
decide!  alles beste,
matt