Can't find a book? The Library wants to know what you can't find on its shelves, and why

20 SEPTEMBER 00 | As part of its research on of the availability of print materials in its collections, The Library will be conducting studies this fall in the Doe and Moffitt collections housed in the Gardner Stacks, and in the Earth Sciences & Maps, Environmental Design, and Anthropology libraries.

The availability studies will be conducted during the weeks of October 1-14 and October 29-November 11, The goal is to measure users' success rate in finding materials in these representative campus libraries.

Reasons why library users might be unable to locate the materials they need include the following: the library many not own an item, it may be circulating, it may be shelved in the Northern Regional Library Facility, it may be in the reshelving process, the library owns the item but the user did not find it in the catalog, or the item is in its proper place but it was not found by the user.

Library users during the weeks of the study may complete a form indicating whether they have found specific items. Participation will be voluntary and confidentiality is assured.

These studies are part of the charge of the workgroup on access to collections, comprised of library staff, faculty and students and headed by Patricia Iannuzzi, associate university librarian and Doe-Moffitt director.

The availability studies are part of a broader effort to enhance access to print materials.

The final report and recommendations of this workgroup will be widely announced and disseminated through The Library's Web site (www.lib.berkeley.edu).