Updates to the catalogue

With recent enhancements to relevancy ranking for top search results, the Library catalogue will now search for ‘Everything’ by default. 

Previously, the catalogue only searched for 'Everything except articles' (by default), meaning your search results didn't include journal and newspaper articles.

You can always revert back to excluding articles, by selecting 'Everything except articles' from the drop-down.

For more information, see You asked, we delivered – Making it easier to find peer-reviewed articles and more!

Thumbnail icons are now available for digitised maps, books, journals and posters, as well as digitised unpublished material such as photographs, paintings and manuscripts.  eg. Sydney artwork.

This makes visual browsing of results easier.

'Published Digital' filter

For published material like maps, books and posters. you can use the ‘Full text online’ filter OR the new Published Digital filter.  

This new filter is particularly useful if you want to find online versions from both published and unpublished collections together.

eg. When searching for online items relating to Miles Franklin, selecting both the Archival Digital and Published Digital filters will find results for printed books, as well as unpublished material such as photographs and diaries.

Do you want to search for all results for an author/artist/creator?

In the Advanced search and the ‘refine search’ filters, Author/Creator now searches the main author/artist/creator as well as any additional author/artist listed in the record.  

eg. Elizabeth Gould was not the main Author/Creator in some works with her husband, but when she is a contributing author/artist, search returns these works.

The new features include: 

• Arrows on the right hand side make it easier to scroll through consecutive images in the viewer.
• The image can be easily reset in the viewer using a button on the right hand side. 
• High resolution images (when available) are displayed in the viewer rather that having to click on the link to 'Zoomified image'.
• A permalink to individual images is now available and individual images can be shared on social media. 
• The updated toolbar works better with browser accessibility tools.

See the new features in these viewers:

• Book on Sydney suburban borough maps
• Chatswood subdivision plan

Link to ‘Digital version of this item’

26 March 2018

For original material, a link to the ‘Digital version of this item’ has been added to the top of the full display. This takes you directly to the digital (online) version in the collection viewer.

In this example, you can see the new ‘Digital version of this item’ link under ‘Source’.

New look search box added to our website.

We have introduced a new look search box to our website which allows you to search the catalogue from any page on the site.

Archival Digital filter

22 November 2017

Do you only want to see results with an image that can be viewed online?

Use the Archival Digital filter to limit your unpublished material results. For published material like maps, use the ‘Full text online’ filter.

As a great example, when searching for Conrad Martens’ artwork, using the Archival Digital filter can reduce the results from nearly 600 to only 134.

Filter by Date Range

Do you want to narrow your results to a certain date range?

This is now possible in both Advanced Search (specific date) and Refine your Results.

You can also use ‘Sort by’ date dropdown options for Date-oldest and Date-newest

Searchable name field

Search by ‘name’, even if the ‘name’ isn’t the author or listed in the title?

Solved! The name field is now searchable.

Example: In the 1920s, Tilly Devine was too ‘busy’ to be an author, but Frank Fahy had information about her in his scrapbook.

Collection Hierarchy

Use the Archival Hierarchy filter to narrow your results, for example to Collection level.

Hierarchy display for Manuscripts, Oral Histories and Pictures catalogue
[logged March 2017]

In progress

1. Collection hierarchy display in the Manuscripts, Oral Histories and Pictures catalogue loads 10 records at one time – can be difficult for browsing.

2. The individual records are ordered alphabetically by title, rather than by box or file number.

Click ‘Load More’ until all items display - when viewing a single record from the list, right click and open in a new tab or window. This should retain the expanded list in the previous window.

Ask staff at Special Collections if there is a printed contents list.

Collection viewer – scroll and browse
[logged May 2017]

Browse thumbnails from bottom the of the Manuscripts, Oral History and Pictures catalogue record before opening viewer.

Click Show More until all thumbnails revealed. Then click on thumbnail for full viewer display.

Eg Series 01: Views of Australasia…

Update (June 2018): Collection viewer scrolling through consecutive images has been improved with arrows on the top right hand side of viewer.

Serial holdings
[logged May 2016]

In progress - major improvements implemented September 2017.

Some problems with the migration of serials records to the new system (eg catalogue records for journals, magazines, newspapers).

Use the Classic catalogue of published material to check what issues we hold. (Please note that the classic catalogue is read-only and will not show recent issues).

Printing results list from single search catalogue
[logged Dec 2016]

In progress with Vendor

Printing or exporting a list of results requires them to be first pinned as favourites one by one.

You need to collect items before you can print a list ie 'pin' each item that you wish to print (click on pin icon) into a list of favourites.

Then go to the Pin icon in the top right hand corner of the screen (My Favourites) and you will find the items you have selected. Tick the checkbox beside the number of items - it will select all of them. Then look for the 3 dots symbol click and you will see an option to Print.

Catalogue records not currently searchable via external search engines 
[logged May 2016] 

The Adlib records are searchable via Google using a site limit, e.g. Miles franklin site:archival.sl.nsw.gov.au

Digitised image previously available does not display
[logged May 2016]

In progress

Update October 2017: good progress has been made with migration exceptions.

Most images have been successfully migrated, however some published and unpublished digitised material are not yet available and are listed on our exceptions list - these are digitised files which encountered errors in the migration process and require further analysis.