Frequently Asked Questions

1. Why isn't my report keeping the selections I used before?
   You probably used a quick report last time! 

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   Quick reports are used for running one-time reports and do not save selections. However, saved reports are frequently-used reports with saved selections and options that can be favorited, shared, and scheduled. If you want to save a report, select a report and click Create Saved Report at the bottom right-hand corner of the window.

   
   
   

2. How can I get back my cover art after switching to v7?
   If you turn on Automatically Retrieve Cover Art During Idle Periods in 

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   Items Preferences,

   Alexandria will search for cover art based off of ISBNs and add it as it's found. You may also want to check the ISBN of items without cover art to ensure they're accurate.
   
   

3. Why can't I find the item I'm looking for with Title Assistant?
   Title Assistant uses Z39.50 servers to search for items, so you may need to add more. Check out the 

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   z39.50 Preferences

   page for a list of resources you can use to bolster your Z39.50 list in Alexandria. You'll also find instructions on adding servers, creating sets, and more.
   
   

4. What are RDA mediums and how do I make them understandable in Researcher?
   

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   Resources Description & Access (RDA)

   is a newer standard in which mediums are stored in the 336, 337, and 338 fields and have three components separated by dashes, such as text-unmediated-volume (this one is equivalent to book). Since this medium format is a little harder for patrons to understand, you cancan 

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   add aliases (i.e. alternative names) that will show in Researcher instead.

   
   
   Note that Alexandria prioritizes RDA mediums over General Material Designation (GMD) mediums, so you'll need to 

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   remove RDA mediums

   if you want the GMD mediums to show instead. (GMD mediums are stored in the 254_h field and enclosed in brackets, such as [book]).
   
   

5. Why are copies being randomly added that can't be selected or modified?
   If you have overlapping call numbers in Maps, Alexandria will display a duplicate title or a duplicate copy.
   If the copies can be modified but were not intentionally added this could be from an import running too many times and adding a new copy each time.