Zotero

Function

The Architecture & Planning Library uses Zotero, an open-source bibliography manager, to document collections and help organize provenance notes projects. If Zotero is not already installed on your computer, download it here.

Access

To access the Zotero account please use the following Login Information.

Creating Bibliographies

Launching Zotero

Once you have logged in, open a new tab and go to the University of Texas Libraries homepage. Open the Zotero pane. This can be done in one of four ways:

• Go to the Tools menu in Firefox and choose Zotero.

• Click on the Zotero logo in the bottom righthand corner of your browser.

• Click on the Zotero icon in your browser’s toolbar.

• Press Ctrl + Alt + z if you are using a PC, or Shift + Apple + z on a Mac.

Before continuing, confirm that you will be synching all new records to the correct Zotero account by clicking on the gear icon and selecting Preferences. When the new window opens, select Sync and confirm that the username reads UTSOAAPL. Then close the window and begin your search. If the username is incorrect, type the correct username and password into the appropriate fields. Note: If you already use Zotero to manage your personal bibliography it will work best to access the UTSOAAPL account in a different browser or through the standalone application.

The Zotero Pane

The Zotero pane contains three columns that organize the information necessary to create a bibliography.

• The left column displays the UTSOAAPL library containing a list of libraries (represented by filing boxes), collections and sub-collections (both represented by folders) created to organize the process of generating provenance notes.

• The middle column displays the list of items in a given collection. This column is automatically populated when you save a new record. To move these items, click and drag them into the desired collection listed in the left column. Items can be part of multiple collections or sub-collections.

• The right column contains individual record information for an item selected from a given collection.

Creating a Collection

When you begin a new provenance note project, you will need to create a new library in Zotero. Please use My Library as opposed to Group Library.

To create a new collection:

1. Select the New Collection button, the first icon on the far left corner.

2. A window will pop up asking you to enter a name for the collection.

   1. Populate the field with the collection name.

   2. Click OK.
      To create a sub-collection, follow the same process using the desired collection instead of My Library. Remember that new folders can be added at any time throughout the process of building a Zotero bibliography.

Naming Conventions

For collections coming from the archive, use the collection code (all caps). If you have questions about this, ask Donna Coates.

For reference bibliographies or other types of Zotero collections, create a subfolder (or sub-collection) and use the collection code (all caps) followed by a meaningful description.

For example:

Adding Records

Once you have created folders to organize and maintain the information that you collect for your Zotero bibliography, it’s time to begin locating records. Leaving the Zotero panel open, go to the University of Texas Libraries to begin your search. Once you have located the first record, left click on the book icon in the web search field. This will save the record to the highlighted collection in the left column. To move these items, click and drag them into another collection listed in the left column.

If there is no record in University of Texas Libraries, search OCLC WorldCat. Note the number of holding institutions. Export record to Zotero and add a "Note," indicating the number of holding institutions (ex. Note: 18 holding institutions). (For future consideration, add criteria for determining rarity based on # of holding institutions, compare with peer institutions).

If there is no record in University of Texas Libraries and OCLC WorldCat, then search Alibris, AbeBooks, and/or Amazon. Alert your supervisor.

If the record has been saved to Zotero from the University of Texas Libraries catalog, then add the complete call number and necessary location information found in the catalog to the Zotero record. Copy and paste the call number from the catalog into the appropriate call number field in Zotero. Be sure to check that the pasted call number is formatted correctly with appropriate spaces. While looking at the item record in the catalog, check the location listed. If the book is described as being located somewhere other than special collections, additional information must be added to the call number field in Zotero. For locations other than APL Special Collections, add one of the following Millennium locate abbreviations to the Zotero record:

If the location is listed as Special Collections, find the size of the book in the detailed catalog record in the middle of the page, under the location information. The size of the book will be measured in centimeters. Once size information is found, manually type the size into the Extra field in the corresponding Zotero record.

Exporting a Bibliography

Once you have located all the records for a collection, you will need to export them into a word document. This can be done by right clicking on the collection in the left column and selecting Create Bibliography From Collection. This will open a window with the heading Citation Style at the top of the page. Select Provenance List set Copy to Clipboard as the output format, and select OK. Open and enable the macros in the Bibliography_pntemplate located in the Provenance Note folder under Templates on Sharepoint and press ?V to paste your bibliographic information. Save the document as the name of the collection to the appropriate collection folder on Sharepoint.

Inactive/Complete Bibliographies

There is concern that the manner in which Zotero operates opens the possibility for bibliographies to be accidentally altered.