Zotero Beta 7.0.0-beta.16 note citation problem

When I try to add a citation to a note in this version of the beta, the Insert Citation search box seems to only include My Library, not any of my Group libraries.
  • It shows item from the same library the note is in -- I assume that's intentional: otherwise there'd be a very good chance that citations wouldn't be accessible by others.
    (I guess listing notes from groups in My Library would be low risk, though)
  • @adamsmith
    Thanks. I guess that makes sense except that it seems inconsistent with the Insert Citation dialog in Word, which gives you access to all of the libraries.

    In terms of the risk of citations not being accessible, my practice (in Word) has always been to copy references into the group library if I am collaborating and see (from the Insert Citation dialog) that it is not available in that library. What is very helpful about showing the other libraries is that it overcomes the lack of cross-library search in Zotero.
  • yeah, but Word embeds the whole citation metadata in citations, so those work even if others working in the doc don't have access. Moreover, a document isn't associated with a specific library (although arguably it should be, or at least possible to do so, for consistency and speed).

    I agree that cross-library search is very much missing/desirable.
  • I get that and it makes sense.

    For my own use, however, the problems associated with not being able to do a cross-library search when inserting citations into a note are much more important and common than the problem associated with a collaborator not having access to a citation embedded in a note.

    Like many people, having used Zotero for quite a while in many collaborations means that my references are scattered across more than 30 libraries, so having an easy way to search across them (which cross-library search in notes and Word provides) is super useful.
  • I think allowing citing from groups in notes in My Library (though not the other way around) is a reasonable request/solution, yes.
  • I can see the value and sensibility of the compromise.

    Thinking through how it would affect my practice, though, it will still create a bit of extra work. If I am creating a group note and can't find the reference I need, I will then either create a new note in My Library or go into Word so I can search for the reference I need. Then, I will copy it into the Group Library I am working in.

    Some of this would be necessary regardless. If it did search the other libraries, I would still need to copy the reference to the group library, but I would access it immediately through the "Open in ..." button.

    So, I can see the principle behind not giving access to other libraries from a group library, but for my own use cases the costs outweigh the benefits.
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