diff --git a/airtime_mvc/application/controllers/ShowbuilderController.php b/airtime_mvc/application/controllers/ShowbuilderController.php
index 833a6bc8e..da22096ff 100644
--- a/airtime_mvc/application/controllers/ShowbuilderController.php
+++ b/airtime_mvc/application/controllers/ShowbuilderController.php
@@ -27,9 +27,9 @@ class ShowbuilderController extends Zend_Controller_Action
         $userType = $user->getType();
         $this->view->headScript()->appendScript("localStorage.setItem( 'user-type', '$userType' );");
 
-        $data = Application_Model_Preference::getValue("library_datatable", true);
-        if ($data != "") {
-            $libraryTable = json_encode(unserialize($data));
+        $data = Application_Model_Preference::getCurrentLibraryTableSetting();
+        if (!is_null($data)) {
+            $libraryTable = json_encode($data);
             $this->view->headScript()->appendScript("localStorage.setItem( 'datatables-library', JSON.stringify($libraryTable) );");
         } else {
             $this->view->headScript()->appendScript("localStorage.setItem( 'datatables-library', '' );");
diff --git a/airtime_mvc/application/controllers/UsersettingsController.php b/airtime_mvc/application/controllers/UsersettingsController.php
index dfab3ac68..d1b1b7031 100644
--- a/airtime_mvc/application/controllers/UsersettingsController.php
+++ b/airtime_mvc/application/controllers/UsersettingsController.php
@@ -44,9 +44,9 @@ class UsersettingsController extends Zend_Controller_Action
 
     public function getLibraryDatatableAction()
     {
-        $data = Application_Model_Preference::getValue("library_datatable", true);
-        if ($data != "") {
-            $this->view->settings = unserialize($data);
+        $data = Application_Model_Preference::getCurrentLibraryTableSetting();
+        if (!is_null($data)) {
+            $this->view->settings = $data;
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/airtime_mvc/application/models/Datatables.php b/airtime_mvc/application/models/Datatables.php
index 61c74c7fa..dc196b35a 100644
--- a/airtime_mvc/application/models/Datatables.php
+++ b/airtime_mvc/application/models/Datatables.php
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ class Application_Model_Datatables
     public static function findEntries($con, $displayColumns, $fromTable,
         $data, $dataProp = "aaData")
     {
-        $librarySetting = Application_Model_Preference::getCurrentLibraryTableSetting();
+        $librarySetting = Application_Model_Preference::getCurrentLibraryTableColumnMap();
         //$displayColumns[] = 'owner';
 
         // map that maps original column position to db name
@@ -76,7 +76,7 @@ class Application_Model_Datatables
 
         // map that maps dbname to searchTerm
         $dbname2searchTerm = array();
-        foreach ($current2dbname as $currentPos=>$dbname) {
+        foreach ($current2dbname as $currentPos => $dbname) {
             $dbname2searchTerm[$dbname] = 
                 $orig2searchTerm[$librarySetting($currentPos)];
         }
diff --git a/airtime_mvc/application/models/Preference.php b/airtime_mvc/application/models/Preference.php
index e3a3e2987..aae45b0c3 100644
--- a/airtime_mvc/application/models/Preference.php
+++ b/airtime_mvc/application/models/Preference.php
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 class Application_Model_Preference
 {
 
-    public static function setValue($key, $value, $isUserValue = false)
+    private static function setValue($key, $value, $isUserValue = false)
     {
         try {
             //called from a daemon process
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ class Application_Model_Preference
 
     }
 
-    public static function getValue($key, $isUserValue = false)
+    private static function getValue($key, $isUserValue = false)
     {
         try {
             $con = Propel::getConnection();
@@ -1093,7 +1093,7 @@ class Application_Model_Preference
     }
 
 
-    public static function getCurrentLibraryTableSetting()
+    public static function getCurrentLibraryTableColumnMap()
     {
         $v = self::getValue("library_datatable", true);
 
@@ -1118,6 +1118,12 @@ class Application_Model_Preference
         $v = self::setValue("library_datatable", $data, true);
     }
 
+    public static function getCurrentLibraryTableSetting()
+    {
+        $data = self::getValue("library_datatable", true);
+        return ($data != "") ? unserialize($data) : null;
+    }
+
 
     public static function setTimelineDatatableSetting($settings)
     {