Catalog Help

 

Quick Search

Multiple words - If you type more than one word, your results may include materials with the words in any order. If you want to find the words in the exact order, begin the phrase with double quotation marks.

 

Punctuation - Punctuation is usually ignored. However, you can include the following characters if they immediately precede or follow a letter or number (no space between): + # % $

 

Do a quick search with "Limit by"

Follow these steps to do a quick search of the library catalog with a Limit by option.

1. Type a word or words in the Quick Library Search box. See Typing Search Text - Quick Searches.

You may see suggested search terms as you type. You can ignore the suggestions and continue to type your search term, or click a suggestion to search for the suggested term. Click Hide Suggestions if you do not want to see search suggestions. Click the small arrow in the search text box to show the suggestions after they have been hidden.

 

2. To limit your search, click the arrow symbol in the Limit by box, and select an option from the list. Example: If you want to find only DVDs, select DVD in the Limit by list.

(Note: Your library may provide a digital collection that you can search and access in the same way that you search for other materials. Materials in the collection may include images, video clips, sound files, and text files. If you want to restrict your search results to digital collection materials, select "Digital Collection" in the Limit by box.)

 

3. Click Go.

• If the search is successful, you see your search results.

• If no matches are found, you see a message. You may also see a Did you mean suggestion. You can click the suggestion to search for the suggested term.

 

4. To see more information about a title in your search results list, click the title or cover image.

 

5. To filter your search results or do related searches, click a Narrow or Related option at the side of the page.

 

 

Do a quick search with search buttons

Follow these steps to do a quick library search with search buttons (Anywhere, Subject, Title, Author, Series, Fiction, Nonfiction).

1. Type a word or words in the Quick library search box. See Typing Search Text - Quick Searches.

You may see suggested search terms as you type. You can ignore the suggestions and continue to type your search term, or click a suggestion to search for the suggested term. Click Hide Suggestions if you do not want to see search suggestions. Click the small arrow in the search text box to show the suggestions after they have been hidden.

(Note: If you type search text and press ENTER, without clicking a search button, a keyword search starts.)

 

2. Click a search button to start the search:

• Anywhere - Looks for your text anywhere in the catalog records.

• Subject - Looks for your text in the catalog’s subject descriptions.

• Title - Looks for your text in the titles of works in the library catalog.

• Author - Looks for your text in authors’ names in the library catalog.

• Series - Looks for your text in series names in the library catalog. The results will include works in series, where the series name includes your text.

• Fiction - Looks for your text anywhere in the library’s records for fiction titles.

• Nonfiction - Looks for your text anywhere in the library’s records for nonfiction titles.

If the search is successful, you see your search results. If no matches are found, you see a message. You may also see a "Did you mean..." suggestion. You can click the suggestion to search for the suggested term.

 

3. To see more information about a title in your search results list, click the title or cover image. If you see a list of titles, authors, subjects, or series, you can scroll through the list and select a list entry to see the associated titles.

 

4. To filter your search results or do related searches, click a Narrow or Related option at the side of the page.

 

 

Request Items

You can place a request for a title in your search results list and ask that the title be held for you at a library location you select. Your library may also allow requests for specific copies of a title, specific issues of a serial, or specific parts of multi-part sets. Some libraries also offer Borrow by Mail, where you can request a title and having it mailed to you when it is available. You need your barcode number (library card number) and PIN number to request a title. The PIN is usually set as the last four numbers of your telephone number. Your library may limit the number of requests you can make, or may charge a fee.

 

Your library may also offer interlibrary loans. If the title you want is not available in the library system, the library obtains it for you from another source. This is particularly useful when you have searched a site outside the library system. Your request provides the bibliographic information the library needs to borrow the title from an outside source (not necessarily the site you searched). Interlibrary loans may take some time to obtain.

 

Request any copy of a title

Follow these steps to request any copy of a title listed in your search results. (Tip: to request your library’s newest materials, check the area at the side of the page. You may see lists such as New Titles and On-Order Items. Click a title in a list to search for the title, then follow these steps to request it.

1. When the title you want is displayed in your search results, click Place Request for the title.

Note: The Place Request button may not be available for titles that represent Web sites, electronic resources, or other types of material the library may designate.

The log-in form appears if you are not already logged in.

 

2. Type your barcode number (library account number) and PIN in the appropriate boxes, and click Log In.

The request form appears.

 

3. From the Pickup Library list, select the name of the library where you want to pick up the requested item.

If your library offers Borrow by Mail, and you want the item mailed to you when it is available, check Please mail this to me.

Note: The library may charge a fee for this service. When you check Please mail this to me, a message states the fee and you can cancel your request if you wish.

 

4. If you want to activate your request at a future time, type the date in the Activation Date box in the format mm/dd/year (for example, 4/05/2012 for April 5, 2012). If you want your request to be active immediately, leave today’s date in the Activation Date box.

 

5. If you want to add a note to your request, type the text in the Note box.

 

6. Click Submit Request.

If other requests are active for the same title, the library may display a message that tells you how many requests have been placed before yours. You may also see a message if your request might be filled by an item that has a check-out fee. In either case, you can choose to continue or cancel the request. If you click Continue, a message informs you that your request has been placed.

(Note: Your request may not be successful if your library account is blocked or if the requested material does not circulate. A message is displayed if your request cannot be placed.)

If the confirmation message displays your contact information, you can review and update it if necessary from the link Click here to update your contact information.

 

7. Click Return to search results to display your search results again, click Go to list of hold requests to access your library account and see your current list of requests (if this link is available), or click Log Out if you have finished working with your hold request and do not plan to do anything else that involves your library account.

 

Related Information

To review the status of your requests, and suspend, reactivate, or cancel them online, click Requests on the My Account menu.

 

 

Manage Requests

 

You can review the requests you have made for materials, and suspend, reactivate, or cancel the requests. For each request, you can see the format and title of the item, the pick-up library you designated, and the status of the request. The following statuses are common listings (note: The library may use different names for these statuses):

 

• Active - Your request for the item is active and the pick-up library will receive the item when it is available.

• Inactive - A request for an item in the library system has an activation date in the future; for an interlibrary loan item, the library must review the request before it is sent.

• Pending - An item has been requested within the library system, and the request is active.

• Held - The item you requested has been located. The library notifies you when it is available for pick-up.

• Out - The item has been checked out. When you return the item, the request is deleted.

• Received - An interlibrary loan item is in the library and is set aside for you to check out. (After you check out an interlibrary loan item, the request is no longer displayed.)

• Not-Supplied - There are no items to fill a request that you placed in the library.

• Cancelled - The request has been cancelled.

• Sent - Used by libraries that offer Borrow by Mail. The requested item has been checked out and mailed to you.

 

You may see a Hold Position column. The numbers in the Hold Position column indicate the status of your request compared to other patrons’ requests for the same item.

(Note: The library may have policies that override the hold position. An item may occasionally be used to fill a different request even if your request is the first in the hold request list for the item.)

 

1. Click Requests on the My Account menu and log in. The requests page displays a list of your current requests.

(Tip: Click a title in the list to search for the title in the library catalog and see full information about the title in the search results. This feature does not apply to interlibrary loan requests.)

 

2. To sort the list, click a column name. For example, click Title to sort the list by title.

(Note: If your library offers Borrow by Mail and you requested an item to be mailed, the Pickup Library is Borrow by Mail.)

 

3. To suspend or reactivate requests, and specify the date to reactivate them:

a) Select the check box by the title for each request that you want to suspend or reactivate, and click Suspend/Reactivate Selected Requests (or click Suspend/Reactivate All Requests to suspend or reactivate all your requests). You can suspend library system requests with the status Active or Pending, and you can reactivate requests with the status Inactive. You cannot suspend interlibrary loan requests.

The Suspend/Reactivate Hold Requests dialog box appears.

b) Type the date when suspended requests should be reactivated, or type today’s date to reactivate an inactive request. Type the date in the format mm/dd/year (for example, 3/05/2012 for March 5, 2012).

c) Click Submit.

(Active and Pending requests become Inactive. Inactive requests become Active.)

 

4. To cancel one or more requests, select the check box by the title for each request that you want to cancel, and click Cancel Selected Requests. Or click Cancel All Requests to cancel all your requests.

You can cancel requests within the library system with the status Active, Inactive, or Pending. You can cancel interlibrary loan requests with the status Active or Inactive.

 

5. To see more information about a particular request, click the blue information icon by the request.

Detailed information about the request is displayed. You can cancel, suspend, or reactivate the request from this view.

 

6. To read a note about a request, place your cursor over the note icon. The note text appears.

You can also click the note icon to see more information about the request. The information includes the note.

 

 

View and Renew Items

When you are logged in, the area at the side of the page shows the total number of items you have currently checked out from the library. You can view a list of the materials you currently have checked out, and renew items if your library provides this option. Occasionally, you may not be able to renew items because there is a problem with your account, an item may satisfy another patron’s hold request, or it has already been renewed the maximum number of times allowed. Library policy determines if an item can be renewed.

1. Click Items Out on the My Account menu and log in. The Items Out page is displayed.

(Tip: You can click a title in the list to search for the title in the library catalog and see full information about the title in the search results.)

2. To sort the list, click a column name. For example, click Title to sort the list by title.

3. To view details about an item, click next to the item you want to view. More information about the item is displayed. Click Back to return to your list of items out.

4. To renew one or more items, select (check) each item that you want to renew, and click Renew selected items, or click Renew all items to renew all the items.

(Note: Some items may be limited to a specific number of renewals. This number is displayed in the Renewals left column.

A message informs you which items have been renewed, and whether any renewals have been blocked. If you have set your account for eReceipts, you will receive an e-mail or text message receipt for the renewals.)

 

Fines and Fees

Your library account record includes information about your library charges. Your library may allow you to view detailed information about your library charges. You may also be able to pay your fines and fees online, using a credit card, but East Lake Community Library does not have this possibility.

 

View fines and fees

Follow these steps to view the fines and fees on your account.

1. Click Fines & Fees on the My Account menu and log in. Your list of fines and fees is displayed.

 

2. To view details about an item, click for the item you want to view.

 

 

For more help using the library catalog: Library Catalog Assistance