Online Catalog Usage Tips
A. How do I find the Lake County Library System Online Catalog?
- Open your browser. (Internet Explorer; Firefox; Safari)
- Go to www.mylakelibrary.org
- Click on the link to Catalog near the top of the page
B. What do I do first?
- First, log in, this makes a lot of other things easier.
- Enter your library card number with no spaces in the upper right hand corner where it says Library Card #.
- Enter your PIN in the upper right hand corner where it says PIN. If you do not know your PIN, please contact your library.
- Then click on the LOGIN button.
- If you have logged in correctly, you will see a welcome message in the upper right hand corner saying, “Welcome Last Name, First Name. You are logged into the Lake County Library System online catalog.
C. How do I search for an Item?
- LOGIN as explained in part B.
- At the top of the main catalog screen, there is a search box.
- Select the type of search – keyword or browse by clicking next to your selection.
A Keyword search is a search method which allows a user to access records by entering significant words or terms. In keyword searching the system retrieves records regardless of the keyword’s location in the record. For example, if the user does a keyword search for the word “water”, they would get all of the following results: “Black water rising,” “The Water Cycle,” and “The pros and cons of water power.” A keyword search broadens the search and will increase the number of search results. Typically this search would be used if the user does not know the exact author name or title, or is looking for titles on a general subject.
A Browse search is a search method in which the system retrieves records that begin with the search term. For example, if a user does a browse search for the word “water,” they would only get results that begin with the word “water,” – “Water aerobics,” “The water cycle,” and “Water fitness after 40.” A browse search narrows the search and will decrease the number of search results. Typically this search would be used if the user knows the exact author name or title.
- The default search is for title. To select something different, click on the arrow next to title, and select how you want to search – by title; words or phrases; author; subject; series; or periodical title.
- Enter the search term in the space in the center of the search box. Ex: Grisham, John for author; Gone with the Wind for title; water for subject; etc.
- If you only want to search for titles available at your library, click on the down arrow next to where it says "All Libraries", and select your library.
- Click on the blue SEARCH button.
- Click on the search term you want. This will take you to a list of search results.
You may see results for different formats or editions for the same title, e.g., large print, books on CD, etc.
- From this screen you can place a hold by clicking on the Blue PLACE HOLD button, View details on the title by clicking on the DETAILS button, or add this to your List (saved during this session only), by clicking on the ADD TO MY LIST button. See Can I save items to a List? for more details.
- Under each title, the catalog will tell you how many copies are currently in the library, i.e., on the shelf, not checked out or on hold.
D. How do I place a hold?
- LOGIN as explained in section B.
- Perform a search as described in section C.
- Once you have found the title on which you wish to place a hold, click on the blue PLACE HOLD button.
- A Place Hold screen will appear.
- Double check that the pickup library is correct. If you logged in immediately when you got to the catalog as recommended, the system will select your library as the pickup library by default.
- If you need to change the pickup library, click on the down arrow by the pickup library and select the library where you want to pick up this title.
- To complete placing a hold, click on the blue PLACE HOLD button.
- Before clicking on the blue button, you can also suspend your hold, if, for example, you know you will be out of town for awhile. Just click on the calendar next to the suspension start date and select a date. Then click on the calendar next to the suspension end date and select a date. Afterwards, click on the blue PLACE HOLD button.
E. How are search results sorted?
When you do a search, for example for all the books by John Grisham, the search results list is sorted by publication date from newest to oldest. If you do a keyword search, when you get to the search results screen, you will see a link to “Limit Search” in the green bar. If you click on that, you can change how the list is sorted by clicking on the down arrow next to the Sort by field. You can also set how the results are sorted by using the Power Search screen. See part E and F on using the Power Search.
F. How do I find only DVDs, or a different format?
Sometimes patrons want to get title on DVD or CD. This involves a few more steps in the search process.
- LOGIN as explained in part B.
- In the search box, there is a link to “Power Search” at the bottom of the box. Click on that link.
- Enter the search term in the appropriate space, depending on whether you are searching for author, title, etc.
- Then scroll down until you can see “Material Type.” Click on the down arrow and select “DVD”.
- Click on the blue SEARCH button in the center of the search box.
- You will either go to a list of search results which meet the criteria of your search, or directly to the Item Information screen.
- If you go to the Item Information Screen, the PLACE HOLD button is on the right.
- On the power search screen, you can also select other material types, such as compact disks, etc. You can also select the search library from this screen.
G. How can I get a list of my favorite type of book published recently?
These instructions show you how to get a list of mysteries published in 2009.
You can use these same instructions to find lists of “science fiction”, “western stories”, “love stories”, etc.
published in 2009 or a different year.
- LOGIN as explained in part B.
- In the search box, there is a link to “Power Search” at the bottom of the box. Click on that link.
- In the space next to subject, enter “Mystery”.
- Scroll down until you see “publication date”.
- Enter “2009” next to publication date.
- Click on the blue SEARCH button in the center of the search box.
- You will go to a list of search results which meet the criteria of your search. You can place a hold directly from this screen
by clicking on the blue PLACE HOLD button next to each title.
- You can also click on the DETAILS button to see information about the title. From that screen, the PLACE HOLD button is on the right hand side.
H. How do I save items to a Temporary List?
You can create a session/temporary list, which is available as long as your browser is open, and you can email the list to yourself or print it. This is designed for users who do not have a library card with our system. The ability to have a Saved List has just been activated. See Section P below.
- LOGIN as explained in part B, although you do not have to in order to save to a temporary list.
- Perform a search as described in part C.
- When you get to the results list, you can click on the blue button next to the title which says “Add to Temp List.”
- When you have added the titles you want to your Session List, click on List in the green bar.
- This will take you to the List screen.
- You can remove titles from the list.
- You can print the list by clicking on the print formatted button, and then printing from your browser.
- You can email the list to yourself by entering your email address in the space and clicking on the Email button.
- Once you close your browser, you will no longer have access to the Session List.
- Note: when you click on view, or print formatted, if your browser opens in a new window, when you close that
window, you will probably have to click on Go Back in the green bar to go back to the Session List.
I. How do I view My Account?
- LOGIN as explained in part B.
- Click on the link to My Account near the top of the page.
- From this screen you can:
- Review your account, which includes
- Items you have checked out and when they are due; you can renew items from this screen
- Items you have on hold – this screen will show you your position in the holds queue and the pickup location for each hold
- Any fines or fees owed to the library.
- Renew items – this will take you to a list of items checked out, so that you can renew them.
- User PIN change – you can change your PIN.
- Change my address – this will allow you to submit an address change. If you have logged in as soon as you get to the online catalog, the change address request will go to your library.
- All Library Hours – Click on this and you will go to a page on our website that gives you information about the libraries in our system.
J. How do I renew my Items?
- LOGIN as explained in part B.
- Click on the link to My Account near the top of the screen.
- Click on the link to Renew my Materials.
- Click next to “Renew Selected Items” or “Renew all Items”
- If you only want to renew some items, click in the box next to the items you want to renew.
- Click on the blue RENEW SELECTED ITEMS button.
- You will see a window confirming which items were renewed. This window will also tell you how many times the items have been renewed, and how many more times you can renew the items.
- You can also renew items by clicking on Review My Accounts, then clicking on the link to Checkouts, or clicking on the Checkouts tab, and then following #5-7 above.
K. How can I change the pickup location on my holds?
- LOGIN as explained in Part B.
- Click on My Account
- Click on Review My Account
- Click on the Holds Tab
- Click in the box by the title for which you want to change the pickup location, or click the Select All box
- Un-check the Cancel Selected box. Note that the blue button will change from “Cancel Selected holds” to “Edit Selected Holds”.
- Choose your selected pickup location. If you logged in as described above, it will default to your home library. Select the pickup location you desire.
- Click on the “Edit Selected Holds” button.
- On the next screen click OK.
- You will see that the pickup location has been changed.
L. What does it mean when it says that something I have on hold in “in transit for pickup at: XXX”?
This means that an item is on its way to the library you selected as your pickup location. At this exact moment, it may still be at the sending library, it may be in the van, or it may be at the Headquarters location ready to go out to the pickup location with the next delivery. The couriers do not deliver on Saturday, Sunday, or most holidays. It is conceivable that it could take as many as 5-6 days to get to the pickup location depending on the days the libraries are closed, weekends, and any holidays, although generally the time period is much less. Library staff may not be able to tell you exactly what day the item will arrive, but you will be notified when the item gets to the pickup location.
M. What do I do last?
Once you have finished, click on the link to LOGOUT in the green bar. This is especially important if you are using the online catalog in a public place, such as your library, to protect your privacy.
N. Why log into the Catalog?:
By logging into the catalog (enter your library card number and PIN in the upper right hand corner of the screen):
- You can avoid multiple logins
- You can place holds without having to submit your card number and PIN for each hold
- The pickup location will default to your library when you place a hold
- You can renew materials you have checked out through "My Account"
- You can see the status of materials you have checked out through "My Account"
For privacy protection when using the catalog on a public computer, please remember to log out when you are done by clicking on Logout in the green task bar at the top.
O. How do I increase the size of the print on the website?
In Firefox, hold down the control key (Cmd key on Mac) and tap the plus, "+" key to enlarge the print. To reduce the print hold down the control key (Cmd key on Mac) and tap the minus,"-" key.
In Internet Explorer, go to the View Menu, select the Text Size, and then select the size of text you want.
Other browsers may have different techniques to enlarge the print.
P. Can I save Titles to a Permanent List in Elibrary?
- Go to www.mylakelibrary.org
- Click on the link to Library Catalog
- First, Login with your barcode and PIN in the upper right hand corner
- Click on the link to Permanent List
- Create a name for a new list
- Select that list
- Click on Activate List
- Search for titles
- Click in the box by "Add to Perm List".
- Continue searching and adding titles to the Permanent List.
- When through searching, click on the link to Permanent List
- At that screen user can remove titles, print list, email list
- The user can have multiple lists, but the list must be active (see #7) before adding titles. If the user only creates one list, for example, "Books", and always adds to that list, that list will always be the active list.
- Titles must be manually removed from the list.
Q. Can I place holds from the Permanent List?
The user cannot place a hold on the entire list at once, however, the user can place holds from the Permanent List screen.
- Create the Permanent List as in Item P above.
- Add titles to the active list.
- When you have completed the list, click on the Permanent List link.
- Under each title click on the Details link.
- Click on the link to Place Hold.
- Select the pickup location and click on the Place Hold button.
- Click on OK.
- Click on the link to the Permanent List and repeat steps 4-7 for as many of the titles on the List as desired.
- Once the holds have been placed, the user should manually remove the titles and the List if desired.
R. How do I have authors or subjects added to "My Favorites" so that I can be notified when new titles are available?
- Go to our website at www.mylakelibrary.org.
- Click on the Tab for Library Catalog.
- Login with your barcode number (no spaces) and PIN in the upper right hand corner.
- Search for a book by an author or with subjects that you want to add to "My Favorites" .
- Click on the Title link to go to the Item Details Screen.
- On the left hand side of the screen you will see two links:
Tell me when new materials by this author are available, OR
Tell me when new materials on these topics are available
- Click on the appropriate link and either the author or the subject(s) will be added to your list of favorites.
- NOTE: All subject headings for that title will be included. To see what the subject headings are, click on the link for Catalog Record about the Item information.
As you scroll down on the next screen you will see all of the subject headings for that title.
- You can modify/remove items from your list of Favorites. See How do I modify/remove items from the "My Favorites" list.
S. How do I modify/remove items from the "My Favorites" list?
- Go to our website at www.mylakelibrary.org.
- Click on the Tab for Library Catalog.
- Login with your barcode number (no spaces) and PIN in the upper right hand corner.
- In the middle of the screen you will see "My Favorite Authors" and "My Favorite Subjects".
- If you only have a couple of authors or subjects selected, you will see a link, "Modify" in that area.
- Click on the "Modify" link.
- Click in the box by the item(s) you want to remove from your list.
- Click on either the "Remove Selected..." button or the "Remove All..." button.
- If you have a number of author or subjects on your list, you will see a link called More Favorites. Click on that link.
- Click on Modify in the green bar.
- Click in the box by the item(s) you want to remove from your list.
- Click on either the "Remove Selected..." button or the "Remove All..." button.
T. How do I access the On-order Best Sellers and place holds on them?
- Go to our website at www.mylakelibrary.org
- Click on the Best Seller graphic on the right hand side of the webpage
- Or: click on the Library Catalog Tab at the top; click on “New Items” in the green task bar; click on “Coming Soon”
- Once you access the list of On-order titles, click on Place hold next to any title
- Enter your library card number and PIN
- Select your pickup location
- Confirm your hold by clicking on the Place Hold button
- Click on “OK”
- You will then be taken back to the list so that you can place additional holds.
U. ADVANCED SEARCHING TIPS TIPS ON KEYWORD AND BROWSE SEARCHING:
KEYWORD SEARCHING
Phrases:
To search a phrase, enclose it in single quotation marks.
Example: 'large print'
Stopwords:
Specified stopwords are ignored in a keyword search. These stopwords are usually articles,
prepositions, or conjunctions, such as a, an, as, at, be, but, by, do, for, if, in, it, of,
on, the, and to, among others. Enclose stopwords in double quotation marks to prevent them from being ignored.
Example: "if" as a title
Phrases that include stopwords:
If a phrase includes stopwords, enclose it in both single and double quotation marks to prevent the stopwords from being ignored.
Example: '"of mice and men"'
Boolean operators:
Boolean operators (AND, NOT, OR, XOR) locate records containing matching terms in one or more text fields.
To search them as ordinary words, use double quotation marks around the word or the entire phrase.
Example: "not" without my daughter [to search the title of a book and a movie]
Proximity operators:
Proximity operators (SAME, WITH, NEAR, ADJ) locate records in which the search terms are in close proximity within one search
field. To search them as ordinary words, use double quotation marks around the word or the entire phrase.
Example: "near and far" [to search the title of a book]
Hyphens:
Include the hyphen to find words containing hyphens. A search without the hyphen displays words both with and without the hyphen.
Examples: ex-husband [to find only phrases that include a hyphen] -or- ex husband [to find words with and without the hyphen]
Note: Generally if you do a browse search, you will not have to use the quotation marks in these examples.
BROWSE SEARCHING
Initial articles:
Initial articles (a, an, the) are ignored in a title browse search. Sometimes one of these words should be
included in the search because it is not being used as an article. You can prevent the word from being
ignored by enclosing it in double quotation marks. Example: "a" is for alibi