1
Using the Library’s *New* Web Catalog
Overview
With the online catalog you can search through the Library’s holdings to find what you are looking for in any available format. The new version of the online catalog makes it easier than ever to find things.
Accessing the Library’s Web Catalog
From the Library’s web site (), look for the green band at the top of the page and click on Try our new catalog. (Figure 1.)
Figure 1. Getting to the Catalog
Quick Search & Word Cloud
Quick Search is the fastest way to use the catalog. Just type in any title, author name or subject keyword and you will get results. For instance, see what happens when you type the word “surfing” into the box and click Search. (Figure 2.)
Figure 2. Quick Search
You can click on any one of the underlined titles in the results column (center of the page) for more information on that item. Or, just request items from the page you’re on by clicking on the “Place Request” link.
The list of items you see are in order by relevance to what you typed into the search box. If you prefer to see them in a different order, such as by year or in alphabetical order by title or author you can change that. Just go to the drop down menu at the top of the page and select a different sort order.
Also in the center of the page are format icons. Clicking on one of them will narrow your results to Books, Downloadable Books, DVD, Music, Books on CD, and other formats.
On either side of the results column are tools to help you navigate elsewhere in the catalog and limit your results. Limiting helps target your search and remove unwanted titles from your results list.
(Figure 3 and Figure 4.)
Figure 3. Word Cloud Figure 4. Refine
On the left side is a Word Cloud or a visualOn the right side of the page are links to
map of words related to your search term.help you Refine your search even more by
Some of the words are spelling or language limiting the results to certain authors,
variations and some are similar terms. subjects, readinglevels, and other choices.
Clicking on a word changes the focus of theAt the top is a drop down menu that allows
Word Cloud and brings back a new set ofyou to limit your search to one specific
results in the center column.library location.
Advanced Search
Advanced Search is a traditional online catalog search. If you already have an author or title in mind, using Advanced Search is a more direct route to results. From Quick Search, switch to Advanced Search by clicking on the words Advanced Search at the top of the screen just to the right of the black Search button. (Figure 2.)
In the example below, (Figure 5.) the search is for an exact title; the author is not specified so all books by that title will appear in the search results column (center column).
Figure 5. Advanced Search
The most obvious difference from Quick Search is that the space where the Word Cloud used to be is now a series of search boxes. Just type in a title, author, subject, et cetera into a box (or many boxes—more about that on the next page) and click on the black Search button. Voilà! (Figure 5.)
Advanced Search using more than one search term
A useful feature of the new catalog is that you can search more than one term at the same time.
In the example shown (Figure 6.) our search is for the title Dead Heat by the author
Dick Francis. Using two terms like this eliminates from the search results all similar titles that are not written by that author.
Figure 6. Author/Title Search
You can also search for books on a particular subject, by a particular publisher, from a particular year, or in a particular format (such as just books or just DVDs or just books on CD). Use as many or as few search boxes as you need to get your results.
You can further refine your search results by limiting your search to the holdings of one particular library location. Use the drop down menu at the top of the right column to indicate a location.
Advanced Search by Subject
Subject searching is much easier in the new catalog. (Figure 7.) To search a new subject, just type subject words into the Subject box on the left side of the screen.
To refine your results list you can browse through similar subject terms provided on the right side of the screen. Just click on whatever looks interesting and see where it takes you! Each click will modify the list in the results column.
Figure 7. Subject Searching
To get back to where you were, click on any of the steps of the “bread crumb trail” at the top of your results list. In this example (Figure 8.), after searching on the subject term woodworking we have clicked on Equipment and Supplies and then Jigs and Fixtures in the right column. The path we took is shown just above the first title in the results column.
Figure 8. Bread Crumb Trail
Exploring Item Records
Clicking on a title in the results column will take you to that title’s item record (Figure 9.). The top of the record shows you general information about the item such as title, author, publisher, edition, physical description, ISBN—things that help you decide if this is the item you want. Something handy to remember before you place a request on an item is No. of Requests which will tell you how many people are already on the request list.
Figure 9. Item Record
If you continue to scroll down the item record, more information appears such as where the items are (Location), how to find them on the shelf (Call No.), and whether they are available to check out (Status). If you want to request an item, it is unwise to click on “Request this item” because the request will only be good for that particular copy, not the first available copy.
Figure 10. Item Record Continued
Scrolling even further will reveal additional information such as a Summary, Book Reviews, a Table of Contents, andExcerpts. Not every item record contains all this information, however.
Steps to Placing a Request
It is best to place a request on an item when you are viewing the full record. Click on the green button labeled, Place Request. (Figure 11.)
Figure 11. Place Request
- A small box appears over the full record that asks for your 13 digit library card number and 4 digit PIN. Enter all 13 digits of your library card number as shown below the barcode on your card—no spaces. Click the black button labeled, Login. (Figure 12.)
Figure 12. Login
- You will then see the box pictured in Figure 13. If you would like to change the pickup location, click on the pull-down menu and select a different branch. You will see where you are on the waiting list (Place in line).
- Click Place hold to complete the process. (Figure 13.)
Dayton Metro Library, September 2009
1
Figure 13. Place hold
- The next screen should tell you that your request was successfully placed (Hold placed). Click on Close so you can return to searching the catalog.
- When you are finished with the catalog, always make sure to LOG OUT of your account by clicking the word Logout at the top of the page. (Figure 14.)
Figure 14. Logout
1
September 2004