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How to Read the Record, Library Codes, Placing a Hold, Creating a List, Subject Searching, Advanced Search
Please note: If you plan on placing a hold on more than one book, it is a good idea to log into your account first (from the search catalog page click on “My Library Account”). Then, as you search for each book you will only need to click on “Place Hold” rather than re-entering your information for each request.
1. Searching the Catalog
The catalog search is automatically set to search for keywords. If you would like to search by keyword, author, title, subject, or series, click the down arrow and select your desired search and type in your information. To learn how to search for a movie click here (to view these examples you will need Adobe Flash Player which is a free download).
Example: If you would like to search for Skipping Christmas by John Grisham, set the search to “title” and type in Skipping Christmas.
2. The default search is set for all “County Library Branches”. If you would like to search the catalog of a particular library, click the down arrow and choose that library.
3. The catalog will then display the records we have for that title. The reason we may have more than one record for a particular title is because each title may have a regular print book, a large print book, a CD audio book, or a cassette audio book.
4. How to read the record.
The record can tell you a number of things at a glance. The title, author, and availability are displayed. The published date is in the top right hand corner. Underneath that is a picture of the material type. Circulation availability will tell you how many copies are checked in and where they can be located. See below for library codes. “No copies available” means that all copies are checked out and/or are on hold. Click on “full record” to learn when copies are due back or the number of holds already placed on the item.
5. Library Codes
To determine which library has the item checked in, take a look at Circulation Availability. The codes for each library as are follows:
BB=Bound Brook
BW= Bridgewater
HL=Hillsborough
MJ=Mary Jacobs
NP= North Plainfield
PG=Peapack Gladstone
WT=Warren Township
WG=Watchung
WV=Washington Valley Station (items cannot be reserved)
BG=Branchburg Station (items cannot be reserved)
6. Placing a Hold
If you would like to place a hold on the item, click on “place a hold”. You will then be asked for your library card number and your Pin number. If you don’t know your Pin, try the last 4 digits of your phone number, and if that doesn’t work call or email the library. We’ll be glad to help you.
7. If the title you would like is currently checked in and you plan on coming to the library that day, feel free to call the library and have us pull it off the shelf for you.
8. “Other Resources” icon. The “Other Resources” icon details additional information about the book. This includes book reviews, book-in-print status, and links to similar information on the Internet.
Other features
If you plan on placing a hold on more than one book it is a good idea to log into your account first (from the search catalog page click on “My Library Account”). Then, as you search for each book you will only need to click on “Place Hold” rather than re-entering your information for each request.
Freezing a hold
“Freezing” is an option available in your library record. “Freezing” a hold allows you to keep your place in line while waiting for a book. For example, you know you are going to be out of town next week, but you are number 2 on the holds list. You’ve been waiting for a particular title for a long time and it looks like the book you’ve been waiting for will come in while you’re away. “Freezing” keeps your place in line until you’re ready to unfreeze the hold. When you unfreeze your hold, you’ll still be number 2 in line. This is the same idea as letting people go in front of you in line at the store.
Create a list.
As you search for different titles save your selections to a book cart. To take a look at your complete list click on the icon which reads, “view saved”. At this point you can “view and request” your saved items, or “view and export” your saved items. The “view and export” feature allows you to email your list or save it to disk.
It is possible to create a record of just CD Audio books, Videotapes, DVDs, or any other medium you are looking for. In the advanced search feature you can set material type. However, the catalog will require that you enter a title, author, or subject. In that case, it is necessary to know that CD audio books have a subject of “Books on CD”, videotapes, “Videotapes”, DVDs “DVD”, and so forth. To determine how an item is subject cataloged you can view an item record and underneath availability is a list of subject headings. Each subject heading is clickable.
For example, in the advanced search feature create the following command to determine the number of audio books available at Warren. In the subject field type in “audiobooks” and in the location field set the result to “Warren Township Adult”. Result, Warren has over 1300 audiobooks.
Subject Searching
Would you like to do a subject search and unsure of what Dewey cataloged subject the book is listed under? In this case search for an item though a title or word search. Click on the title that is the closest to your subject you can find. Click on “full record” and then scroll down the page to the list of subjects.
For example, say you need a book on French cooking. First, type in French cooking as a word search. The first title that comes up is a French cookbook. Click on “full record” and scroll down until you reach the subject fields. One of the subject fields is “Cookery, French”. Now click on “Cookery, French” and you will see a subject heading with an entry of over a hundred titles. All cookbooks that have to do with French cooking are listed under the subject heading of “Cookery, French”. This kind of search can be done for any topic.
Librarian hint: Come up with a title that you think would be written about your subject and do a word search for that title. Then, look at the “full record” and find the subject fields. Even if it is not exactly the subject you were looking for, click on the fields to begin to narrow your search.
Advanced Search. Advanced search has a number of features.
1. It allows you to enter multiple sources of information about a book. You may only know part of a title or only the author’s first or last name. In this case, enter what you know and see if you can find that particular title.
2. Here you can search a particular section of the library (Juvenile, YA, nonfiction, etc) and/or an individual branch. This way it is possible, for example, to determine all the audio books that the Peapack-Gladstone library has in its adult fiction area. First, set the subject to “Books on CD”, then limit the result to “Peapack-Gladstone Library”, and then set the location to “Peapack-Gladstone Adult”. Currently Peapack-Gladstone has over 160 books on CD.
3. Search by language. This is great if you would like to view all the books in a particular language in a particular library. Or, you can search all the libraries at once if you would like to. Need to see our catalog of Korean books in Bridgewater? In the subject field type in “Korean language”, limit the library field to “Bridgewater”, set the language field to “Korean”, and click submit. Result, the Bridgewater library currently has over 130 books in Korean.
Any other questions?
Call (908-526-4016), email, or come in. We’ll be glad to help you.
Copyright 2008, Somerset County
Library System, All Rights Reserved
Somerset County Library System, Bridgewater, NJ 08807
908-526-4016
Last Update:10/29/2008