How to use the catalog

My Account/Renew

1. Select this option to see what you have checked out, when the items are due and to renew them, how much money you owe, reserve titles, and cancel reserved items. When you log into your account, you can save your favorite searches and have the library notify you by email when a new title matching your search is cataloged. In the near future, you will be able to select how you want the library to notify you when your reserves are available as well as keep your reading history if you so desire.

Good Reads

2. Looking for something good to read? This option will offer you staff reviews of books and videos on many topics for adults and children.
3. You may also want to check the link for Newly Cataloged Titles

Ask a Question

4. If you have a question that you would like to have the reference department answer, select this button. They will respond with an answer via email, regular mail, or telephone depending on your preference.

Information

5. This option offers general information about Rodman Public Library, its services, and its collections.

Search Tips

6. Select this option to learn how to search by author, title, subject, keyword, or call number.
7. You may also select one of the highlighted indexes to get search tips.

How to search

7. Select the type of search you want to do by clicking the radio button next to your index choice.
8. Enter your search in the box and then press the Enter key or click the Submit Button.

Search Box

9. You can search the catalog from any page by using this search box. Select the type of search you want to do from the pull-down list, enter your search in the box and press <Enter> or click the <Submit Button>. If you only want to find items you can check out, check the box labelled Limit search to available items.

Search Relevance Stars and Book Jackets

10. When you search the catalog, you will note one to five stars in the results display. The more stars, the more relevant the title to search. Book jacket images (when available) are displayed to help you identify the title.

Reserve Button

11. When you find something that you would like to check out, click this button to reserve the item. You will be asked for your name, library card barcode number and where you would like to pick up your item. The Library will call you when it is ready for you to pick up.

Availability

12. Now you can find out whether or not a copy is available for you to use from the browse screen.

Book Cart

13. Select one or several titles during your search session by putting them in your Book Cart. This feature works the same way as online shopping carts that you find on your favorite online shopping sites. To view what you have selected, click the View Book Cart button. You can reserve the titles in your cart, email the list to yourself, or save the records to a file for later use in bibliographies.

More Information

14. Clicking this button will offer you book jackets, first chapters, plot synopses, book reviews, and other information. If you want to further your search, you can search Google or Amazon by clicking these buttons.

Type of Material

15. The icons in this column show what type of material is in the listing. Other types include Music CDs, DVDs, and Toys.

Looking for videos, large print or children's materials?

If you would like to browse through the Library's collection by type of material, you can do a SUBJECT [1] search by clicking on one of the headings listed below:

Audio-Visual Materials

• Audiobooks [2] -- use for Books on Tape (Adult & Children)
• Audiobooks on CD [3] -- use for Books on Compact Disc
• Compact discs [4] -- use for Music CDs
• DVD videodiscs [5] -- use for DVDs
• Video recordings [6] -- use for Videos or Videorecordings
• Video recordings for the hearing impaired [7] -- use for Closed-captioned videos

Adult Fiction and Non-Fiction

• Fantasy fiction [8] -- use for Fantasy fiction
• Inspirational fiction [9] -- use for Inspirational fiction
• Large type books [10] -- use for Large print books (Adult & Children)
• Love stories [11] -- use for Romance fiction
• Mystery fiction [12] -- use for Mysteries
• Science fiction [13] -- use for Science fiction
• Suspense fiction [14] -- use for Suspense novels
• Western stories [15] -- use for Westerns

Children's Materials

• Easy reading materials [16] -- use for books labelled "jE" (Children)
• Intermediate reading materials [17] -- use for books labelled "j3-4" (Children)
• Picture books [18] -- use for books labelled "jP" (Children)

You can LIMIT your browse list to a specific location (i.e., Branch Children's) by clicking on the LIMIT/SORT SEARCH button.

If you need any assistance with the lists, please ask a librarian.

Return to the Catalog [19]

Search tips

Basic Searches | Advanced Techniques | Commands

 

General Guidelines

• Capitalization is not necessary.
  You may type in all caps, all lower case or a combination of both.
• Punctuation is not necessary.
  You may leave out commas, colons, periods and apostrophes.
• Always type the Last Name first
  When searching for a person you must know his or her last name.
• Author, subject and call number are links.
  You may click on the author's name to find other titles by the author, click on the subject to find other material on the topic or click on the call number to find other items with the same call number.
• Spelling is important.
  In any search (except for Word Search), if you don't know the exact spelling, type as much of the word as you know. In Word Search, you must type the exact words to search so spelling is crucial.

Basic Searches

Word Search looks for words in the title, series title, contents notes, or plot summary. Contents notes list the titles of short stories or plays in a collection or the songs on a music CD. Plot summaries are included for many children's books and some adult fiction. The words that you use in your search will be highlighted in red.

Word Search works best when searching one or two words. Avoid using common words as they will return a large number of titles. Each word must be at least 3 letters long. The articles a, an, the will not be searched.

Use Word Search when you are looking for material on any topic; you don't know the first word of a title; you are looking for a song; you are looking for a play or short story. You can also truncate your search to find all forms of a word.

Author Search looks for the name of a person or a group that has created or performed a work. This includes authors, illustrators, composers, performers, conductors, actors, audio book readers, corporations and government departments. If you are searching for a person, you must know his or her last name. If you are looking for works about a person or group, use Subject Search instead.

Title Search looks for the title of a work. You must know at least the first word of the title. If you don't know the first word, use Word Search instead.

Subject Search looks for names of people or groups as well as Library of Congress Subject headings that describe what the work is about. If you are looking for works about a person, you must know his or her last name. If you have little success using Subject Search, use Word Search instead.

Call Number Search looks for the Dewey Decimal or Biography call number of an item. Use Call Number Search to check on an item when you already have a call number written down. This type of search is rarely used.

Advanced Techniques

Limit or Sort
Limit or Sort is used to narrow your search. If using one of the basic searches listed above returns a long list of titles, narrow your search with limits or sort the titles by publication date. You may limit only one time per search, however, you may enter as many limits as necessary at that time.

You may limit by:

• Language to view only the items in a chosen language.
• Material Type to select only printed material, sheet music, software, art prints, videos, toys, sculpture, or books on tape.
• Words in the Author, Subject, Title, Performer or Publisher to narrow your search when you don't know the last name of an author or the first word of a title. Always try a Word Search first, but if a Word Search returns hundreds of titles, you can narrow the list by selecting Words in the Author, Title, Subject, Performer, or Publisher. Unless you require a book from a certain publisher, do not limit to Words in the Publisher. The library may have an earlier or later edition of the title from a different publisher.
• Where Item is Located such as Main Adult Department, Main Children's Department, Branch, or Bookmobile.
• Year of Publication before and/or after a specified year.
• Sort Results by Year will display titles with the most recent publication dates first. Click in the box next to the word Sort to turn this feature on.

Truncation Symbol
The truncation symbol * may be used in a Word Search. It broadens your search to include all words that begin with the letters you type. For example, a Word Search for ROBOT* will return titles with the word robot, robotics and robots. A Word Search for GARDEN* will retrieve titles with the word garden, gardener, gardening, gardens, and gardenia.

Boolean Operators
The three Boolean operators AND, OR, NOT may be used to broaden or narrow a Word Search.

• AND will narrow your search. A Word Search will look for titles that include both words in either the title, subject or contents notes. The AND operator is assumed, so it isn't necessary to use it. For example, a Word Search for HOME REPAIR will return a list of books with both words.
• OR will broaden your search. A Word Search will look for titles that have either one or both of the words in the title, subject or contents notes. For example, a Word Search for HOME OR REPAIR will return titles that include one or both of these words, including books on home buying and auto repair.
• NOT will narrow your search. A Word Search will look for titles that include the first word in the title, subject or contents notes but not the second word. For example, a Word Search for PETS NOT CATS will return titles about pets but not about cats.

Description of Commands

Extended Display/Brief Display
Displays or removes the exact shelving location and call number.

Another Search
Displays the search screen for same type of search you just made. If you searched for an author, the Author Search screen displays; if you searched for a title, the Title Search screen displays, etc.

Search as Word
Converts your subject or title search into a Word Search. This is especially useful when your subject or title search is unsuccessful. First, check your spelling, then take advantage of this feature.

Limit This Search
Narrows a search that returns a lot of records. See Limit or Sort above.

Request
Rodman Public Library cardholders may request a reserve for an item not on the shelf. You will be notified by telephone or mail when the item is available for pick up. For further information on how to place a reserve, check Placing a Reserve [20].

Next Screen or Previous Screen
Displays the next group of records or the previous group of records.

Next Record or Previous Record
Displays the details of the next record in the list or of the previous record in the list.

Return to Browse List
Returns to the group of records from displaying the details of a single record.

Start Over
Returns to the opening Online Catalog screen.

Saving your favorite searches

If you have a favorite author or subject for which you always search when using the catalog, you can save the search with the click of a button. This will prevent you from having to key in the search each time and let you quickly place reserves on new materials.

Here's how to do it:

1. Start by clicking the My Account/Renew [21] button from any library web site or catalog screen. Enter your last name and library card barcode number to login.
2. Click the button marked "Search Catalog"
3. Search for your favorite author, subject, title, etc.
4. When your results are displayed, click the button marked "Save this search"
5. The next time that you view your record, you will see a button marked "Favorite Searches" which will display your list of saved searches. Click on any of them in the list to quickly execute your search.
6. If you wish to go a step further, the library can send you an email notice when something new is added to the collection matching your favorite search [22]. Be sure your email address is in your record and is accurate.

For suggested subject headings to use for videos, large print books, books on CD and other popular formats, check out: Looking for Videos, Large Print, or Children's Materials? [23]

Placing a reserve

Rodman Public Library cardholders may reserve items that are not available or are available at another location. You will be notified by telephone or email when the item is available for pick up.

If you are using the Library's catalog at home and see that the item you want is on the shelf, you may place a reserve or call the Library and ask that it be pulled off the shelf and held for you. Items will be held for 5 days at the circulation desk of your choice.

To place a reserve:

1. Search the catalog for the item you want
2. Click on the button marked

   

3. Type your name and barcode number in the boxes. Your barcode number is located on the back of your library card. Your number will appear as ************** when you type it in the box for privacy reasons. Type carefully.
4. Select the library location where you want to pick up this item.
5. Type any special instructions in the large box at the bottom of the screen. Special instructions may include the date of a magazine issue, year of a travel book, best phone number to call, etc.
6. If you need the item before a specific date, enter the date here. If you do not enter a date, the system automatically assigns one six months from the date you placed the reserve.
7. Click on the "Submit" button to place your reserve.
8. The Library will notify you when your item is available for you to pick up.

Please Note: Reserves are placed in the hold queue in the order they are received.

What have I read?

The Library is often asked if we can tell someone if they have already checked out a book. Our answer has always been, "No." The Library's computer system as a rule never keeps this information once an item has been returned.

However, the library is now offering this optional feature. You must "opt-in" to the Reading History option to take advantage of this service.

Here's how it works:

1. Login to your account by clicking the "My Account/Renew" button located near the top of any screen.
2. Click the "My Reading History" button.
3. Click the "Subscribe" button to begin collecting your reading history the next time you check out an item from the library. Any items you checkout from this point on will be available to you whenever you click the "My Reading History" button.
4. You can remove any or all titles at any time by checking the boxes next to the title and clicking one of the "Delete" buttons. You may unsubscribe at any time by clicking the "Unsubscribe" button. When you unsubscribe, your entire reading history will be erased.
5. The Library staff will not access your reading history at any time unless required by law*.

*Privacy statement:
By subscribing to My Reading History, I acknowledge that Rodman Public Library's online library system will retain my checkout activity for my personal use. I may unsubscribe from this service or remove any or all titles from my reading history at any time. Rodman Public Library staff will not access my reading history unless ordered to do so by an officer of the court.

Exporting saved catalog information

While you are searching the library's catalog, you may find things that you want to save for future use or send to a friend via e-mail.

Some uses of saved catalog items include:

• Favorite titles printed in one short list to bring to the library
• Easy creation of a bibliography for schoolwork or a presentation
• Reading lists to share with friends
• Teachers creating Classroom Collection [24] information for the Children's Department

Follow these easy steps to export saved catalog records.

To save catalog information:

1. Search the catalog for the items you want.
   

   

   Click the Add to Cart buttons for those you want to save. If you want to save all the records on the screen, click the Save All on Page button.

2. Some displays use check boxes instead. For these, place a check mark in the Mark column for the items that you want. Click the button marked Save Marked Records.
3. Continue searching and marking records as noted above. When you are finished selecting records, you are ready to export them to a file or send them via e-mail. Click on the button marked to continue.

To export catalog information:

4. Select the Export Book Cart button to view or export your saved records.
5. Choose whether you want to save the list to your computer (Local Disk), view it on the screen where you can print your list, or send it via e-mail. If you want to save the file to your computer, you will be asked where you want to save it. If e-mail is selected, type the complete e-mail address of the person you want to receive the list. You can also change the Subject of the message to something more meaningful.
6. Select the format of the records to send.
   - Full Display is longer and includes everything in the record
   - Brief Display includes Author, Title, and Publisher
   - MARC records are full records with numeric coding used by catalogers.
   You will probably choose Brief Display most often.
7. Click on the Submit button to send the list as a message or save the list to your computer disk.
8. Your list will be saved to your computer or sent via e-mail for easy use.

Go green options--notifications by phone or email

Rodman Public Library has decided to "Go Green" by offering an online service for those patrons with email addresses.

Any registered borrower may opt to have their hold pickup and overdue notices delivered to them via email. This helps the library save money on postage and printing costs. It also helps you save money on overdue fines by notifying you more quickly. Courtesy notices are also emailed to you a day or two before your items are due so you can return them or renew them.

There are two ways for patrons to take advantage of this service.

1. If patrons are in the library and checking out materials, a staff member will ask to verify the email address on file. They will also ask if the patron would like to receive email or telephone notices.
2. Patrons can also change their preferences themselves by logging into their record. To do this, go to http://roc.rodmanlibrary.com/patroninfo [21]. Click the 'Modify Personal Information' link in the middle of the screen, verify the email address and select either telephone or email as the preferred method of receiving notices. Click the submit button when finished.

Rate this title

Library patrons can rate titles in our collection from 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest) stars. You must be a registered patron to rate titles. You can rate any title in the catalog.

The catalog will display the average number of stars that a title has received. This chart explains how others have rated items.

If you would like to rate a title, login to My Account/Renew [25] and then search the catalog for the title you would like to rate. Use your mouse to click on the number of stars you want. For example, in this example, the patron is giving the title 4 stars by clicking on the fourth star.

To change or delete your rating from a title, use the "Patron Rating" link in your patron record and click on the number of stars you want to use or mark the ones you wish to delete from your ratings.