Rainy River Public Library has upgraded the online catalogue
to make it more user friendly. Check out
the fantastic new features that will make the process of finding books, DVDs
and other items much simpler. Then,
easily place a hold on items not currently on the shelves or manage your
account online. While locating material,
take a moment to check out the new items in the library, displayed on the front
page of the catalogue through a great slideshow that highlights each new title
available this month. Consider adding
this material to theMy List option, a new section of your online account
that allows you to make lists of items such as Favourites, Authors to Avoid,
etc.
Front Page
The new front page for the catalogue has a fantastic slide show of the new titles available at the library. Not interested in seeing New Fiction? You can choose whether you want to see New Non-Fiction, New Children's, or New Young Adult titles (1) through a pop-down menu instead. Once you select your interest, a gallery of images containing the covers of the title will appear (2). If you want to navigate directly to one of them, click over the image. Notice how the image you selected just became bolder in colour and now appears in detail in the slideshow (3)? Simply click "View Item" (the orange box) and the catalogue will bring you directly to that title.
Hint: the House icon in the upper left will always bring you back to the front page.
Searching
Searching the catalogue is easier than ever. The process of searching hasn't changed. Simply put your search into the search box, and select a field if you are looking for something specific like Author or Title. Press enter or select the orange Search button. New search features include a way to limit your search on the right hand ride of your results, and a more streamlined Advanced Search option that makes the process a lot less frustrating.
Your search results will look like this:
Your search results will look like this:
Limiting Your Search
By Limiting Search Results, you can locate materials easier. 1. It is possible to limit by Author, Format, Material Type, Publication Date, Subject and more. 2. You can see a list of options to choose from and the number of titles available in that option. For instance, you can limit your search to audiobooks or books in large print. Just click in the small box beside the option to select it. 3. If you don't see the option you're looking for, don't forget to Expand All or view More, it might simply be hidden. 4. The final step is to decide whether you want to include the option you selected, or exclude it:
- Include - Select this option if you want your Limited Search to show the criteria you selected. You would use this if you were searching for a particular author or only wanted to see DVD results.
- Exclude - Select this option if you want your Limited Search to take away the criteria you selected. You would select this if you were interested in NOT viewing DVD results but you were interested in seeing everything else.
The narrowed results will look like this. Notice the red circle with the x in it beside each narrowed criteria. If you click this x, it will put those removed items back in the search.
Search Results: List View, Thumbnail View, CoolIris View
- List View: This is the default. It allows you to see a detailed account of your search results.
- Thumbnail View: Displays only a thumbnail of the cover of an item, the title and the author
- Cooliris View: Only shows the cover of a book on a dynamic, scrollable screen with a black background. The title appears when hovering over the image. This is a fun feature to explore if you enjoy different presentation on the internet.
Creating My Lists
My Lists are a fun new way to keep track of books you've read, books you want to read, or books you really hated. Are you doing research on a project for school, or for a special interest? If you can think of a list of books you would like to keep track of, the My Lists feature on the catalogue will do it!
To use this feature, you don't have to be logged into your account, but the list created will only be temporary (it can be saved if you log into your account before exiting the browser window). A list created while you are logged into the My Account feature will always be available through your account.
A look at the My Lists Page
To use this feature, you don't have to be logged into your account, but the list created will only be temporary (it can be saved if you log into your account before exiting the browser window). A list created while you are logged into the My Account feature will always be available through your account.
A look at the My Lists Page
Access My Lists through the link at the top of the page next to My Account. To create a new list, select the notebook with a plus sign over it (3) and name it. It will show up in the Lists sidebar. Now, you can search and add any item in the catalogue to your list (see below).
You can place a hold directly from your list by selecting the item, or all the items in the list (6). You can also print and email the selected items to yourself. Don't want an item on your list anymore? Delete it. It is also possible to move or copy from one list to another. All these options are available through the Select an Action menu (1).
You can arrange your lists by name or date added (2) as well as delete them (4). You can arrange the items in a particular list by name or date added as well (5) so you can find the item you're looking for.
You can place a hold directly from your list by selecting the item, or all the items in the list (6). You can also print and email the selected items to yourself. Don't want an item on your list anymore? Delete it. It is also possible to move or copy from one list to another. All these options are available through the Select an Action menu (1).
You can arrange your lists by name or date added (2) as well as delete them (4). You can arrange the items in a particular list by name or date added as well (5) so you can find the item you're looking for.
While searching you can add items to your list by going to the Select an Action drop-down menu from either a search result page or the item display page (note how the box to the left of the menu has a check mark - this how you select the item[s] you want to add to your list):
Placing a Hold
Placing a hold had never been easier. Once you locate the item through a search, the option to place a hold is visible to the right in List View (1). If placing more than one on the same screen, click on the boxes next to your selection so that there is a check mark in it and then go to the Select an Action menu (2) to place hold(s). There will be a screen that prompts you to place the hold, and once done it will show up in your My Account feature.
My Account
My Accounts makes it easier to view the information on your library card. Log in to see the books you have checked out or have on hold. Fines on your account are visible, along with your payment history. An exclamation point shows up if you have fines or if a hold comes in, so you can tell at a glance if anything has changed with your account. Your list of check outs gives you the date things are due back and the option to renew.
Notice the exclamation point. There are fines in this account!
The Personal Information section (you can see it on the left) allows you to change your PIN or set different preferences. You might be interested in setting your account to automatically go to your Checked Out material when you sign in. Other options are to see Holds or Fines on your sign-in screen (see below). Don't forget to press the update button on the right.
Are you looking for the holds you placed on items? They will show up in My Accounts in an easy-to-read format. You might be interested to notice you can see where you are on the list, so figuring out when the hold will become available is much simpler!
Things to note: If you're looking to cancel a hold, you can select the box next to the item (or Select All of them) and "Cancel Holds." The "Edit Pickup Location" is a feature that is only available in larger cities - books from Rainy River are only available for pickup in Rainy River. "Suspend Hold" will put a pause on the hold until a certain date. Going out of town for a month? Select this feature and you can set your hold to reappear on the hold list for your return date.
Not much has changed about the Current Checkouts section of My Account, but note the ability to renew, the column of times it has been renewed, and the Date Due column which lists by when the item is due, so newest first!
If you have any additional questions, contact the library.
If you have any additional questions, contact the library.
