Using our Library Services

ABOUT OUR CATALOG

Use these links for more infomation using our catalog to find and request books:

Search the Catalog   |  Requesting Items |  Special Features  |   Library Bookcart 

Use these links for more information about accessing your Library Account:

Your Library Account   |    Your PIN    |    Renewing Items    |    Freezing Holds

Do you need a text-only catalog?  Use AirPAC : great for hand-held devices!

USING OUR CATALOG 

Search the Catalog – How to Find Things in Our Catalog

We provide two basic ways to perform searches.

The Search Box on the left side of our HomePage is an easy way to enter
a quick basic search in our basic catalog (_^aka encore).

Basic Search

This Keyword search gives many results and the most general results. 
The design of the Encore search engine is meant to take advantage
of the single-field search made popular by commercial websites like
Amazon. Using Basic Search, you can limit and refine your search by
author/title/subject [Search Found In], Format(book/cd/dvd), Location
by choosing one of the options shown on the left-hand side of the page. 
We also maintain the traditional-style catalog, the “classic catalog.”

To search for several different items, first Login using the My Account link
in the right column (this reduces the times you must enter your card#/PIN).

Advanced Search

The Advanced Search feature allows you construct a more specific query
(Title/Author/Subject in addition to Keyword: see details below), with AND/OR/NOT option.
Other options include Format(type of material), Collection Type, Location, Year, Language. 

CLASSIC CATALOG

We still maintain a more traditional-style catalog. Below the Search Box on the left side of
our HomePage is a link to our Classic Catalog 
(you can also find links to our Classic Catalog from anywhere within the Basic Catalog). 

Different types of Searches

• Keyword
  See "Basic Search" description above
  
• Title
  Use the exact Title, or at least the start of the title. 
  
• Author
  Enter the last name of the author first, followed by the first name or initial.  NOTE: The "Author" category includes performing artists on CDs and actors on DVDs.
  
• Subject
  Subject searches use specifically created Subject terms.  You can find Subject terms in any item's record.  Using those specific terms should give you a list of results that is both shorter and more relevant than doing a Keyword Search. 
  
• Call No.
  Uses the Dewey Decimal System (call #s of our nonfiction books are on the spine labels).  Similar subject areas are grouped numerically using this Call Number System.
  
• Series Title
  Looking for more books in a familiar series?  Use this to search by Series Title.
  
• Genre
  Search by the type of novel, such as Romance, Science Fiction, Mystery, Horror, etc.
  
• ISBN/ISSN
  Unique to each item, use this if you know the assigned number of a book (the ISBN).

You can also limit searches by format, age, or location.

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Requesting Items

When you find the item you want in our catalog, request it by choosing the "Request" button.

Note: there is a 75 item limit on the number of items you can request on one card.

If our library doesn't have the items you seek, you can request items from libraries whose collections we share using the buttons in our catalog.

• Search Ohio (mostly other public libraries)
• OhioLINK (mostly college/university libraries)          

You can also try Booking certain items (book sets, kits, etc).

Items You Have Already Requested

You can only place one request for any item.  Contact a librarian at your local branch if you need multiple copies of a particular item.

You can check the status of your requested items by logging into your Library Account and choosing ...requests (holds) then reviewing the STATUS column.  Use the status button
to see an explanation of the terms, such as:

Use the FREEZE column to place a temporary hold on any or all of the items you had requested.  Read more about Freezing your (Requested Items) Holds.

Requesting more than one item?  See below.

Cancelling your Requests

After logging in and going to your library account, you will see a list of Holds (requests).  The Cancel column is on the left.  Click in the box next to each item that you no longer want, then click on the "update list" button at the top.  The items whose requests you wanted to cancel will no longer appear on your Holds list. 

If you want to cancel every item on your Holds list, use the "cancel all" button at the top of the list.  NOTE: Only use that button if you want  all of your holds cancelled.

Requesting More than one Item at a time

In our Classic Catalog, use our "Save" option to keep a list of all items you want to request.

• If your item is the only one on the screen, look for the "save record" button near the top;
• click on it to save it to your request list.  
  
• If you are looking at a screen with more than one item on it, you'll see a "Save" check box.
  
• Click in it to save.  Save as many as you want on the page then
  
• When you've finished saving the one(s) you want,
  
• Click on the Save Marked Records at the top of the page
  
• When you're done selecting all the items you want, 
• choose the "View Saved" button  and on the next screen,
• choose the "Request Saved" button  
  

Using this "Save" option allows you to request any or all of your saved items, and you only need to enter your Library Card#, PIN, and PickUp Location one time.

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AirPAC

Our Graphics-free Catalog   —   Login HERE 

You can search our library catalog, view you library account, request and renew library items
on your own wireless handheld device through AirPAC. 

AirPAC auto-detects the type of device you're using and formats our catalog screens to fit. 

AirPAC can also be used with screen-reading devices and with any non-graphical browser, such as LYNX. 

Because of the wide range of portable computing devices, we cannot guarantee that every device will work.  If you are experiencing problems, please let us know (call our tech support desk 216-398-4111 or email us) and be sure to give the exact name of the device that you were trying to use. 

Login to AirPAC is located in our Classic Catalog, upper right.

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