Library Catalog Class

Tomorrow night (2/21/2008) at 7 pm, we'll be holding a class to help people learn more about our card catalog and how to use it. We'll also touch base on our homepage and what interesting items are available for use there. Sometimes the card catalog can seem a little daunting because it isn't like navigating other programs people are used to. You can get yourself stuck on a page you can't get out of and then feel stupid to ask for help, or you don't understand the page when it does come up. Sometimes it is just easier to ask the clerk to look it up for you, but that can mean waiting in line and keeping the clerk occupied when she needs to help someone else check out. Many new library users are afraid to ask how to use our specific card catalog. Every library's card catalog seems to be different. Children know how to use our catalog because they have the same one at the schools in Brigham City.

So, tomorrow night is a good time to come and see how the card catalog works here and on your computer at home. We'll also hope you won't be embarrassed to ask for help any time you are in the library.

Susan

Our Card Catalog

I've answered several calls this week regarding our card catalog. I thought it might be a good time to help clarify some of things that are mystifying our patrons as they use the card catalog at home and at the library. If the card catalog is only showing a scenic view when you go to use it at the library, you can click on the little icon up in the upper left-hand corner that says card catalog and it will come back up. If the icon isn't there, don't feel dumb, get the librarian to help you get the catalog back up.

Once you are in the card catalog, and typed in your title or author, the result should come up in bold on the upper right-hand side of the screen. Whatever is listed there is the closest the computer could come to matching your request. Sometimes we won't have the book you're looking for, so the title won't come up but you'll still have a title in bold. Our computer is very picky about spelling so try some different variations or get help. A keyword search will often bring up more results if you are having troubles.

If you get a title that says it has no copies, that could mean it is an e-book that you can download to your computer or a windows-based listening device through Net Library. We get a new list of Net Library books every month added to our collection. When you are at home, you can go right to Net Library through the card catalog and signup for an account.

If you are looking for a subject and the results come up with a magnifying glass and "go" next to the subject, that means it isn't a book, but an internet link. If you click on that, it will bring up a list of internet sites you could go to (if you were at home using the card catalog). If you try to go into those at the library, you'll just get the computer stuck on a page that glares ACCESS DENIED! Trying to back out of that with the back arrow won't work, either click on "home" or close down the window and then the back arrow will work. Our card catalog machines have been blocked at the library so patrons cannot go into the internet on them. If they had that ability, you might never get a turn at the card catalog, it would be in use as an internet all day long.

Susan