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Online
Catalog (iPac)
Frequently
Asked Questions
About
the Online Catalog | Your Library Account
| Searching | Placing
& Altering Holds | Troubleshooting
About
the Online Catalog
Your Library Account
Searching
Requesting
Items & Altering Requests (Placing and Altering Holds)
Troubleshooting
Mac-Specific Issues
About
the Online Catalog
What
is the Online Catalog?
The Online Catalog is one of the most powerful features of the Peninsula
Library System. Use the Online Catalog to see the holdings of all
34 public and community college libraries in San Mateo County. It
lists all the books, magazines, videos, CD's, and other materials.
You can also use the Online Catalog to see your library account
for materials you have checked out, asked to borrow, or any fees
you may owe. We are happy to make this library service available
to all residents of San Mateo County.
What is the Internet address for the Online
Catalog? I want to bookmark it.
Set your browser to http://catalog.plsinfo.org.
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Your Library Account
How
can I check my library account?
Enter the Online Catalog at http://catalog.plsinfo.org.
After the catalog loads (this may take a few moments), click the
Your Library Account button on the left of the screen. You will
be asked for your 14-digit library card number and PIN.
What
is my PIN?
Your PIN (Personal Identification Number) is the last four digits
of your telephone number you gave us when you applied for a library
card. If you cannot see your library account your address and/or
telephone number may be out of date in our records. Please visit
one of our libraries to have this information updated.
Can
I change my PIN number or my email address online?
Yes, you can change your PIN (Personal Identification Number) on the
Online Catalog and if you are signed
up to get your library notices by email you'll be able to change your email
address there too. Here’s how you
do it. Go to http://catalog.plsinfo.org and click on the 'Your Library
Account' tab. Log in using your library account number and your current PIN.
Then click on the word 'Profile' in the orange bar at the top.
The
third beige bar says 'Personal Identification Number (PIN)'. This is where
you can change your PIN. Simply type in the old PIN, type in the new PIN, and
then re-enter the new PIN. Click on 'Update' and your new PIN is now in effect.
On
the second beige bar on the page you'll see 'Email Information'. If your
email address displays there it means you're already signed up for Email
Notification, and you can change your email address here. Simply delete
your old address, type in your new one, and click on 'Update.'
To
sign up to get your notices by email go to http://www.plsinfo.org/access/notice.htm.
Can
I renew items I have already checked out?
You certainly can. While in the Online Catalog click on the Your
Library Account button. Type in your library card number and PIN
and an Account Overview screen will appear. Click on 'Items Out'
and you'll see a list of the items you have checked out. To renew
any or all of these items, click on the checkbox to the left of
the item(s) you want to renew and then click on the 'Renew' button.
Please
note: Some materials cannot be renewed! Usually these are
audio tapes, videos, new materials, items on hold for someone else,
or items that have been already renewed.
I'm
having trouble getting email notification of holds and overdue materials.
What do I do?
Please
click here to see the Email Notification
FAQs.
How
do I specify that I'd like to be informed via email when an item
I've put on hold is available?
Check
to see if you have signed up to get your notices by email by going
to the “Your
Library Account” tab in the Online Catalog. Log in and
then click on the “Profile” sub-tab. Look at the “Email
Information” section just below your personal information.
If the box contains an email address, you’re signed up for
email notification. If the box is empty you are not. To sign up
for email notification, simply fill out the form at http://www.plsinfo.org/access/notice.htm.
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Searching the Online Catalog
Are
there directions for the Online Catalog?
The Online Catalog comes with an online help file you can look at
by clicking on the Help button in the upper right-hand corner.
How
do I search the catalog?
After the catalog loads, you will see a drop down menu to choose
keyword, author, title and a variety of other search choices. Then
type your term(s) into the second box. That's it. You are now searching
the catalog. For more information on searching, please see the User
Guide.
But
wait! There's more! When your search appears you can use the Limit
by pull-down menu to refine your search results. You can limit by
type of materials, such as books on tape or large print. Or you
can limit by location, for example, your community library. Click
on the title or the cover art (if cover art is available) to see
more information.
Can
I alter the order my search results are displayed?
Yes, you can. When you see your search results by using the Sort
pull-down menu. You can sort your results by a Word Sort, or Title,
Author, and Publication Date.
Can
I save a list of books?
The new system does not save lists for you on our
server as the old one did. It does however allow you to create lists which you
then save on your own hard drive. The new system will not remember them from
session to session. Here's how to export a list:
- Do an Any Word
search. On the search results page you get click on the book bag for items you
want. A gray “View Book Bag” button will appear
under the yellow bar. Click on the “View Book Bag” button and you
will be able to email the saved list to yourself.
- If you do Subject,
Title or Author searches you can check off the items you want and then click
on the “Save Marked Records” button. Then “View
Book Bag” and continue as above.
You can also use the above procedure to make multiple requests.
How
do I email a list?
See
'Can
I save a list of books?' for directions on how to do this.
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Requesting Items & Altering Requests (Placing & Altering
Holds)
How
will I know my requested item is ready to pick up?
You will receive a telephone call from our automated telephone system
when your item is ready to be picked up at the library you chose
when you requested the item. Instead of a telephone message, some
people prefer the convenience of an email message when their requested
items are ready. If you would prefer to receive email messages for
requested items or fines, just fill out our online
form.
I've
already requested an item, but now I want to change where I pick
it up.
This is not possible in the Online Catalog. To change a pick-up
location, visit or call your local library (you can find the address
and number here: http://www.plsinfo.org/library/library.asp.)
The librarian will be happy to help you.
I'm
having trouble getting email notification of requested items and
overdue materials. What do I do?
Please
click here to see the Email Notification
FAQs.
I
placed a hold on a title in the Online Catalog but when the hold
was filled it was for a different volume than the one I wanted.
How can I place a hold on a specific volume?
When you encounter a record in the catalog
that has items for different volumes, parts, or years, you need
to call your local library
and ask a librarian to place a “copy-specific” hold
for you to insure that you receive the item that you want.
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Troubleshooting
How
do I see the holdings of a title?
Search for the item you want by putting a title, keyword, or author
name in the search box and click on 'Go'. This will get you to a
'Search Results' page. (If you have searched for an author you'll
first get a list of authors to choose from. When you click on an
author name, you'll get to the 'Search Results' page.) From the
'Search Results' page, simply click on a title or cover art (if
there is cover art) and you'll see the detail page for that item.
Holdings information will appear underneath 'Copy/Holding Information'.
Are
there summaries or reviews available like there are on Amazon?
Load your search and go to the detail page for the item you are
interested in. Look at the lefthand column; the Holdings Information
is highlighted because that is the default for the detail page.
If Summaries or Reviews are available for your item, you will see
the links listed below 'Holdings Information'. Simply click on the
link you want, and the information will be displayed.
How
do I change my email address?
While in the Online Catalog, click on the Your Library Account button.
Type in your library card number and PIN (default is the last four
digits of your telephone number.) Once you are in the Your Library
Account screen click on the profile tab. Then in the Email Information
section enter your new email address and press "Update".
How
do I renew books online?
While in the Online Catalog, click on the Your Library Account
button. Type in your library card number and PIN (default is the
last four digits of your telephone number.) Once you are in the
Your Library Account screen. Click on Items Out link you will see
a listing of items checked out to you. To renew these just click
on Renew button and the item is now renewed. If you want to renew
more than one item simply put a check in the checkbox to the left
of each item you want to renew, and then click on the Renew button.
Please
note: Some materials cannot be renewed! Usually these are
audio tapes, videos, new materials, items on hold for someone else,
or items that have been already renewed
Are there any alternatives to the Online
Catalog?
Yes, there are. You can perform these functions from within any
of your local libraries or you can use your modem to call our Dial
Up service for a text-based interface. You can use Telecirc,
a voice mail interface, to renew items over the phone.
I
use AOL 5 but I can't access the Online Catalog. I just get a screen
with the words "Focus...Focus"
Login to AOL as your ISP but minimize the AOL browser. Bring up
a separate browser of IE or Netscape (preferably something higher
than 5.0 for IE and higher than 4.79 Netscape) and log into the
Online Catalog with that browser.
I
couldn't sleep, so I tried to log on at 3:00 a.m. and I couldn't
connect. What's wrong?
There
is really nothing wrong. 24/7 access is something the Online
Catalog
software does not support. The server that runs the Online Catalog
goes through a routine maintenance cycle and a reboot every day.
This cycle typically starts at 12:15 and lasts up to 5 hours.
You
won't be able to use the Online Catalog while this maintenance
is going on, but the web site and all of its services such as
ebooks,
full-text newspaper articles, chapter-a-day, and the 24/7 reference
provided by AskNow
are still available to you.
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Mac-Specific Issues
Is
there a recommended browser for using the Online Catalog with a
Mac?
Yes.
The engineers who wrote the Online Catalog recommend that Mac-users
use one of the following browsers. Click on the browser name to
go to a download site for that browser.
Internet
Explorer 5.2 will work for most Online Catalog functions, but
if you run into a problem try a different browser.
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