Online Catalog
Library.Solution PAC 3.3.5 - Online Help
1. Introduction
2. Elements of the Home Page
3. Using the Patron Review Feature
4. Finding Community Information
5. Search Window Elements
6. Viewing the Simple Search Process
a. Search Types
b. Search History
7. Performing Author Searches
8. Limiting Your Search
9. Performing Title Searches
10. Conducting Boolean Searches
a. Structuring the Search
b. Conducting Wildcard Searches
c. Exact Phrase Searches with Quotation Marks
d. Searching: Putting it all together
11. Performing Combination Searches
12. Using the Browse Feature
13. Searching Reading Programs
14. Viewing the Record Display
15. Creating a Bibliography
16. Placing Holds in the PAC
17. Placing a Booking Request
18. Viewing Course Reserves
19. Viewing Your Check Out History
20. Online Resources: Remote Access
21. Downloading and Printing Records
1. Introduction
This chapter shows you
how to perform basic search functions using Library•Solution
PAC. Library•Solution PAC is a public access catalog that
utilizes your computer's Internet Web browser (such as Microsoft's
Explorer or Netscape's Navigator). If you are unfamiliar with the
navigational features of your Web browser, consult the browser's
Help before proceeding with instructions that follow.
This chapter describes
how to:
-
View elements of the
Home page;
-
Examine the Patron
Review feature;
-
Conduct Community
Information searches;
-
Examine the elements
of the Search window;
-
View the simple
search process;
-
Review available
search types;
-
Perform author
searches;
-
Limit searches by
publication date, language, format, and place of publication;
-
Perform title
searches;
-
Conduct Boolean,
wildcard, and combination searches;
-
Browse the catalog;
-
Change the record
display;
-
Create and print bibliographies;
-
Place holds in the
PAC;
-
Access online
resources remotely;
-
Download or print
MARC records.
NOTE:
Some of the features described here are optional and are noted as
such. A PAC Configuration editor allows the library system
administrator to determine what features will be made available and
how they will be displayed. Your actual screens may be different
than those shown in this chapter.
2. Elements of the
Home Page
If you are using the PAC
in a library, the home page of your public access catalog should
already be displayed (Figure 3). (Your home page can be customized
to include your library's name and logo, e-mail address, and other
information. Additional features can be modified by authorized
library staff using the PAC Configuration program.)
If you are using the PAC
from outside the library's local network, security features may be
in place that limit your access to certain types of databases. For
additional information on databases that can be searched remotely,
contact a librarian.
Figure 3.
Library•Solution PAC sample library home page
From the home page, you
can use the following buttons to reach the features of the Public
Access Catalog:
-
Catalog - View the
search features of the PAC
-
Patron Review - Check
the status of your account (checkouts, holds, fines, etc.)
-
About Us - View
pertinent information about the library, such as mission,
library hours, location, interlibrary loan policy, etc.
-
Community Info. -
View telephone numbers, notices of programs and events, meeting
places, and other information about local groups and
organizations.
-
Kids' Catalog
(optional)
-
YouSeeMore (optional)
(Figure 4)
-
Book Lists
-
News and Weather
-
Additional Library
Information
Figure 4. Sample
YouSeeMore page
3. Using the Patron
Review Feature
The Patron Review
feature lets you examine the information in your patron file on the
library automation system, review items, and determine the position
of on-hold items on the Holds list. This password protected
file includes notification/billing information and the status of
holds, fines, checkouts, etc., for your account. If the features
have been enabled, you can also renew items from the Patron
Review window, change your PIN, cancel pending holds, and view
saved searches. (If Circulation is configured to collect patron loan
history and this feature is enabled in the PAC Configuration, you
will also be able to view your loan history at this location.)
To view your patron
information, click the Patron Review button on the home page
to reach the request form (Figure 5).
Figure 5. The patron
request form
Enter the Patron ID
number, press Tab, enter the PIN, and select the
Submit Request button. The Patron Information window
(Figure 6) will appear. If you have items checked out or on hold,
they will be listed. You may renew items from this window by
clicking the appropriate boxes and clicking the Renew Checked
Items button. (If you do not have this information, check with
the Circulation Desk.)
Figure 6. The Patron
Information window
The PAC has an optional
feature that allows you to change your PIN number. If the feature is
enabled, a Change PIN button appears in the Patron
Information window. To change your PIN number, click this button
to display the Change Patron Information window (Figure 7).
Enter your Current PIN and New PIN. Then re-enter your
new PIN and click the Submit Change button to complete the
process.
Figure 7. The Change
Patron Information window
4. Finding Community
Information
The Community
Information feature lets you search the library’s database of
information related to local issues, events, and other resources in
your area.
To use this feature:
click the Community Information button on the PAC home page
to reach the Community Information window (Figure 8). Type
your search term(s) in the blank box on the left (for example,
“hotlines”). Then select a search category from the pulldown menu on
the right and press Enter. If more than one item related to
your query is available, a results set will be displayed. Click the
results set and select an item from the list to view an individual
Community Information record (Figure 9). Use the Save to List
and Review List buttons to create a bibliography of community
information resources. (Note: Community Information searches
can also be performed through the PAC Search page if this feature
has been enabled in your system.)
Figure 8. The
Community Information window
5. Search Window
Elements
Selecting the Catalog
button on the home page displays the Search Selection page
(Figure 10). From here you can:
-
Perform a general
search of the catalog;
-
Select Search
the catalog (search only author, title, subjects OR
notes);
-
Select Browse
(move forward or backward through a word or number search list,
or search additional fields);
-
Select Combination
Search (search author, title, subject AND/OR notes
simultaneously);
-
Patron Review
(see section 3.);
-
Select Online
Resources (such as remote access to library databases, etc);
or
-
Choose Online
Help.
To perform a general
search of the catalog, type anything in the search query box on the
Search Selection page and click Search. The results returned
are based on searching the author, title, subject, and notes
categories in the catalog. (Search results are interpreted in the
following pages.)
Figure 10. The Search
Selection page
6. Viewing the Simple
Search Process
Understanding the options
available in the simple search process (the Search option)
will help you plan your search strategy and obtain consistent search
results. In general, when you perform a simple search you:
a. Enter the term(s) to
be searched in the appropriate box (Figure 11a);
b. Select the field to be
searched (authors, titles, subjects, notes, publisher, or series)
(Figure 11b);
c. Select the search type
(begin with, contain, closely match, stem from, or sound like)
(Figure 11c). (For more information on search types, see the
Search Types section that follows.)
d. Limit the search by
date, language, format, place, collection, and/or location if
necessary by using the Set Limits button (Figure 11d).
(Limiting by location can be enabled or disabled through the PAC
Configuration module.)
e. Click the Search
button to launch the query and display a list of matches (Figure
11e). Note: The result set indicates places in the record on
which search terms were matched and the number of matches per
record, providing information about whether the result is relevant
to your search.
The PAC has an optional
feature that lets you sort search results by various criteria (such
as Title, Author, Publication Date, Availability, and Material
Type.) If this feature is available from this PAC, select the radio
button beside one of these criteria (or highlight the desired
feature on the drop-down menu) to automatically resort the list. An
optional drop-down list on the left side of the screen lets you set
the “save list” options: saved checked items to a list, save all
items to a list, or uncheck all selections.
f. Select an item on the
list of matches to display the item record (Figure 11f). (In some
cases, you will need to select from a second results list before an
individual record is displayed.)
If the feature is enabled
at your library, you can save your search by clicking the Save
Search button on the toolbar. When the Search Saver
window is displayed (Figure 12), enter the appropriate information
and click the Save button. The saved searches can be
retrieved through the Patron Review feature.

Figure 11a. Enter
search term(s)
Figure 11b. Select
field to be searched
Figure 11c. Select
type of search to be performed
Figure 11d. Limit
search by date, language, format, place, collection and/or location
Figure 11e. Click the
search button to display a list of matches
Figure 11f. Select an
item on the list of matches to display a record
Figure 12. The Search
Saver window
Search Types
The results of your
search may vary widely depending on the type of search you select.
Example: A search for
titles that begin with Shakespeare retrieves only items with
this word at the start of the title field. (Articles such as "A" and
"The" are ignored.)
-
Contain
— selects items that have the search query anywhere in the
field. The results set will include items that would be found
with a begin with search.
-
Closely match
— finds not only items that would be identified in a contain
search, but also words that have some of the same characters in
the same position as the original query.
Examples: a search for
cat looks for cat, cats, calc, and case;
a search for apply looks for apply, apple,
applied, and April; a search for read looks for
read, lead, and real. Search results are organized
alphabetically (not by relevance) according to the search type used,
and unexpected results may occur.
-
Exactly Match
— finds only words or phrases that exactly match the search
query.
-
Stem from
— finds not only items that would be identified in a contain
search but also verb forms and singular or plural nouns with the
same root.
Examples: a search for
scream looks for scream, screaming, and
screamed; a search for guitars looks for guitars
and guitar; a search for sing looks for sing,
sang, and sung.
-
Sound like
— finds not only items that would be
identified in a contain search, but also words that begin with
the same letter followed by similar (or similar sounding)
consonants. Vowels are ignored. Search results are organized
alphabetically (not by relevance) according to the search type
used, and unexpected results may occur.
NOTE:
The PAC can be configured to perform the other types of searches
listed above when the designated search type fails to yield results.
(Staff can also set the order in which search types are used .) For
example, if a "contains" search for "Shakespeare" does not produce
results, the system can continue the same word search using the
"begin with," "closely match," ‘exactly match," "stem from," and
"sound like" search types.
If you start a Browse
or Begins with search with the articles A, AN, or THE
(e.g., A to Zoo), these articles are included in the search query.
Other types of queries strip these leading articles from searches.
The Home and
Help buttons are available throughout the search process: the
first returning you to the PAC home page, and the second providing
access to online Help page. (The Search, Browse, and
Combination Search buttons are also available and are
described later.) Notice that some of the text on various pages is
underlined, indicating that additional information is linked to
selected text. If you wish to look at the screen previously
displayed during your search, select the Back button on your
web browser.
Search History
After you have searched
the PAC, a History button appears at the top of the page. You
can click the button to review previous searches and search results.
Only searches that used the Search or Browse features
are recorded. (Search histories are erased when you click the
Home button or when the PAC is automatically reset after being
inactive.)
This is a good time to
practice navigating through the PAC. Follow the sequences displayed
in Figures 9a through 9f. When you are finished, click the Home
button to return to the home page.
7. Performing Author
Searches
Library•Solution
PAC lets you search your catalog's author, title, subject, and notes
indexes separately or in combination. The following examples
illustrate the variety of results obtained from a search of
William Shakespeare using the single Search feature.
To search for works
written by William Shakespeare:
-
Click on Search
and select Authors from the pull-down menu (Figure 13).
This limits your search to authors only.
-
Select the begin
with option (Figure 14).
-
Type William
Shakespeare in the empty "word(s)" box (Figure 15) and click
the Search button or press Enter. The message
Nothing was found for your search may appear. (If the search
produced a results set, it will be a small one.) Your search
failed to retrieve more results because the begin with
option searches for the terms you entered at the beginning of a
line and in the order they were typed. In other words, the PAC
looked for an author whose last name was William and
whose first name was Shakespeare.
-
Change the begin
with option to contain and select Search to
relaunch the search. A results list similar to the one in Figure
16 will appear. The search was more successful because the
contain search option does not care about word order or the
position of the search term. Note that:
-
Your search form
remains on the page, ready to launch another search;
-
A numbered
results list shows the items that match your search query;
-
Underlined
portions of the display indicate that additional information
is linked to an item.
-
Now modify your
search so that the begin with option is selected and the
query box contains Shakespeare, William. (You may omit
the comma, and you do not need to capitalize letters.) Launch
the search. This time the search succeeded because authors' last
names always appear first in author fields.
Figure 13. Beginning
an author search
Figure 14. Selecting
the type of search
Figure 15. Entering
search terms
Figure 16. Results
list produced by author search
8. Limiting Your
Search
So far you've seen that
author searches can be limited by word order and word
position. They also can be limited by date of publication,
language, format, and place of publication. (Location
and Collection limiting can be added using the PAC
Configuration program.) To use the search limiting features:
-
Click on Set
Limits on the search menu. The window shown in Figure 9d
will appear.
-
Select the Format
checkbox and choose Any non-print from the pull-down menu
(Figure 17). (You could check any or all of the boxes. You can
select more than one option within a pull-down menu by holding
down the Ctrl key when you click on an item.)
-
Click on the Set
Limits button to return to the search menu. Note that the
Set Limits link has changed to Change Limits ,
indicating that one or more limit has been set (Figure 18).
-
Enter a search query
and choose Search. A new results list will appear (Figure
18) showing only non-print items. The following message
appears at the beginning of the results list: Results
filtered according to Limits.

Figure 17.
Configuring the Set Limits window
Figure 18. Results of
search limited by format
Newest Item Searches
You can limit your search
to recent items by clicking the New Items button on the
toolbar. The search screen will then display a Received Since
menu (Figure 19), allowing you to This Month, Last Month, and other
parameters.
Limits Only Searches
You can use the Search
and Newest Search options to perform searches by limits only
(i.e., without search terms). For example, your can search for
anything added this month or for all books in Chinese. If you click
Search with no limits set and no search terms, the search is not
performed and the following message is returned: "More information
is required. Please enter a search term and/or select a search
limit." A search with no terms, no limits, and only location(s)
specified also returns this message. All other searches, including
Browse, still require term(s) input.
Searching Available
Items Only
All of the search pages
include a Search Available Items Only checkbox that let you limit
your searches by this parameter.
Figure 19. The
Received Since window
9. Performing Title
Searches
To search for works with
William Shakespeare in the title:
-
Click on the
Search image on the Home page or the Search
button on the toolbar and select Titles from the
pull-down menu or check box list (Figure 20) This limits your
search to titles only.
-
Select the begin
with option (Figure 20).
-
Type William
Shakespeare in the empty "word(s)" box (Figure 18). (If you
would like to see only new acquisitions that match your search
query, click the New Items button.) Click the Search
button. (You are searching for titles with William
Shakespeare at the beginning of the line.) A results list
similar to that shown in Figure 21 will appear.
-
Now change the
begin with option to contain and press Search.
(You are now searching for titles with William Shakespeare
in any position.) A results list similar to the one shown in
Figure 22 will appear.
-
Click on the first
item in the results list to view an individual record similar to
the one shown in Figure 23. (The fields displayed in the labeled
display can be modified by using the PAC Configuration program.)
Note that:
-
Underlined text shows
links from this record to other information.
-
The Set Limits
option may be used as it was for Author searches.
-
Location [Coconut
Creek HS], Collection [Non Fiction], call number [792.028 BEN],
and shelf availability [AVAILABLE] information is provided under
Location Information.
-
If the feature is
available, a Place Hold button will appear at the top of
the page. (More later.)
-
MARC Display,
MARC Download, and Save to List buttons are
available at the top of the page. (More about them later.)
Figure 20. Beginning
a title search
Figure 21. Results
list produced by a begin with title search

Figure 22. Results
list produced by a contain title search
Figure 23. Individual
record displayed from a contain title search
10. Conducting Boolean
Searches
In the previous sections
you learned how to search for individual words (Shakespeare)
or phrases (William Shakespeare) in the catalog. Library•Solution
PAC also lets you search for words and phrases in certain
combinations. This feature is known as Boolean searching, and
the symbols used to connect words and phrases are called Boolean
operators. The following table illustrates the operators
available, sample searches, and the desired results.
Before you try your hand
at Boolean Searching from the Search page, remember that:
-
It can be used for
searching any available fields: author, title, subject,
notes, all of those fields, or any combination;
-
Words being searched
are not case sensitive (shakespeare, Shakespeare,
and SHAKESPEARE are all interpreted the same way);
-
Boolean operators (AND,
OR, NOT) are not case sensitive;
-
It works only with
searches using the contain (not the begin with)
parameter;
-
The search must be
structured so that the PAC can understand it.
Structuring the Search
When you enter a search
query in the "word(s)" box and press Search, the PAC reads
your entry from left to right, using the Boolean operators and other
symbols. It does not combine adjacent words into phrases unless you
give it further instruction. For example, if you entered
William Shakespeare AND Julius
Caesar
as a query, the PAC would
search for records that contained all four words in any order. This
problem can be solved by nesting words within parentheses. For
example, the query
(William Shakespeare) AND (Julius
Caesar)
would cause the PAC to
search for occurrences of William Shakespeare and then search
among the results for records that also contained Julius Caesar.
Try using the two search queries presented above to see if different
results are produced. Here is a more complex example:
((William Shakespeare) OR (Julius
Caesar)) NOT (George Lyman Kittredge)*
_______________
*Find the phrase
William Shakespeare or the phrase Julius Caesar where it
does not appear with the phrase George Lyman Kittredge.
Conducting Wildcard
Searches
Library•Solution
PAC allows you to search for partial words in the search query box
by using the wildcard symbol * [asterisk] to the right of a word
stem. For example, a search of titles that begin with
sales* might return a results list with titles starting with
Salesperson, Salesmanship, or similar words. A contain
search on titles using the query sales* might return a
results list with titles such as Death of a Salesman or
Effective Sales Management.
You may also use the *
character in a search as a substitute for any individual character.
For example, a titles search on wom*n will return
results that include both woman and women.
Exact Phrase Searches
with Quotation Marks
You can search for exact
phrases by enclosing them in quotation marks ("All's Well that Ends
Well").
Searching: Putting it
all together
So far you have learned
how to
-
Perform author and
title searches;
-
Set the begin with
and contain parameters;
-
Use the Set Limit
features; and
-
Perform Boolean
searches.
The skills you have
developed can also be applied to subject and notes
searches. Try the following searches to expand your skills:
-
Notes that contain
the phrase William Shakespeare
-
A subject search for
William Shakespeare and either drama or poetry
-
Only titles in
French containing William Shakespeare
11. Performing
Combination Searches
You have just learned how
to perform a Boolean search using the Search option. This
section shows you how to perform Boolean searches using the
Combination search function.
What's the Difference?
First, the Combination
search lets you search three fields simultaneously. The
Combination search page has three search entry lines instead of
just one (Figure 24). For each entry line, you can select the type
of entry to be searched. Click the down arrow beside each selection
box on the right and choose Title, Author, Subject,
or Note.
After the first and
second entry lines, select one of the Boolean operators AND,
OR or NOT to determine the relationship between a
search term and the term following. If you use two different
operators select the radio button that describes how search terms
should be grouped:
(Term 1 OPERATOR Term 2) OPERATOR
Term 3
Term 1 OPERATOR (Term 2 OPERATOR
Term 3)
Second, while Search
performs a single search, the Combination search performs
up to three individual searches and combines the results according
to the relationships you defined among the search terms.
For example, you want to
see if Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote anything about John Brown.
Using the Combination
search feature, you could build a search query that looked only
in the author field for Nathaniel Hawthorne and only
in the subject field for John Brown (Figure 25). You
could also specify that both conditions must be met before results
are displayed. (To do this, select the Boolean AND between
the first and second entry lines.) Depending on the contents of your
library catalog, you could find the relevant item quickly and
easily.
There is no difference
between the way individual search queries are built in Search
and Combination searches. You can use Boolean operators
within a search query (search for Nathaniel Hawthorne AND John
Brown) as well as use wildcards (*), and phrases (enclosed in
quotation marks). You can also Set Limits in either search
mode.
Figure 24.
Combination Search window
Figure 25. Search for
Nathaniel Hawthorne (author) AND John Brown (subject) using
Combination searching
12. Using the Browse
Feature
The Browse feature
gives you a different way to search for and display results than the
Search and Combination search options.
First, it lets you select
Titles, Authors, Subjects, Notes,
Local Call No. (from the local holdings field), Dewey Call No.,
GPO, ISBN, ISSN, LC Call No., OR LCCN.
(These fields CANNOT be searched in combination.)
Second, it creates an
alphabetical list of the results for your limited search and
displays them in the form of a list in which you can move up or down
(browse).
For example, you could
browse for a Title containing Shakespeare (Figure 26).
The results would be available in the form of a word list which you
can browse using the up or down arrows (Figure 27).
If you performed a
Dewey Call number search (Figure 28), your results would be
available in the form of a numeric list which you can browse using
the up or down arrows (Figure 29). (To search your own library's
call numbers, use Local Call.)
Figure 26. Using the
Browse word search
Figure 27. Results of
a Browse word search
Figure 28. Beginning
of a Browse number search
Figure 29. Results of
a Browse number search
13. Searching Reading
Programs
If this feature is
available in your PAC, you can select a Reading Program button on
the toolbar to display a specialized search form (Figure 30). From
here, you can limit searches by reading Level, Interest Level, and
Point value, in addition to the standard search parameters.
Figure 30. Reading
Programs search form
To use the Reading
Program search form, enter the appropriate search parameters and
click the Search button. A results page will display the item found
(Figure 31). Select the desired item to show the label display
(Figure 32), which includes information on the Program Name,
Interest Level, Reading Level, Point Value, Test Number, and Owner
of the item.
Figure 31. Sample
search results page for Reading Programs

Figure 32. Label
Display page showing reading program information for an item with
more than one reading program
14. Viewing the Record
Display
The default display
option (also known as the Labeled display) for an individual
record is shown in Figure 33. (Since the display is configurable by
Library staff, the screen you view may differ slightly from this
illustration.)
Figure 33. The
default label display
Note that the labeled
display may include:
If your library has
subscribed to enhanced content for the PAC, the following items may
also appear:
-
Book Jacket icon
(image of book jacket)
-
Book Review button
(links to book reviews for the item)
-
Table of Contents
(TOC) button (link to item's Table of Contents)
-
Summaries button
(links to summaries of the book's contents)
-
First Chapter button
(links to the first chapter of a book)
Information about the
item's location is also shown, including:
-
Location or library
name
-
Collection name
-
Call number
-
Availability
If the library allows
holds to be placed on items, a Hold Request button will be
displayed.
Underlined text such as
Bentley, Gerald Eades indicates a link to additional
information.
If the library allows the
option, you may also view the record in MARC record format by
selecting the MARC Display button at the top of the screen. A
view similar to the one shown in Figure 34 is displayed, showing the
individual record fields and their contents. To return to the
previous display, select the Label Display button at the top
of the screen.
Figure 34. MARC
Record Display
15. Creating a
Bibliography
You can save, display,
organize, and print records you select from your searches. To save a
record to a bibliography:
1. Conduct a search and
display a record on your screen (such as the one shown in Figure 35.
2. Select the Save to
List button at the top of the screen. You will be returned to
the Results list, where a new screen displays the message
The item was added to your list. (The display now includes a
Review List and a Clear List button.) These buttons will
remain on your screen as long as you have saved records during this
session or until the screen refresh feature resets the PAC to the
home page.
Figure 35.
Bibliography created from saved records
To save multiple items
simultaneously:
a. Conduct a search and
display a results set.
b. Click the check box
next to each item you want to save.
c. Click the Save
Checked Items to List button. A new screen will be displayed
with the message The checked items have been added to your list.
(You can also use the drop-down menu on the upper left portion of
the screen to "Save checked items to list," "Save all items to
list," or "Uncheck all selections.")
3. Select the Review
List button at the top of the screen to display the current
bibliography (Figure 29).
Entries are divided into
two columns, the left column containing the basic bibliographic
information and the right containing information about each item's
location. The current date is displayed at the top of the screen,
indicating the time at which the information was current.
Note that the top of the
display includes a Sort by menu bar, enabling you to
reorganize the list according to Title, Author, Date, and Number of
Pages.
4. To print the
bibliography, use the Print feature on your Web browser.
5. To save the
bibliography as a file, select Review List to display the
information, then use the File | Save As feature on the
browser's menu. Select the location where the file is to be stored,
give the file a name, and save it as a text (.txt) file. You will
then be able to edit the list using a word processor.
6. To start a new
bibliography, select the Clear List button. If you want to
keep your current bibliography, you should select the Save
button before using the Clear List feature.
16. Placing Holds in
the PAC
Optional Feature. (The
library may not have enabled the Place Hold feature.) You can
place hold requests for any titles you are eligible to check out. To
place a hold, you must be a registered library patron and must know
your assigned Patron ID (barcode number) and PIN.
To place a hold on a
non-serials item (if holds are permitted) search for the title of
interest. When the title is displayed in the results set or the
Labeled Display format, select the Hold Request button.
The Hold Request form is displayed, as shown in Figure 36. If
items of the title are available, the locations will be shown under
the author and title display. Depending on library rules, you can
place requests even if items are currently available. Enter your
Patron ID and PIN and select the location where you want to pick up
the item from the drop-down menu (Figure 37). (If you do not select
a location, the item will be sent to the library where you are
registered.)
Figure 36. The Hold
Request Form
Figure 37. Patron
pickup option
To place a hold on
serials, search for the title of interest and click on the
appropriate title. The system displays all issues, including those
that are not barcoded. (If the item is not barcoded, holds cannot be
placed on the item.) To expand item information, click the Click
to see all items button, select the check-box on the item you
want to place hold, then click Place Hold Request
button (Figure 38). You can place holds on multiple items.
Enter the Patron ID
or Alternate ID number, press Tab, and enter the
PIN. Press Tab again and Enter, or simply select
the Submit Request button.
Figure 38. Expanded
item information display for serials
If the Patron ID
or PIN is not correct, a message similar to this will be
displayed: Your hold request failed for the following reason(s):
The Patron ID number or PIN is not valid. If you are not
eligible to check out an item of this type, according to the
checkout rules established by the library in the Circulation module,
a different message will be displayed. For more information, check
the registration information with library Circulation staff.
When the requested item
is available, library staff will contact you. The item will usually
be available for pickup at your "home" location, that is, the
location where you first registered for a library card. You can
select the location where you wish to pick up the item.
Holds and bookings can be
placed from the Save List page. To use this feature, review
the Save To list, check the boxes to the left of the desired
items, and click the Booking Request(s) or Hold Request(s)
button. If you are not currently logged into the system, you
will be requested to enter a valid user name and password. Then
Submit the request.
If the hold request was
successful, the following message will be displayed:
Your hold has been
approved for:
Author .........
Title ..........
17. Placing a Booking
Request
Optional Feature. Does a
patron need an item for a two-day presentation next month? Does
someone want to show a film at a specific time? Library staff can
use the Booking feature to ensure that items from their own
location will be available when patrons need them. (This feature is
available only when it has been enabled by the library owning the
item[s]. The patron type requesting an item must also be authorized
to book this type of item at the location that owns it.)
To use the Booking
feature staff will:
-
Search for an item in
the PAC and click the Book Item button to display the
Book Request form (Figure 39).
-
Type your Patron
ID Number and PIN in the appropriate boxes.
-
Adjust the Event
Start Date and the Event End Date.
-
Click the Submit
Booking Request button.
A message will be
displayed indicating whether the booking was approved. You can view
a list of the items that have been booked through the Patron
Review function.
Note:
If your location has NOT selected the PAC Booking option in the
System Configuration, the following message will be displayed when
you click the Book Item button: "Item cannot be booked."
Figure 39. The
booking request form
18. Viewing Course
Reserves
Configurable Option. You
can view lists of course reserves that have been placed in
Circulation. To view this information, select the Reserve
button on the toolbar to display the selection window (Figure 40).
Use the drop-down lists to select the instructor, department and
course, and click the Show Reserves button to display
reserved items (Figure 41).

Figure 40. Course
Reserves selection window
Figure 41. Display of
reserved items
19. Viewing Your Check
Out History
Optional Feature. When
this option is enabled, you can view a list of titles you have
previously checked out (Figure 42). This information can be viewed
through the password protected Patron Review feature.
Figure 42. Checkout
history display
20. Online Resources
Remote Access
Optional Feature.
Libraries often subscribe to a variety of online resources and may
wish to limit remote access to authorized patrons. Library•Solution
PAC has an optional feature that lets libraries achieve this
goal.
If this feature is
available at your library, the home page will include an Online
Resources button. Click it to reach the Remote Patron
Authentication page and enter your Patron ID number and
PIN (Figure 43). (If you don't have this information, consult
the librarian.)
Figure 43. The Remote
Patron Authentication window
Click the Logon
button to reach an Online Resources page that has been
created by the library (Figure 44). Follow the onscreen
instructions.
Figure 44. A sample
online resources page
21. Downloading and
Printing Records
Library•Solution
PAC lets you save individual records in MARC format to a file for
later use. To save a record in MARC format, select the MARC
Download button from the top of the record display.
In the browser, a Save
window will appear, allowing you to save any record to any available
drive, change the file name, or perform other operations on the
file. The downloaded record is in USMARC format and can be imported
to Library•Solution or other MARC cataloging applications.
The record will be available for editing the next time you open the
Cataloging module.
You can use the
Windows Print feature to print files you have saved and your
browser print feature to print records displayed on screen.
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