Using the Catalogue and My account

1. Searching the catalogue

Quick search

'Quick search' allows you to find records quickly.

Simply enter a word or a number of words you would like to find, select the area you would like to search in, then click the OK button. Records will be found if all the words you entered are in the area you selected for your search.

If your search is successful a page of records will be displayed showing brief details. Click on a title link to display full details including location and status details.

Try a quick search now

Title search

'Title search' allows you to search for words in the title or series title and also allows you to browse through titles beginning with certain words.

Enter the words you would like to find, select the type of search then click the OK button. Select from following types of searches:

  • Keywords to find the words anywhere in the title
  • Browse to find titles starting with the text you have entered
  • Phrase to find titles with the words you have entered in a sequence
  • Exact Match to find titles matching only the words you have entered

If your search is successful a page of titles will be displayed. Click on a title to display brief details of the items with this title.

Try a title search now

Author search

'Author search' allows you to search for words in an author's name.

You can select to search all authors, only individuals, or only organisations. Enter the words you would like to find, select the type of search then click the OK button. Select from the following types of searches:

  • Keywords to find the words anywhere in the author's name
  • Browse to find author names starting with the text you have entered. You can enter as much or as little of the name as you know. All names starting with the text you enter will be displayed.

If your search is successful a page of names will be displayed. Click on a name to display brief details of the items associated with this name.

Try an author search now 

Subject search

'Subject search' allows you to search for words in a subject heading and also allows you to browse through subjects beginning with some text.

Enter the words you would like to find, select the type of search then click the OK button. Select from the following types of searches:

  • Keywords to find the words anywhere in the subject heading
  • Browse to find subjects starting with the text you have entered
  • Phrase to find subjects with the words you have entered in a sequence
  • Exact Match to find subjects matching only the words you have entered

If your search is successful a page of subject headings will be displayed. Click on a subject heading to display brief details of the items about this subject.

Try a subject search now

Advanced search

'Advanced search' allows you to perform more complicated searches.

Type your search in the boxes on the search screen. You can enter several words in each box, and enter words in any number of boxes. Records will be found if all of the search terms you enter are in the same record.

You can do a very specific search if you know exactly what you are looking for, or you can do a broader search and then narrow down the list of records later using the Refine Set option, if needed. Enter words you would like to find in the boxes, or select items from the list boxes. Click the right arrow at the right hand side of a list box to display the list. When you have entered you search terms or selected items from list boxes click the OK button at the bottom of the screen.

If your search is successful a page of items will be displayed showing brief details for each item. Click on a title link to display full details for the item.

Try an advanced search now

2. Reservations & renewals

Reservations

Reservations can be placed on an individual title or on a set of titles. When placing reservations on a set of titles, you can choose whether you want to reserve all titles in the set, or only some of them depending on which items become available first.

To place a reservation on an individual item:
  1. Perform a search for the title you would like to reserve using any access point and view the record in full display.
  2. Select the Place Reservation button. This button will only appear if a reservation may be placed on this title. A form will be presented for you to complete.
  3. Enter your borrower ID and password if you are not already logged in.
  4. Select the location from which you would like collect the item.
  5. Select the item you would like to reserve. You can choose from the following:
    • Any copy from any location.
    • Any copy from a specific location and collection.
    • A specific copy.
  6. Select an expiry period or enter a specific expiry date. Your reservation will be automatically cancelled if not satisfied by this date.
  7. Enter any notes you would like to include then select the Continue button.
  8. If the reservation is successful you will see the status of your reservation which includes your current rank in the waiting list for the title.

To place a reservation on a set of items:
  1. Perform a search for titles you would like to reserve. If you retrieve more than one record, your result set will be displayed in brief display.
  2. Browse through your page of retrieved records and mark the checkbox for titles you would like to reserve.
  3. Borrowers are able to reserve a maximum of five titles at a time.
  4. The reservation form will be displayed. Any titles you are unable to reserve will be displayed at the top of the form, followed by the list of titles included in this reservation.
  5. Enter your borrower ID and password if you are not already logged in.
  6. Select the location from which you would like collect the item.
  7. If you are reserving a magazine, you can place a standing reservation on the title to reserve the issue every month.
  8. If the reservation is successful you will see the status of your reservation which includes your current rank in the waiting list for the title.
  9. If you want to cancel individual reservations or bookings select by ticking the checkbox for each one you would like to cancel then click 'cancel selections', under the Options menu.

Renewing loans

This facility allows you to renew loans online . The Library's current renewal policy renews your loans three days before the due date, providing the item has not been reserved by another borrower and your renewals for that items have not exceeded two.

To renew your loans:
  1. Login to 'My account' and access the dashboard.
  2. Select the tile to display all current loans.
  3. If you want to renew individual loans select by ticking the checkbox click 'renew selections', under the Options menu.
  4. If you want to renew all your current loans, click 'Renew all', under the options menu.
  5. Your list of loans will be returned showing the result for each renewal in the status column. Some renewals may not be successful, for example if there is a reservation on that title. Please note the new due date for each loan.

Place an interlibrary loan request

To place an Interlibrary Loan request:

If you are unable to find the item you are looking for in the local catalogue, you can place a request for an Interlibrary Loan (ILL) from another library. Charges apply for all Interlibrary Loans. Applications need to be made in person at the library.

 

 

Set up an alert profile

An alert profile allows you to create a profile that matches your preferences for materials you would like to use.

These profiles are scanned as part of the library's overnight housekeeping and any new works that meet the profile's criteria are added to the "profile set" for the particular profile. If any new works are added to your profile set as part of the nightly scan, you will be sent an email containing brief bibliographic details for each work, as well as a hyperlink to the work. When you receive this email, you can click on the hyperlink to go directly to the work and place a reservation against it if you wish.

You can setup an alert profile online at any time using the facilities provided in My Library. Please refer to the Alert profiles help page for information on how to create and update your alert profiles.

  

3. My 'SavedList'

What is my savedList?

This facility allows you to compile a list of records from the catalogue. You can then use this list of records for a number of purposes as follows:

  • Email details of the saved records to a nominated address
  • Download details of the saved records to a local disk file
  • Place a reservation on a selection of the records in your list, or place a reservation on all the records in the list (if there are 30 or less)

You do not need to login to use 'my savedlist' and there is no limit to the number of records you may have in your list. If you are not logged on however the list will only be temporary, to create a permanent list you will need to login to your account.

Accessing my savedlist

To access your savedlist, you can click on the  icon in the bottom right corner of the screen. This gives you quick access to your current savedlist. You will also see how many records are in your list.

When you are logged into the catalogue, you can have multiple savedlists. To view all of your savedlists and choose your active savedlists:

  1. Login to My account and access the user menu.
  2. Select Add new savedlist to add a new savedlist.
  3. Select View all savedlists to view all savedlists.

Under the user menu at the top of the page, you will see a list of all of your savedlists. Select which savedlist you would like to be the active savedlist.

Adding records to a savedList

To add records to your savedlist, perform a search in the catalogue to find the records you would like to save. If you retrieve a more than one record, your result set will be displayed in brief display. From a brief display, there are three ways you can add a record to your savedlist:

  1. Click on the bookmark icon to quickly save individual titles to your active savedlist.
  2. Mark the checkbox for titles you would like to save, and then select the Save selections under the Options menu.
  3. From the Options menu select Save all. This will save every record in your current query to your current savedlist.

If you are logged in always remember to select your chosen savedlist from the user account menu to ensure the records are saved to the right list.

Removing records from a savedList

To remove records from your savedlist:
  1. Login to My account and access the dashboard.
  2. Select View all savedlists.
  3. Select the savedlist which you want to remove items from.
  4. Once in your list there are three ways in which you can remove records:
    • Click on the bookmark icon next to the titles you wish to remove. This will unselect that title and delete it from your list. 
    • Mark the checkbox for titles you would like to remove, and then select the Remove selections under the Options menu.
    • From the Options menu select Remove all. This will remove every record in from your current savedlist.

If you have created a savedlist without logging in it will be kept the system for two days. It will be automatically cleared after this time.

How long can I keep my savedlist for?

If you are logged into the library account, your savedlists will not be deleted. They will remain until you decide to remove them. 

Please refer to the My SavedList help page for more information on how to use this facility.

 

Using my savedlist

Once you have added records to your savedlist, you can perform a number of functions with the records in the list as follows:

Browse records

You can browse through the records in your savedlist as you would any other set of retrieved records. Your list will initially be presented in brief display. Click on a title link to display the selected record in full display.

Sort Set

You can use this option to sort the records in your list before emailing or downloading the records if required. You can use the Sort by option at the top of the results.

Refine Results

You can use this option to reduce the number of records displayed or used for emailing and downloading.

To refine your set:
  1. Access your savedlist
  2. From the Options menu select Refine results
  3. Enter your refine search criteria and click the Search button. The records remaining in your savedlist will be redisplayed.

This process does not actually remove records from your savedlist. You can return to your original savedlist by selecting the navigation breadcrumb to go back to the previous set or access your savedlist again.

Email Record Details

This facility allows you to email your saved records to the nominated email address. You can choose to output the records in Citation format or Full format (please see below). To email records in your savedlist:

  1. Open your savedlist.
  2. Sort or Refine the set if you wish.
  3. From the Options menu select Email savedlist.
  4. Select the format you want.
  5. Enter the email address in the Email To: input box.
  6. Enter the subject for your email in the Subject: input box (or leave as the default).
  7. Click the Send email button.

Download Record Details

This facility allows you to download the records in your savedlist to a local file or USB memory stick You can choose to output the records in Citation format or Full format (please see below). To download records in your savedlist:

  1. Open your savedlist.
  2. Sort or Refine the set if you wish.
  3. From the Options menu select Download savedlist.
  4. Select the format you want.
  5. Click the Download button.

Email and Download Output Formats

Records included in emails or downloaded to a local file can be output in one of two formats:

  • Citation - provides a brief reference to the work suitable for inclusion in bibliographies.
  • Full - includes all the information available for the work in the same format as displayed in full display on the system.

4. Alert profiles

Alert profile overview

An alert profile allows you to create a profile that matches your preferences for materials you would like to use. These profiles are scanned as part of the library's overnight housekeeping and any new works that meet the profile's criteria are added to the "profile set" for the particular profile. If any new works are added to your profile set as part of the nightly scan, you will be sent an email containing brief bibliographic details for each work, as well as a hyperlink to the work. When you receive this email, you can click on the hyperlink to go directly to the work and place a reservation against it if you wish.

In order to use this email alert facility you must have an email address included in your registration details.

You can also use your alert profile online at any time to scan for new items matching your preferences.

Alert profiles consist of the following information:

Search Profile

This consists of a number of search fields which define your areas of interest for this profile. These search fields consist of information found in bibliographic records such as author, title subject, subject classiications and various control numbers. You can also include multiple selections from material types, collections and locations.

Alert Frequency

This determines how often the profile is to be scanned and updated as part of the overnight housekeeping function. You can choose from daily, weekly, monthly or quarterly.

Profile Active Flag

This flag indicates whether the alert profile is currently active or not. If your profile is active it will be included in the overnight scanning function (depending on the frequency above) and email alerts will be sent as new items are detected. If your profile is not active, it will be retained in the system but not used as part of the overnight processing. Newly created profiles are automatically set as active. You can change this flag by updating your profile after it has been created.

Expiry Date

This is an optional date after which your alert profile will expire and will no longer be used as part of the overnight processing. Your alert profile will still be retained in the system and you can change this date at any time.

Description

This is a short description used to identify each profile. You can setup any number of different alert profiles to scan for different topics and you can use this description to briefly describe each profile.

Creating a new alert profile

To add a new alert profile:

  1. Login to My Library and access the New alert profile page.
  2. Enter your preferences in the search profile fields. You can select several options from the multi-choice lists.
  3. Click the Search button (or press the enter key) to test your search to see if it retrieves the number and type of records you are expecting. This will apply your search preferences to the Library Catalogue and will display the records retrieved. Return to your profile using the navigation breadcrumb displayed at the top of the result set.
  4. Make any necessary adjustments to your search profile and retest the search.
  5. Select an alert frequency to indicate how often you would like the library server to scan the database looking for any new works matching your search profile.
  6. Optionally enter an expiry date if you do not want alerts to be sent after a specific date.
  7. Provide a short description of your profile so that you can recognise it in your profile list. This is mandatory.
  8. Click the Save button to create your new profile. A message will be displayed to let you know your profile has been created and the form will be cleared to enable you to enter another profile if you want to.
  9. You can update your alert profile and access your new profile set from the My account history page.

Updating an alert profile

To update an alert profile:

  1. Login to My Library and access the My account history page.
  2. Select the Alert profiles link. This will display a list of your existing profiles.
  3. Select the profile you would like to update by clicking on the description link.
  4. Make any necessary adjustments to your search profile and retest the search. Remember to change your description if you change your search criteria to retrieve different items.
  5. Set the Profile Active Flag as required by checking or unchecking the Send alerts option.
  6. Make any necessary adjustments to the alert frequency and expiry date options.
  7. Click one of the buttons or select from the extra options menu as required. The actions performed by these buttons and options are described below.

Select from the following update actions:

  • Save - saves any changes you have made to your profile. This will also update the records in the profile set to include all records matching your search criteria.
  • Reset - this will undo any changes you have made to your profile since it was last saved.
  • Delete - this will delete the profile from the system.
  • Display new entries - this will display any records which match your search profile but which are not already in your profile set.
  • Update profile set - this will reset the profile set to include all records matching your search criteria.
  • Display profile set - this will display all records currently held in your profile set.
  • Clear profile set - this will clear all records currently held in your profile set. The next time your profile is checked for new entries, all records matching the search criteria will be reported.

Using alert profiles

Once your alert profile has been setup it may be used in two ways to find new records matching your search criteria. You can also use these mechanisms to place reservations on the new records detected.

Email notification

Active alert profiles are scanned as part of the library's overnight housekeeping and any new works that meet the profile's criteria are added to the profile set for the particular profile. If any new works are added to your profile set as part of the nightly scan, you will be sent an email containing brief bibliographic details for each work, as well as a hyperlink to the work. If you want to see more information about the item, or would like to place a reservation on the item, simply click on the hyperlink in the email to access the item on the system.

Online scan

You can also access the records matching your search criteria online. Follow the steps above to access your existing alert profiles. Select the option to Display new entries to find new records matching your search critieria, or select the option to Display profile set to find all records matching your search criteria. Once the records are displayed you can add reservations as you require. You can also save the records to your SavedList if your require.

Multi-choice lists

When setting up your search profile, some of the search fields are presented as multi-select lists. If a blue asterisk is displayed this indicates options have been saved in this multi-choice list. You may need to scroll down to see the options selected.

To select or deselect more than one option from these lists, hold down the Ctrl key while clicking on the required option.

If you don't want to select any options from these lists, hold down the Ctrl while deselecting any already selected options.

 

5. Ratings & comments

This allows you to review, update and delete the ratings and comments records you have previously created while searching the Library Catalogue.

You may delete any of the records you have created, but you may only update records which are still to be reviewed by library staff. Once these records have been approved or declined, they may no longer be updated as that would mean they would need to be reviewed again.

To delete a ratings and comment record:
  1. Login to My account and access the history page.
  2. Select the link to display your ratings and comments records.
  3. All of your ratings and comments will be displayed, then click the icon to the right of rating you wish to delete and click Delete review.
  4. To edit a ratings and comment record which is pending review by library staff:
  5. Login to My account and access the history page.
  6. Select the link to display your ratings and comments records.
  7. All of your ratings and comments will be displayed, then click the  icon to the right of rating you wish to delete and click Delete review.
  8. Make the required changes to the ratings level and your comment then click Continue.