BASIC SEARCH
From MVLC
Using the Catalog in the Library
When you search the catalog in the library, it returns by default items owned by that library with your initial search.
You can change the library being searched, or select all libraries before searching by making a different selection from the dropdown menu that reads “All Local Branches” at the bottom of the search page. To see the holdings of a different library, select “Choose a different library” and then select the library you wish to search from the list.
To see holdings of all member libraries, select “All MVLC Libraries.” You may also change your search profile by making a different selection in the similar box that appears at the top right of the results screen after doing your search.
Using the Catalog Outside of the Library
By default, if you’re not logged in, the catalog displays the holdings of the library you’ve selected before doing a search. If you’re logged in, the catalog displays the holdings of your “Home Library” (in most cases, the MVLC library at which you’re registered). You can change your default search scope from your Account Preferences. (See below under “Default Search Location and Default Search Range”)
Keyword Search
The default search is by keyword. This is the broadest type of search you can do and will bring back the largest set of results. Keyword searches will find your search terms in the author, title, subject and contents notes fields of a bibliographic record, among other places.
By making a selection in the dropdown below the search box, you can limit your search by title, author, subject, or series. These types of searches will generally bring back a more limited set of search results.
You may also limit your search to a specific type of material by making a selection from the dropdown that reads “All Formats” To perform your search, click on the “Go” button.
Viewing Your Search Results
The search results are a list of relevant works from the catalog. If there are many results, they are divided into several pages. At the top of the list, you can see the total number of results. Go back and forth between the pages by clicking the double arrow on top or bottom of the list. On the top right corner, there is a Limit to Available checkbox. Checking this box will filter out those titles with no available copies in the library or libraries at the moment. Usually you will see your search results are re-displayed with fewer titles
Brief information about the title, such as author, edition, publication date, etc. is displayed under each title. The icons under the brief information indicate formats such as books, audio books, video recordings, and other formats. Hover your mouse over the icon, and a text explanation will show up in a small pop-up box. If you want to place a hold on the title, click Place Hold beside the format icons. Local library's Call Number, Shelving Location and Copy Status are displayed at the bottom of each record.
Clicking a title goes to the title details.
Clicking the author’s name searches all works by the author.
Availability
The number of available copies and total copies are displayed in the right-hand columns. If you are using the catalog inside the library or accessing the library’s online catalog from its homepage, the first column will show how many copies are available at all locations associated with that library. To the right of that, you will see how many copies are available at all MVLC libraries.
Sorting Your Search Results
By default, the results in the MVLC catalog are listed in order of relevance, similar to a search engine like Google. The relevance is determined using a number of factors, including how often and where the search terms appear in the item description, and whether the search terms are part of the title, subject, author, or series. The results that best match your search are returned first rather than results appearing in alphabetical or chronological order.
To change the sort order of your results, click on the down arrow nest to the dropdown menu that reads “Sort Results by Relevance” just above your search results. There are options for sorting by author, title and publication date.
Search Tip: To see the newest titles displayed first, select “Date: Newest to Oldest” under “Sort Results by Publication Date.”
Limiting Your Search Results
You may limit your search results by clicking on the down arrow to the right of the dropdown menu that reads “All Formats.” To limit, make a selection from the menu and then click on the “Go” button next to the search box.
Changing Your Search Type – You may change the type of search after performing it, by clicking on the down arrow on the dropdown menu that reads “Keyword.” Making a selection from this menu will redo your search, limiting it to only those titles that match your selection. Click on the “Go” button to perform your new search.
