Catalog Availability
I can't
connect to the catalog!
How do I "Login"?
What is a PIN and how do I
get one?
Glossary of Catalog Terms
What Does
"Please See a Librarian" mean?
Can
I Request an Item Online?
How Do I Renew an Item Online?
What is My List?
What is your privacy
policy regarding patron information?
The MVLC Catalog is available 24 hours a day
except for brief periods of system maintenance. Scheduled
maintenance is performed briefly every Saturday morning and
Monday at 11:45 pm through Tuesday around 8:30 am.
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FAQ
Can't connect to the catalog? There will be times (mostly
in the early morning hours) when the catalog will be unavailable due to
maintenance. Scheduled maintenance is performed briefly every
Saturday morning and Monday at 11:45 pm through Tuesday around 8:30 am.
If you are running Windows XP and IE 6 and are unable to
log into the system, you may not have the appropriate Jave plug-in. You must have java enabled in your browser because iPac
software loads with a java applet.
If you have Internet Explorer choose
Tools>Internet Options and then click on the "Advanced Tab". In the
Advanced options, scroll down to Java VM and be sure that Java JIT
compiler enabled is checked.
If you have Netscape choose Edit>Preferences and
then click on "Advanced". In the Advanced box, be sure that Enable
Java is checked.
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When you first connect to the catalog, you may
opt to login. If you plan on making requests, checking your
patron record or adding items to "My List", it's best to login
right away. Click on the "login" hyperlink located in the top
right corner of the screen. Be sure to click on "logout" when
you are finished with the catalog to logout of your session.
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A PIN is a form of secondary identification that you use along
with your library card number to access your patron record or
place holds online.
MVLC libraries have differing policies on how you get your PIN.
Some libraries will give you your PIN over the telephone. Others
may ask you to stop in. Most will ask for a driver's license or
some other form of ID besides your library card to confirm your
identity.
Your best bet is to call your local library to find out their
policy.
Why do you need a PIN? Information about what you have
out from the library is confidential information protected by law.
The PIN helps assure your privacy.
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Starts with... -- provides you with a list of headings
in alphabetical order that match or closely match your search
phrase
Call Number -- shows the shelf location of the item.
Holdings -- will show you the libraries that own the
item, the Collection, Call Number and the Status of each item.
Keyword -- retrieves material which matches the words
in your search phrase wherever those words appear in the
information about the item. Keyword searches can match words
anywhere in the record or be restricted to certain parts of the
record, i.e., title, author, subject
Limiting -- allows you to limit your
search results by the format of the material, the language or
the location that owns it. You may make more than one choice
from the limit box. To choose more than one, make your first
selection and then hold down the Control key on your keyboard
while clicking on the next selection.
Location -- is the library that owns the
item.
Pickup Location -- is the library at
which you'd like to pick up an item you've requested. This can
be your local library or the library that owns the item. It
could also be a library that's convenient to you, such as the
library in the town in which you work (if that town is an MVLC
member).
Search Results -- shows you brief
information about the titles that match your search terms or the
heading you selected. Titles with the most recent publication
dates appear first.
To see detailed information about a title (including
which libraries own it), click on the title itself.
Status -- gives you information about the
shelf status of the item. Common statuses are:
Checked in - the item is on shelf
Checked out - the item is checked out. Due Date
tells when it is due back at the library.
Transit - means the item is on its way back to the
owning library
Transit Request- means the item is on its way to
another library to fill a request.
Cataloging - means the item is being entered into
the catalog and is not yet available
Lost - means the item is no longer available
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Please See a Librarian is the circulation status of all
items owned by libraries that are affiliated with MVLC but do not
circulate their materials using the computer. As they do not
circulate their materials on-line, any circulation status given in
the catalog is potentially incorrect. You will need to call the
owning library directly to find out if an item is actually on the
shelf.
To request an item online:
Click on the
button
If you're not
already logged in, enter your library card number (with no
spaces between the groups of numbers) and your
PIN.
Select a pickup
location for the item. This can be your local library or another
MVLC library that's more convenient to you. For example, you
could pick the item up in the town you work in (providing that
library is an MVLC member) rather than the town you live in.
Click on the "
Request" button.
Most types of material can be requested with the exception of
non-circulating items, items in rental collections and issues of
magazines. (A librarian can place a request for a single issue of
a magazine for you. Call or stop in at your local library to make
the request.)
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To renew an item online:
1. Click on the "My Account" tab.
2. If you're not already logged in, enter your Patron ID (the
barcode number on your library card) with no spaces between the
groups of digits and your PIN. Click on the
"Login" button.
3. Click on "Checked Out" in the Patron Data window
4. A list of all the items you have out will then appear.
5. To renew selected items, click on the Renew checkbox
in front of each item you wish to renew and then scroll to the
bottom of the window and click on the "Renew" button.
6. Or, if you wish to renew everything you have out, click in
the top most check box (the one on the same line as "Title") and
then click on the "Renew" button.
7. Note: Some items you have out may be non-renewable.
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On the right of the “My List” screen you will see
another drop-down menu. Use this menu to jump to any saved
list. Beneath that is a “Manage Lists” button. Click on this
button to view all your lists. A table will display with the list
name, how many items on the list, when the list was created, when
it expires and a rename and delete option. Click on the list name
to view it.
You can choose to e-mail any of your lists to yourself by clicking
on the "E-mail list" button on the bottom left of the screen. You
can choose to have it sent to you in either html or plain text bibliography format.
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button just above the
request button. Click on this to add the item to your list.
Click on the remove button if you change your mind and want to
remove the item from your list.