Looking for a book but too busy to drive to the library and see
if it
’s there?
Looking for a book but too busy to drive to the library and see if it’s there?
Is the book you want only at the Los Altos Library? Or perhaps you’ve been in the library lately but are unsure how to locate a book once there.
With the library’s user-friendly online catalog, it is now easy not only to locate books, but also reserve them for yourself from either your own computer at home, or from a terminal in the library.
The “online catalog” (which replaced the old “card catalog” system many grew up with) accesses the entire Santa Clara County Library system of eight community libraries and a bookmobile. Total, there are over 1.5 million items owned. Items in the system can be reserved, or “placed on hold”, and they will then be brought to the Morgan Hill branch for your convenience.
In the Morgan Hill Library, there are nine catalog terminals for patron use, with the most obvious being the circular station of four computer terminals at the entrance to the adult area. One can stand or sit here and search for items various ways.
Perhaps you know the author, but not the title, or maybe one word of the title. The catalog makes it easy to search by subject or keyword as well.
For example, maybe you’re looking for a travel video about Madagascar. Currently, three of our branches own such a video: Los Altos, Saratoga and the Bookmobile. Fortunately, there’s no need to drive to those places. With your library card, you can reserve the video online. You simply click “Request Item”. You’ll then be asked to enter your library card number as well as your 4-digit PIN. That’s it. The item will then be located and transported to Morgan Hill for you.
If the book is “on the shelf” at one of those three places at the time it is reserved, it will arrive in Morgan Hill within a few days. You’ll receive notification of its arrival (either by mail or e-mail, whichever you prefer), and you’ll then have a couple of days to pick it up from the Morgan Hill “Holds” shelves.
To access the library catalog from your own computer, go first to our home page: http://www.santaclaracountylib.org. From there, click on “Search Our Web Catalog” near the top of the screen, under the word, “Catalog”.
If you don’t yet have a PIN (personal identification number), the circulation check-out desk can provide you with one.
This week’s column was written by Shawn A. Wistrom. Questions and suggested topics for At the Library, which appears in Tuesday editions, should be directed to Nancy Howe, community librarian, at nh***@**********************ca.us or by calling 779-3196. The Morgan Hill Library, located at the corner of Peak and West Main avenues next to City Hall, is open every day but Sunday.
