Alert

Central Library Holds Pickup Service Closing at 4pm Sunday and Closed Monday; Will reopen on Tuesday, January 26 More Info

Arlington Public Library

New Catalog: Tips and Tricks

Part 1: Get the Most Out Of Your Searches

Looking for something specific?

Try these tools for customizing, personalizing and even saving your favorite searches!
Click each image to enlarge for full screen.

 

Sort Results By

Search Results

Sort your search results by:

  • Best Match
  • Total Checkouts
  • Date Added
  • Newest First
  • Oldest First
  • Author
  • Title

 

 

Saving Searches

Search then filter

Do you look for the same kind of items every month?

If you always want to find the newest Detective novels or kid DVDs, you can create and then save a search to your account:

  1. Start an empty search by clicking on GO.
  2. Choose your search parameters using “Sort Results By” and…
  3. “Narrow Your Results” options.
  4. Save searchScroll to the bottom of the page and click on “Save Search.”

You can sort and save the Library’s Browse Lists the same way.

 

 

Viewing Searches

Covers only

 

You can also view your search results as all covers…

 

 

 

 

List with covers

 

a list with covers…

 

 

 

 

List with no covers

 

or a list with no covers.

 

 

 

 

 

My Lists

Importing Old Lists

Did you use saved lists in the old catalog?

It’s easy to import them! Just click on “My Lists” in your account, then choose “Import Existing Lists.”

 

 

 

Check out New Catalog: Tips and Tricks, Part 2: Reading Your Search Results.

 

 

 

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Thanks for the tips & tricks. I’m always resistant to change but, I gotta say, I really love the catalog redesign. So much fun to browse online now and so easy to find what I need. Well done.

  3. please tell me where i go to return a book early — i used to find it in the paragraph at the top of the page but don’t know where it is now.

    thank you

    • Jane,

      If you are referring to returning eBooks early, you go to your OverDrive app if you are using an Android device, or your Amazon account if you are using a Kindle.

      You can find more information on our eCollection Help and Troubleshooting page.

      If you are referring to returning regular books early, you can do so at any of our Library locations.

    • M,

      When you do a search, there are two buttons at the top of the search results – “Entire Collection” and “Available” – just click on Available.

  5. I want to see my list of holds in chronological order. The oldest to newest, as in the prior system. Or even newest to oldest. Looking at the cancellation date is too time consuming. How do I change the way the holds are listed on the screen?

    • Jeanne,

      Do you mean that you want to see them in the order that you placed them, with the oldest first?

      At the moment, holds can’t be sorted, but we’re working on adding a number of ways to do so.

  6. Hi:

    I know sort by due date on the check out screen, but can I sort the requests by “active” and “frozen” and if so, how do I do that?

    Thanks for your help.

    Carol

  7. I am unable to find a “freeze” button for my most recent holds. The only option showing is cancel hold, yet the book is not currently available for checkout, and I would like to be able to download it at a later date of my convenience.

    • Hi Laura,

      It sounds like the item you want to freeze is an OverDrive hold (eBook or eAudiobook). Unfortunately, only physical holds can be frozen in the catalog, which is why you don’t see the option on that item. To freeze your OverDrive holds, you need to log into your OverDrive account directly.

      • I have this problem with physical holds, via the web. If I freeze a hold, then later thaw it, I see no freeze button.

        • Howard, are you first in line when you unfreeze the hold? If so, the hold can not be refrozen.

  8. What does “in transit” mean? It sounds as if the book is on its way to my local branch for me to pick up in a day or so, yet I am still far down on the waiting list, lower even than the total number of available copies.

    • Hi Kate,

      We need to know where all of our items are at all times, so “in transit” is the term for any item moving from one library location to another, whether it is on hold or being returned to its home branch.

      So if someone returns a book at Central and the next person on hold for it wants to pick it up at Aurora Hills, the item status will be “in transit” while it is moving between locations.

      • Thanks–it makes perfect sense now.

        New question please–when I freeze a hold because I have other books I’m reading, do I continue to move up in the ranks so that when I “thaw” I should be higher on the waiting list than when I froze it, i.e., I won’t have lost movement up the list. Or do I just stay on the waiting list where I was when I hit the freeze?

        • Kate, a frozen hold continues to advance – but when it reaches #1, it stops and stays there until you unfreeze it. You can learn more on our Holds info page.

  9. Is there some place I can find the length of a DVD?
    It used to be with the description. (Occasionally
    it’s on the back of the DVD holder – but not on the three I just checked out.) Thanks!

    • Ginny,

      Click on the blue DVD button to go to the full record for the item. Then look for “More Details,” where you’ll find the length under “Physical Description.”

  10. When a book is due in a few days or a hold is available for pickup I used to get notified by email. Is there a settling somewhere to activate notification by email on a certain page? Thanks!

    • Pauline, you should still get those alerts. Check your spam or junk email folder, and if they’re not there, call or speak to someone at Circulation (703-228-5940 or your local branch) and ask to check that email messages are turned on in your account.

  11. Where can I find who narrates an audiobook? It used to be in the description section for most audiobooks but now I can’t find it.

    Thank you.

    • With our new Grouped Records, the information about a narrator is still in the description of the ab Audiobook on CD, but now you have to choose the “Audiobook on CD” version of the book from the Grouped Work to see it.

      In the case of eAudiobooks from OverDrive, we get those records directly from the online vendors – and unfortunately neither company includes the narrator information in their records (why not? no idea…).

  12. I would like to export one of my lists…is that possible? I can see how to print it and how to email it, but being able to export it as a .xls or .csv file would be great.

    Also on the topic of lists…is there a way to filter a list the way you can filter search results? I’d be interested in seeing, out of the 63 books on my list, which are currently available, which are currently available at my branch, which are currently available in eBook format, etc.

    • Kelly,

      The kind of versatility you’re looking for isn’t currently available for lists, but we can keep it in mind for future development.

  13. How do I get to the “Browse New Books” on the catalog page from a specific search? A button that takes me there would be nice; it may be there, but I can’t find it. Thanks!

    • Beverly,

      The “catalog home” link at the top of any search page will take you to the Browse New Books page.

    • Bob,

      We don’t have a catalog function called “Wait List,” but when you place a hold for an item, you are placed on a “hold list” – is that what you are referring to?

      We do have wait lists for some registration events, but I don’t think that’s what you mean – let me know if I’m wrong!

  15. When placing a Hold, I have to select my library name. Can this be a default in my Account? There is a space there for Home Library, but no way to insert anything.

    • Ruth, in your checked out items page you should see ratings stars under the title and author info for each book you have checked out. You can click on those stars to rate each book.

  17. If Kindle format is not specifically listed, but Overdrive is, does that mean the eBook is only available via the Overdrive app?

Download the Library App