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Library catalogue help
Kathryn Harrison - March 2011
frontline.services@kirklees.gov.uk
At some point between 8.30pm and 10.00pm the online catalogue will be unavailable as we backup our main library system. This only takes a
few minutes and when completed the online catalogue becomes available again. If you do get an error message please try again in 10 to 15 minutes when the system
should be available again. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.
What the library catalogue is
It allows you to access the Kirklees library catalogue online. You can search for books and other items, make reservations and renew your loans alongside
other useful features.
Anyone can use the library catalogue. To make the most of it you need to register with the library catalogue and be issued with a PIN (Personal
Identification Number). You can then use your library card and PIN to login to the library catalogue.
The library catalogue opens in a new window and requires javascript. It may not be accessible to users with speech browsers.
- Online
 Register with the library catalogue
- In person
Take your library card and one other form of identification to the library.
Valid identification:
- Must show your name and either your signature or address.
- Must be something official such as a driving licence, utility bill or bank statement.
- We cannot offer this service over the phone or by letter.
How to login to the library catalogue
You will be asked to enter your UserID and PIN.
- UserID
This is your library card number. It is the 9 digit number under the barcode on your Kirklees library card. Most library card numbers start with the
numbers 097.
- PIN
This is the number issued to you when you register with the library catalogue. It is a four digit number.
Sections of the library catalogue
There are three main sections:
- Search/Home
Lets you do a simple Author, Title, Word or phrase, or Subject search. You can carry out a more detailed search of the catalogue using the Advanced Search option.
Once you have found an item you can make a reservation.
- Library Info
Allows you to see the individual details of a library such as opening hours, library events and other library services.
- My Account
Lets you see what you have out on loan and when items are due back. You can, check your reservations and view any charges or messages.
Searching the library catalogue: Basic and advanced search options
- Basic Search
- Lets you do a simple Author, Title, Word or phrase, or Subject search. Type your search term into the box, e.g. Dickens, Charles, then
click on your search preference, e.g. Author.
- You can choose to search for an item at a particular library by choosing a library from the drop down menu.
- When you have a list of results you can find out more about the item by clicking on Details.
- If you choose to Keep the item, it will be added to a list that you can print or email to yourself.
- If you have a library card and PIN you can also reserve the item at this point by choosing Place Hold.
- Advanced Search
- Lets you search by more than one search term e.g. Author - Dickens, Charles and Title - Great Expectations.
- You can also search for a specific format e.g. Large Print or DVD, as well as a specific collection such as Junior Non-fiction or Local
Studies. Choose the options from the dropdown menus Item Category 1 and Item Category 2.
- You can also sort your search results by publication date, author etc by choosing an option in the Sort By drop down menu.
Searching the library catalogue: Frequently asked questions
- Can I do a truncated search?
Yes. To search for words with different endings such as cook/cookery/cooking replace the last letters of the word with the dollar symbol ($).
Example: 'cook$' will search for 'cook', 'cooking' and 'cookery', as well as any other words starting with 'cook'.
The $ can only be used to replace letters at the end of a word, not in the middle.
- Can I use a wildcard symbol?
Yes. If you include a question mark (?) within a search term, it tells the catalogue to try to treat the ? as a placeholder for any unknown letter
or letters and then find the best matches.
Example: search for 'wom?n' and the catalogue will bring back results including the words woman and women.
The ? can only be used to replace letters in the middle of a word, not at the end.
- Can I search for an exact phrase?
Yes. If you search for a phrase in quotation marks the catalogue will look for that exact phrase. That means it will search for the exact words,
in the exact order, all next to each other.
Example: A search for "classic cars" would not bring up search results for "classic Jaguar cars". Searching for classic cars without quotation marks would bring up wider but less specific results.
- Does punctuation matter?
No.
- Does capitalisation matter?
No. You can search for words in lower case, upper case or a mixture of both and you will get the same results.
- Does spelling matter?
Yes. Spelling is crucial to the results. If you misspell a word, your search will not be successful.
- Does word order matter?
No. If you search for a phrase without using quotation marks the catalogue will treat the words separately and will bring up results containing
all the words you searched for, in any order.
- Why is my author search not getting results?
When searching for an author you must include either the full name of the author or the surname only. If you search for an author's surname and
initials you will not get the results you are looking for.
This is called placing an item on hold.
- Once you have found an item you wish to reserve you can reserve it by clicking on Place Hold.
- You will be prompted for your library card number and PIN.
- You will also be asked to select which library you would like to pick the item up at.
- A hold fee will automatically be placed on your library card. This should be paid on your next visit to the library.
- You will be notified by post automatically when a reservation is ready to collect and you will then have 14 days in which to collect the request.
- This hold facility may not be available to you if you have outstanding charges on your library card.
- You can only place reservations on stock held on the Kirklees Library catalogue.
This is called Renew My Materials.
Using the My Account section
To use this facility you must have a valid library card and PIN. It allows you to see your loans, renew items and check your reservations. There are
four options:
- Review My Account - 3 options:
- Account Summary
Lets you see basic information about your loans including how many items you have on loan, how many reservations you have and if you have any
overdue loans.
- Loans
- Allows you to see more detailed information about your loans such as the title and author, the date your loans are due back, if you have
any overdue loans and whether you have any charges.
- The only charges that show are outstanding charges. Charges for items currently overdue which have not been renewed or returned will are
not shown. This is because until the items have been renewed or returned we don't know exactly what charges will apply.
- Holds
Lets you see items you have reserved and allows you to check whether any of your reservations are ready to be picked up. You can also cancel
reservations from here.
- Renew My Materials
You can renew your loans before they are overdue. If your loans are overdue you will need to contact the library.
- User PIN Change
You can change your PIN number to something more memorable. You will be asked to enter your current PIN, then to enter your new PIN twice. Your
new PIN will be used from that point onwards.
- Change My Address
You can use the online form to change your address, phone number or email address.
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Register with the library catalogue
