SEARCHING
How to Search
Working with Search Results
Item Pages
YOUR ACCOUNT
Logging In
Viewing Account Information
Renewing Your Items
When an Item Can’t Be Renewed
FEATURES
Cart
Holds
Lists
Tags
SEARCHING
How to Search
You have several options to search the catalog. The fastest but least precise way is to use the search box at the top of each screen. The default is a general keyword search, or you can use the drop down menu on the left to select author, title, etc.
Below the header is a series of other search options:
“Advanced Search” allows you to combine multiple search terms, narrow your search by date range, item types, etc. This allows searches with higher precision.
“Browse by Subject” is not fully functional at the moment.
“Tag Cloud” allows you to view items organized by the tags that other users have added. This section will grow as more tags are added. See more about tagging below.
“Most Popular” is a fun way to browse the items with the most checkouts. You can change the parameters of this list using the tools on the left.
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Working with Search Results
The search results screen offers many tools to help you find items of interest.
The screen displays 20 items at a time. Use the navigation at the bottom of the page to scroll through the list.
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Item Pages
The item summary page shows bibliographical and availability information.
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YOUR ACCOUNT
Logging In
There is a login box on the home page of the catalog. You can also get to a login page by clicking on “login to your account”, which appears in the upper right hand corner of each page.
Your login is Firstname.Lastname, that is, your first name, capitalized, followed by a period, followed by your last name, also capitalized. This is the same as your my.pacifica email name. The default password is your 5 digit ID number.
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Viewing Account Information
Navigate your account using the tabs on the left hand side of the screen.
The “My Summary” page shows all the items that are currently checked out to you, and their due dates. If you select the “holds” tab near the top of the page, you can view a list of items you’ve requested, and their status.
“My Fines” will show any fines incurred during the last month. Please contact the library if you have any questions about fines older than this, as they are processed and cleared monthly.
“My Personal Details” lets you view the contact information the library has for you, which is received from the registrar’s office.
“My Tags” allows you to view and edit tags you’ve created. Please see below for more on this feature.
“Change My Password” lets you change your password if you choose. You’re welcome to do this, but be aware there is no way to retrieve these passwords. If you forget your password, contact the circulation desk and we will manually reset it to your student ID number.
“My Reading History” shows all the items you have checked out (since the institution of the new system), and when.
“My Lists” allows you to view and edit lists you’ve created. Please see below for more on this feature.
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Renewing Your Items
The “my summary” page shows all the items that are currently checked out to you. The current due date is in the middle column.
You can renew your items from this page. Either hit the “renew” button next to selected items, or hit “renew all” at the bottom of the list.
You are able to renew each item ten times. This should allow you to have items for approximately one year. If you need to renew beyond these limits, please contact the circulation desk to arrange a waiver. The number of renewals remaining is displayed below the “renew” button for each item.
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When an Item Can’t Be Renewed
Items may not be renewed if they have been requested by other patrons. In these cases the item will say “Not Renewable (on hold). Please return these items by the stated due date.
Occasionally you may find items that say “Not Renewable” but do not give a reason. Please contact the circulation desk with your name and the name of the item, and staff members will investigate the situation.
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FEATURES
Cart
The cart function allows you to save a selection of items without logging in. You can add items to your cart from the search results by clicking “add to cart” under the titles or check the boxes next to the titles and click “add to cart” at the top of the screen, or from item-level screens by clicking “add to cart” below the title information.
Click on the green “cart” button in the header to view your cart. The cart screen will open in a pop-up window. From this screen you can print the list, email it, place holds on items, etc. Note that the cart will empty as soon as you close the browser. Use the list function (described below) to save lists of items for later use.
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Holds
To place a hold on an item (that is, to request that you receive the next available copy of an item that’s checked out, or that a book be pulled from the stacks for you), you can click on “place hold” either immediately below the item information in your list of results, or in the box on the right hand side of the item description screen.
Once you click “place hold”, a screen will come up asking you what date you’d like the hold to start (so you can reserve books in advance), and at which campus you’d like to pick it up. Select these options, and then hit “place hold”. You will be emailed when the item is available for pickup. You are limited to five holds at any one time.
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Lists
To place an item on a list for you to view later, you can click on “add to list” either immediately below the item information in your list of results, or in the beige box on the right hand side of the item description screen.
A dialog box will appear, asking you to either add the item to an existing list, or to a new one, and whether you’d like the lists to be public or private. Lists for your personal use should remain private, but you might wish to use the public lists feature for group projects, required readings, etc. Public lists can be viewed by anyone, but only you can add to or modify them.
You can access your lists from your account screen, or by selecting the blue “Lists” button in the upper header bar.
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Tags
A tag is a keyword, generated by users, that can be added to similar items to group them together. You may have seen them on blogs.
You must be logged in to tag items. You can then tag items by typing the tag below the bibliographical information on a search results list or item page.
You will be able to see your tags immediately, but tags will be approved by staff before they appear publicly.
Please try not to use tags for information that is already easily available, like the author’s name or the title. Similarly, please don’t use this feature for personal lists, like “my dissertation”. You can click on “tag cloud” just below the header to view all of the tags people are using.
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