Telnet Access to the Card Catalog

NEW at Wauconda Area Library!

Web-Based Library Catalog
Click here to skip ahead to the catalog

Introduction

Patron User Guide

    Searching

    Your PIN (Personal Identification Number)

    Checking Your Library Account Online

Telnet Access to the Library Catalog (the old online interface)

Introduction

The Wauconda Area Library is proud to announce its new web-based library catalog. This valuable new resource has the look and feel of amazon.com and offers many new features. Now patrons can place holds, renew their items checked out, and much more, using any computer with access to the Internet.

“It’s not enough for today’s libraries to provide access to a wealth of information,” explains library director Tom Kern. “We have to be able to deliver that information in an enriched, user-friendly format. Patrons have so many choices available through the Internet . We just want to make sure our library’s patrons are making choices based on improved access to all the information they want, and some they hadn’t realized they needed.”

Some of the new features of the library’s web-based catalog include:

Book cover images
Book reviews
Author notes
Summaries and annotations
Excerpts and first chapters on select books
Tables of contents

Patrons can now "login" to their personal library account, using their library card number and PIN (Personal Identification Number) to make better personal use of the library automation:

View items checked out
Renew items (as long as they are not overdue or held for another patron)
View hold requests
View request history
View blocks and fines
Create "My List" of their favorite titles
Email search results, holdings information, my list, etc. to yourself or to anyone.

This is just a sample of the many things that can now be done with the new web-based catalog which is now available and can be accessed from any computer with Internet access at www.wauclib.org.
Patron User Guide

SEARCHING

Anyone with Internet access may search the web-based catalog for library materials. A library card and PIN (Personal Identification Number) is required only if you want to check your library account information (see procedures below).

· Quick Search You can quickly choose a type of search from the pull-down menu. Enter your search terms in the search box(es) and click on the "Go" button. Click on the "Help" button at the top of the screen for more information about performing a Quick search.

· Advanced Search You can fill in one or more search fields. The more words you search for, the smaller and more refined your results list will be. You can limit your results to location, format (video, audio, and large print), or collection (easy books or juvenile). You can also sort the items into title alphabetical, author alphabetical, or publication date order. Click on the "Help" button at the top of the screen for more information about performing an Advanced search.

· Power Search You can choose one or more searches from the pull-down menu and use Boolean logic operators to create complex searches by combining search terms using the words "and", "or", or "not". You can also limit and sort your result lists. Click on the "Help" button at the top of the screen for more information about performing a Power search.

· History You can view the search strategies you have tried during this session.

· Best Sellers You can browse from several lists of current best sellers. Each item listed is linked directly to the library catalog so that you can immediately check whether or not the item is in the library. If the item is checked out, just click on the "Request Item" button to place a hold.

Your PIN (Personal Identification Number)

To help assure that your account information is kept confidential, you will be required to enter your library card number and Personal Identification Number (PIN) to access your library account. A Personal Identification Number (PIN) may be obtained only by visiting the Wauconda Area Library in person and requesting one at the Circulation Desk.

Your PIN number can be formed using any four numbers. To help you remember your PIN you may wish to use a combination of numbers that are meaningful for you.

You should not share your PIN with anyone. Although the library does not guarantee 100% confidentiality of your web-based patron account record, your PIN is a safeguard that helps protect your privacy. If you forget your PIN, you must provide your library card and photo identification in person to request the number from staff.

Checking Your Library Account Online

From any page in the new library catalog, click on the "My Account" tab. Type in your library card number, entering the digits to the right of the center 0’s. Then type in your Personal Identification Number (PIN). Press return or click on the "Login" button.

Click on the one of the tabs on the My Account page (or one of the links on the My Account / Overview page) to check your account:

· Checked Out - click here to see what items you have out. Check off the items you want to renew and click on the "Renew" button. A message will alert you if an item cannot be renewed.

· Holds - click here to view what items you have on hold and to see where you are in the queue. You may also delete holds from this screen. You can change your hold to a suspended status while you are out of town and then change it back to an active status once you return.

· Blocks/Fines - click here to view fines owed and blocks that have been placed on your card. A "block" gives you information about your library account. Blocks can range from information about items you have overdue to a message to you from your library.

· Profile - click here to see and update your address, phone number, email, etc.

Return to Library Home Page

Telnet Access to the Library Catalog
(the old online interface)

Telnet Access to the Library Catalog
(for use outside the library)

* remember to log off when you are done searching
* remember to close your Telnet application to get back to the browser

	If you are using Netscape, your telnet helper application can be found in c\Windows\telnet.exe in most Windows 9x machines....for more information about netscape, please visit their site at
Best When Used With Internet Explorer	http://www.netscape.com

Access to the Wauconda Area Library catalog through the Internet is at present only possible by means of a Telnet application, which allows remote users to connect to the catalog in the same way that terminals inside the library do. World Wide Web browsers such as Microsoft Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator must be configured to start this application each time a link to a Telnet site is activated. You should try to connect through telnet to determine if your browser must be configured for telnet.

If you already have a Telnet program on your PC and want to configure it to access the catalog,

Reset your Web browser options to open Telnet as a "helper application".
How you do this depends upon which Web browser you use; call your Internet
Service Provider for assistance.

If you don't have Telnet or don't know whether you have it or not, click on the link to the catalog to test your browser. If you connect, then you have Telnet. If you're getting the message "Application Not Found" when you try to logon to the Wauconda Area Library catalog from our web page, it probably means that your browser has not been configured properly to start up Telnet or you do not have Telnet on your PC.

If you need further assistance, please contact your Internet Service Provider.

Back to Library Home Page