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Catalog Questions and Answers - updated 6/29/10:

Can I receive Email reminders when items I have checked out are almost due?
Can I stop receiving reminder messages in my email about items that are almost due?
When I look at holds in my account I see that there are duplicate holds on the same item. How did that happen?
How do I change the email address associated with my account online?
Do the libraries accept used books as donations?
When I click on 'more info' for a certain title, it opens up a separate window (w/ reviews, etc), but...
I forgot my PIN. How do I get it back?
Does "Your registration has expired" mean that my library card has expired?
Where did all those things I saved to my list go?
Why is the Saved List deleted when I logout?
When I do a search and I click on "Save to My List" to save titles to my list I am sent back to the beginning of the search screen. Why am I not sent to the last title that I just saved to my list?
When I am in My Account how do I cancel a hold on one or two titles only?
How can you locate your position in the list of "holds" when you are waiting for material?
I made a request to Snow library and it said it would go to Ptown!? I have no idea how this happened.
Sometimes when I browse through a list from New & Popular Titles and try to save titles to my list I get sent back to the main catalog page - why?
Where did the “Modify my personal info” button go?
I have downloaded many books. Now the download is not possible because my card is not valid. Why?
How can I make the print larger when searching the Catalog?
How do I see more information about a Title?
When I log in to "My Account" it would be great if the system remembered my name, library card number, etc.  How do I set this up?
Why is the opening search page in the new OPAC (Online Public Access Catalog) set to Keyword and not Title?
Why do some titles in the opening browse screen have summaries and other titles do not?
The new Catalog is slower than the old Catalog. Why is that?
How do I connect to the Virtual Catalog?
Where is the Request Button?
Why do many Future Release titles (in New & Popular Titles) lack detailed information, e.g., most do not have a plot summary?
Why do some titles have cover images and other titles entries do not?
What is an ISBN? What is a UPC?
I often use the same search e.g. my favorite Author or Subject. Is there a way I can save favorite search terms and re-use these later? Is there a way to save searches for specific Titles from one session to another?
How do I search for DVDs in the Catalog?
How do I search for Books on CD?
How do I request specific episodes or parts of a multi part DVD?

Question:Can I receive Email reminders when items I’ve checked out are almost due? Answer: Yes.  If there is an email address in your library account, then you will automatically receive reminders 1 to 3 days before the item is due (depending on the loan period).

Question:Can I stop receiving reminder messages in my email about items that are almost due? Answer: If you prefer not to receive these reminder email messages, you can set up your email program to filter out messages with the Subject line of “Library Reminder”. 

Here are some instructions on filtering with some of the popular free email providers:

Eudora - http://eudora.com/techsupport/tutorials/win_filters.html
GMail - https://mail.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=6579
Hotmail - http://email.about.com/cs/hotmailtips/qt/et102101.htm
Outlook_Express - http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/community/columns/junkmail.mspx#ESB
Thunderbird - http://kb.mozillazine.org/Thunderbird_:_FAQs_:_Filters
Yahoo! Mail - http://help.yahoo.com/us/tutorials/mail/mail/mail_filter1.html

Question: When I look at holds in my account I see that there are duplicate holds on the same item. How did that happen? Answer: Currently the system allows multiple holds on titles that are marked “on order” in the catalog. Please do not cancel the duplicate holds yourself; contact a CLAMS library and they will be happy to do it for you.

Question: How do I change the email address associated with my account online?
Answer: Please contact your home library to change your email address. See the list of CLAMS libraries.

Question: Do the libraries accept used books as donations?
Answer: Each library has a policy in regard to book donations. Please contact the library individually. See the list of CLAMS libraries.

Question:When I click on 'more info' for a certain title, it opens up a separate window (w/ reviews, etc), but when I try to go back to the regular CLAMS pages, the 'more info' window doesn't close & the rest of the CLAMS/Eastham Library website pages are displayed in a tiny sliver at the top of the screen. The only way to get the full screen back is to sign out of the CLAMS/Eastham Library site
Answer: Click your browser’s back arrow to get back to the regular display.

Question: I forgot my PIN. How do I get it back?
Answer:If you have forgotten your PIN, contact a staff member at any CLAMS library for assistance. For privacy reasons we are unable to determine your old PIN. You can request that library staff reset your PIN to a number of your choosing.

Question: Does "Your registration has expired" mean that my library card has expired?
Answer: Yes, that is exactly what it means. Please contact you local library to renew your card.

Question: Where did all those things I saved to my list go?
Answer: Items saved to your list are viewable under the "View my List" button. The lists of items you create currently expire after you close your browser/ navigate away from the catalog so be sure to export your list after you create them.

Question: Why is the Saved List deleted when I logout?
Answer: Currently the Saved List can be used for exporting a list of favorite titles or placing multiple requests at one time. Our vendor has informed us that in the future catalog upgrade you will be able to save your lists to your account.

Question: When I do a search and I click on "Save to My List" to save titles to my list I am sent back to the beginning of the search screen. Why am I not sent to the last title that I just saved to my list?
Answer: This is standard catalog behavior according to our vendor. We hope that this will change in a future catalog upgrade.

Question: When I am in My Account how do I cancel a hold on one or two titles only? I do not want to cancel all of my holds.
Answer: Scroll to your holds. Under the cancel column, click in the small box to the left of the title(s) you wish to cancel.  A check mark displays. Then click Update List.

Question: How can you locate your position in the list of "holds" when you are waiting for material?
Answer: Our software Vendor informs us that this feature should be available in the next catalog upgrade.

Question: I made a request to Snow library and it said it would go to Ptown!? I have no idea how this happened.
Answer: You can change your pickup location after you login to your "My Account". Pick a location from the drop-down menu and then hit the "Update List" button.

Question: By mistake I deleted the sound recordings...(four of them )that I have been waiting for quite a while now. How do I get them back on my request list?
Answer: You have lost your place in the waiting list. You need to request the titles again.

Question: Sometimes when I browse through a list from New & Popular Titles and try to save titles to my list I get sent back to the main catalog page - why?
Answer:  Our system vendor has notified us that this is a known issue with the catalog. It will be fixed with the next software upgrade.  Workaround: If you notice this happens with a specific browse lists (e.g. DVDs by genre) click on the title to open the record, then hit the "Save to my List" button at the top of the page.

Question: Where did the “Modify my personal info” button go?
Answer: The button had to be taken down because it was suspected of creating errors in patrons’ records. The problem will be fixed in the next

Question: I have downloaded many books. Now the download is not possible because my card is not valid. Why?
Answer: Please check with your local library. Your registration data may need to be updated (libraries update patron records every 3 years) or there may be another reason, e.g., fines owed over the maximum allowed. 

Question: The font in the new catalog is small. How can I make the print larger when searching the Catalog?
Answer: CLAMS has made the font size larger since the first release of the new Catalog. If it is still too small do as follows:

Internet Explorer 7: go to VIEW (menu bar at the top), Choose Text Size and set a preference. 
Firefox 3.0: go to View, click on Zoom and then on Zoom in.

Best screen resolution for viewing  - 1024 by 768 pixels.

Question: How do I see more information about a Title?
Answer: Click on the underlined title and then click the Full Record tab. This gives more information than the More Details tab. To see Reivews, Contents, Summary click on the cover image. If there is no cover image go to the screen with full item description and select the "More" button on the right hand side.

Question: When I log in to "My Account" it would be great if the system remembered my name, library card number, etc.  How do I set this up?
Answer: Remembering usernames and passwords is a feature of the browser software and not of the CLAMS web site.
 In Internet Explorer 7:

Question: Why is the opening search page in the new OPAC (Online Public Access Catalog) set to Keyword and not Title?
Answer: Spell check, a new feature on our OPAC, works best with Keyword search. If you wish to switch to Title, Subject or Author search select the appropriate Tab.

Question: Why do some titles in the opening browse screen have summaries and other titles do not?
Answer: CLAMS purchases records from an international cataloging agency where member libraries from all over contribute cataloging records. Because everything is not cataloged by the same person or library, some records will have a summary and some will not. Recent titles tend to include a summary more frequently that titles published years ago. Catalog records for material still on order (Future Releases) are less detailed than records for material already owned by a library in CLAMS. To view Reviews, Contents, Summary click on the cover image. If there is no cover image when you go to the screen with full item description there is a "More" button on the right hand side that contains more information about the title.

Question: The new Catalog is slower than the old Catalog. Why is that?
Answer: The new Catalog has much more detail than the older version. On the opening page for example you can see the number of holds on a title, a summary of the plot, or the web link when available. Because there is more information loading, this makes the new catalog a little slower to open than the older version.

Question: How do I connect to the Virtual Catalog?
Answer: The link to the Virtual Catalog listed to the right on the opening screen.

Question: Where is the Request Button?
Answer: It depends where you are in the Catalog. When you open a record, the request button is now in red at the top. In the Browse screen the Request option appears beside each title on the right.

Question: Why do many Future Release titles (in New & Popular Titles) lack detailed information, e.g., most do not have a plot summary?
Answer: Future Releases are titles which CLAMS libraries have ordered from suppliers -- often weeks or months ahead of the actual publication or release date. The information available to us is therefore minimal until the book or DVD is received at the library.

Question: Why do some titles have cover images and other titles entries do not?
Answer: Currently the Book cover or DVD/CD image loads only if the Catalog record has an ISBN. In future catalog upgrades we are hopeful that the UPC will trigger the link to a DVD, CD or Book image. When you go to the screen with full item description there is a "More" button on the right hand side that contains more information about the item.

Question: What is an ISBN? What is a UPC?
Answer: ISBN means International Standard Book Number. Material other than books, e.g. DVDs often have an ISBN. UPC means Universal Product Code.


Question: I often use the same search e.g. my favorite Author or Subject. Is there a way I can save favorite search terms and re-use these later? Is there a way to save searches for specific Titles from one session to another?
Answer: See Preferred Searches in the Help section.

Question: How do I search for DVDs in the Catalog?
Answer: There are several ways to search for DVDs. If you really want to see all DVDs in the entire CLAMS system (there are thousands!)

Browse DVDs by release year or genre from the New & Popular Titles page.

Question: How do I search for Books on CD?
Answer:

Browse Audiobooks by format and Genre from the New & Popular Titles page.

Question: How do I request specific episodes or parts of a multi part DVD?
Answer: Login into your "My Account". Search for the DVD e.g.Wire DVDs (to search for The Wire).
Select appropriate catalog record e.g. The Wire 5th season.
Hit REQUEST button (this appears in Red towards the top of the screen).
You will see a pick up screen. Select pick up library of your choice or leave the selection at your home library. Fill in Cancel by date as preferred.  If you do not fill in a Cancel by date the system automatically assigns a cancel by date six months from the date of the request.
An Item Selection screen displays.
Select one appropriate episode by checking the radio button on left of listed episodes. The system currently allows you to pick one episode or part at a time.
Click Request Selected Item. You will see a message that your request was successful.

To select another episode:
click Regular Display to bring you back to the catalog record.
Click Request, you will see pick up location again.
When the Item Selection screen displays, select the next episode you wish to request (check radio button). Click Request Selected Item. You will see a message that your request was successful.

Please note: it's best to select one episode at a time if you wish to view episodes in order. If you select more than one episode there is no guarantee that the discs will become available in the order in which you wish to view the DVDs.

If you try to request an episode/part which you had already requested, the system displays a message that you already have a request on that episode or part.

The following video demonstrates how to place a hold on specific episodes or parts of a multi-part DVD. Click on the arrow to start the presentation in your browser.

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