Library Automation System - Resources

Searching the online catalog

Basic Search Tips | Advanced Search Tips | Placing a Hold

 

Basic Search Tips

You can select to search by:

Keyword - finds the terms you enter anywhere in the entire record for an item, including title, author, subject, and more.

Title - finds the terms you enter in the title of an item.

Journal Title - finds the terms you enter in the title of a journal.

Author - finds the terms you enter in the author's name.

Subject - finds the terms you enter in the subject of an item

Series - finds the terms you enter in the title of a multi-part series.

Formats:

You can limit your search by format:

• Audio Books
• Books
• Braille
• E-Books
• Electronic Resources
• Large Print Books
• Microfilm
• Music
• Reproduction
• Video Recording

You can also search the catalog directly from the library website at www.santacruzpl.org.

 

Advanced Search Tips

You can get to the Advanced Search screen by clicking the link just to the right of "Search the Catalog".

 

The Advanced Search Screen

 

You can filter your search using the boxes below the search terms. Types of filters include:

• Item Format
• Audience
• Item Type
• Literary Form
• Language
• Bib Form
• Library Branch
• Publication Year

Additional Tips:

• Do not use an AND operator to join search terms. An AND is automatically used to join all search terms.
• Boolean operators such as and, or, not are not considered special and are searched for like any other word. There are no stop words that are automatically ignored by the search engine.
• Don't worry about white space, exact punctuation, or capitalization.
• Enter your search words in any order.
• Search for an exact phrase using quotation marks " ".

Truncation

You can use * to truncate a search term, in order to to find results for multiple word endings. A search for "viol*" brings up results for violin, viola, violent, violet, and more.

Placing a Hold

If the item you want to check out is not available or is located at a different branch, you can place a hold on it. Placing a hold is easy!

Put an item on hold by clicking the "Place Hold" link.

You can click the “Place Hold” link right from your list of search results:

If you have already clicked on a title in your results list to get a more detailed description of the item, you can also click the “Place Hold” link from within the item record:

Entering your Information

Once you click the “Place Hold” link, you will be prompted to enter your library card number and PIN/Password:

• Enter your library card number (or username) into the appropriate box
• Enter your PIN or Password into the appropriate box
• Click on “Log In” button

You should now be logged in to your account. You should see a summary of the item that you wish to place on hold.

• Change where you pick up the hold by clicking on the drop-down menu and selecting the branch of your choice
• If you have an email address on file, the "notify by email" will be checked by default. Un-check it if you do not wish to receive an email when your item is ready for pickup
• Click the "Submit" button to place the hold, or the "Cancel" button to cancel it

You should receive a notification that the hold you placed has been successful:

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