Catalogue FAQs

Frequently asked questions about the Catalogue and My Library Account.

Step-by-step instructions (for instance, How to Place a Hold) are available on our Catalogue Help Pages.

My Question is About . . .

Holds & Renewals

I placed a hold on an item that said IN LIBRARY. When can I pick it up?
Our staff will get the item from the shelf and send it to your pick-up location. When it is available for you on the holds pick-up shelf you'll be notified by phone or email. You can also check your Holds list in My Library Account

Holds that are ready for pick-up will say Ready. Must pick up by Month-Day-Year.

Here's what happens when you place a hold:
1. You put a hold on the item you want.
2. If we have more than one copy your hold is automatically assigned to one that's available. If all copies are out your hold is placed at the bottom of the waiting list.
3. Every morning, before the library opens, staff at each branch print a "holds list," search the shelves and pick up the holds. Note: A holds list can have up to three hundred holds!
4. Staff process the items and put them on the holds shelf for you to pick up.
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I placed a hold and it said it was successful. Why hasn't it shown up on my list?
When you place a hold it can take up to 2 minutes for the item to appear on your holds list. If you want to make sure it's there the best thing to do is log out of your library account and then log back in to check.

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I've been waiting for a book and now, when I look at my Holds list, it says it's checked out. (For example, DUE 11-07-07.) When can I pick this up?
When you are next in line for an item this DUE date means the person ahead of you has the item and this is its due date. As soon as it is returned it will be sent to your pickup location.

Holds that are ready for pick-up will say Ready. Must pick up by Month-Day- Year. You will also receive a phone or email notification when it is available for you.
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When I renew items in My Library Account I don't see anything that says if they were renewed or not.
After you click the "Renew All" or "Renew Checked" button the information you need is shown in the "STATUS" column of your Holds list. For example, if you're unable to renew something messages like these in the STATUS column will explain the reason:
- TOO SOON TO RENEW Renewed 1 time
- TOO MANY RENEWALS Renewed 2 times
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My library card has expired so I can't place a hold. How do I renew my card?
Residents must renew their library cards every three years so we can verify your contact information. To do this, please bring identification showing your address to the Check-Out desk at any branch of the Greater Victoria Public Library. Non-resident and corporate card holders must renew their cards every year. To renew your card all fines or charges must be paid in full.
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I'm trying to place holds on more than one item at a time — but it keeps asking me for my barcode and password. Why don't I get confirmation messages when I place more than one hold at a time?
Your browser probably blocks pop-ups. This page explains how to solve the problem in four easy steps.

If you'd like to only allow pop-ups from the library you can add these two URLs to your brower's "allow" list: gvpl.ca and syndetics.com.
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When I find what I'm looking for why does it say (for instance) 8 holds on first copy returned of 4 copies?
This means there are 8 holds and we have 4 copies. You can think of this as 2 holds on each item. We realize the wording is somewhat confusing. Although it seems simple to have this say "8 holds on 4 copies," it is not. Parts of our Catalogue are hard-coded by the vendor (Innovative Interfaces) and cannot be changed. This is one such case.
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What are some of the Catalogue's features?
There are a lot of new features we’re been able to provide by doing this software upgrade. Here are a few:
- Our print magazines and newspapers are in the Catalogue—just like books, CDs, DVDs and other library materials.
- A What's In? button on the basic search page immediately shows you what's available for check-out.
- Results of a Keyword search are grouped by Title, Sub-Title and successful matches in other parts of an item record so you can find what you need more quickly.
- For Keyword searches you can specify Location, Format and Audience from the basic search page—to get what you need right away.
- For Title, Author and Subject Heading searches, you can specify a location (or collection, like Large Type) from the basic search page.
- You can cancel Holds that are ready for pick up.
- When you validate your account number and password in placing a Hold you're automatically logged in to “My Library Account.” Your login will be retained until you logout so you don’t have to re-enter your account number and password every time you place a Hold!
- A spell checker tool has been added that suggests possible words you might have meant if your search has no results.
- A 5-star rating system lets you login and share your opinion about the items you borrow!
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What are the 5 stars for that I see in every listing?
This is a rating system so you can share your opinion about books you've read, movies you've seen and music you've listened to. Just login to My Library Account (this feature is for GVPL cardholders) then Search the Catalogue and find the item you want to rate. (If you've opted in to My Reading History you can start with those items you've borrowed and returned.)

If you loved it, can click the 5th star. This gives the item a 5-star rating.

If you want to give it a lower rating click any other star. This page explains more about the Rating system.

You can also change or delete your ratings in My Library Account. Just click the My Ratings button in My Library Account.
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What Web browsers are recommended for use with GVPL's Catalogue?
For optimal performance we recommend using a browser capable of supporting current Web standards. We also recommend using the latest non-beta version of any browser for best performance. The following is an example list of browsers. This list is not inclusive of all possible browsers:
- Mozilla Firefox version 0.8 and higher
- Microsoft Internet Explorer version 6 and higher
- Netscape Navigator 7.2 version and higher
- Opera version 7.0 and higher
- Safari for Macintosh
- Mozilla Camino for Macintosh
More specifically, we recommend browsers that support HTML and XHTML, Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), ECMAScript (the standard behind scripting languages such as JavaScript) and the W3C Document Object Model (DOM). The browsers listed provide base level support (or better) for these standards and will improve your use of our online Catalogue.

While older browsers may provide some level of functionality, a modern browser will enable you to take full advantage of the services we provide through our online Catalogue.
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Why did you change the account login from 7 characters to 14?
We had to change the login to use 14 digits to accommodate the new province wide BC One Card system. We also couldn’t leave the first seven numbers pre-filled in anymore because not all of our library card holders have the same 7 starting digits in their account number.
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Why is it important to Log Out when I've finished using the Catalogue?
If you are at a public terminal it is important to sign out of your account to protect the information included in your library account. Therefore, when using the Catalogue in the library, always click the yellow Log Out link when you are done:

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What's the meaning of the terms in the Status column of each item (like IN LIBRARY, IN TRANSIT, CLMS RETD)?
- "1 copy ordered for [Name of Branch] on 05-31-2007]" We have ordered the item but it has not yet arrived. This can be for a number of reasons:
  - The item is available but our supplier doesn't have it yet;
  - The item has not been published yet or made available in Canada;
  - The item will not be published on schedule. (This happens more often than you might expect in the book business.)
- BILLED Two overdue notices were sent to the borrower. The item has still not been returned. We consider these items lost. A bill for the replacement cost has been sent to the borrower.
- CLMS RETD The item is overdue but the person it's checked out to claims they returned it. They've been asked to keep looking and we are double-checking our shelves.
- DISPLAY The item is being used in a Library display.
- IN CATALOGUING The item was IN PROCESSING and is now nearly ready to circulate. IN CATALOGUING items with many Holds are processed first.
- IN PROCESSING We have received the item and it is in our Technical Services department to be processed for lending. This includes spine labels, barcodes, and (depending on the item) laminated covers, re-housing in more durable containers, etc. Unfortunately we're unable to estimate how long this will take for a particular item. But you may find it helpful to know we process more than 9,000 books and other items every month.
- IN REPAIR The item has been damaged and we are repairing it.
- IN TRANSIT Either the item was returned to another branch and we're sending it to its "home" location, or the item is being sent to another branch to fill a hold.
- LOST AND PAID The item was lost and the borrower has paid to replace it. (See BILLED, above.)
- MISSING This status normally appears when someone has requested an item, our staff went to the shelf to get it, but couldn't find it. We regularly check all branches for these items.
- ON HOLDSHELF The item is on the hold pick-up shelf for the patron at the top of the list.
- ON ORDER We have ordered this item and are waiting to receive it. This can take up to six months from the time the item becomes available from the publisher.
- OUT OF COLLECT The item has been temporarily removed from the shelves. Our librarians are probably having a closer look to see if the item is still of interest to our community. If you'd like to borrow this item, please speak to a librarian.
- REFERENCE Reference items can only be used in the library, although exceptions are sometimes made, depending on the item. Please check with the local librarian.
- STORY SHELF Unfortunately, these are not available to borrow. They're used by our staff for storytimes and class visits. However, we probably have other copies that you can borrow.
- TEMP UNAVAIL The item has been removed from our shelves and is currently unavailable to borrow.
- WITHDRAWN We routinely check our shelves to ensure a useful, relevant and up-to-date collection. Some items, either because they are outdated, no longer of use, or damaged beyond repair, are withdrawn and either sold in our book sales or recycled.
  
  You can use our Suggest a New Title service to recommend re-purchase of a withdrawn item. Alternately — if it is a book and not a DVD or other type of library item — you can ask us to borrow it for you from another library system. (This is called an interlibrary loan.) To request a book by interlibrary loan please visit any of our branches and speak with staff at the information desk.
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I'd like to get more information about an item by clicking on its cover image or in the pop-up screen that appears — but nothing's happening. How can I see more information like reviews and plot summaries?
This additional information is shown in pop-up windows, but your browser or Google toolbar probably blocks pop-ups. This page explains how to solve the problem in three easy steps.

If you'd only like to allow pop-ups from the library just add these two URLs to your brower's "allow" list: gvpl.ca and syndetics.com.

Another possible cause of blocked pop-ups (even if allowed by your browser) is the "ad blocker" feature of some Internet security systems (such as Norton Internet Security). We recommend you check your security system's configuration settings and/or help file to see if this is the case.
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Why am I seeing strange characters, boxes or numbers on my screen?
Some languages or individual letters will not display correctly on all Web browsers. To display them correctly you'll need to change your View > Character Encoding settings to Unicode (UTF-8 character set) and have a suitable font available.

Languages that may have display problems include those in non-Latin scripts (e.g. Greek, Farsi and Russian), those in Latin script but with characters that are not in the English alphabet and transliterated Russian or Hebrew.
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When I do an Author search why does the same item show up more than once?
This can happen for a few reasons:
- The item is part of a series and we've included the author's name as part of the series information. In these cases your results will include two (or more) instances of the same item. For example, an Author search for Ferris, Monica includes this type of duplicate entry — those novels that are part of her Needlecraft Mystery series appear twice.
- The item is a compilation or anthology of more than one complete work and the title of each work has been included as an "access point" in our Catalogue. (Access point: The terms - e.g., name, title, subject heading - that enable library materials to be searched and retrieved). The item therefore appears once for each individual work it contains. For example, an Author search for Ferris, Monica includes this type of duplicate entry because the book Patterns of Murder includes three complete novels: Crewel World, Framed in Lace, and A Stitch in Time.
- The item is based on more than one work by the same author. In these cases the title of each of these works is included as an "access point" in our Catalogue. (Access point: The terms - e.g., name, title, subject heading - that enable library materials to be searched and retrieved). For example, an Author search for Lehmann, Rosamond includes this type of duplicate entry because the DVD Weather in the Streets is based on two of Lehmann's novels: Invitation to the Waltz and The Weather in the Streets.
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What is a Keyword search?
A keyword search looks in all our catalogue records for the words you enter in the search box.

For example, if you entered victoria b.c. history as a keyword search here is one of the items you'd find:
1. Title and Author
  The catalogue looks for your search words in the title and author field of each catalogue record.
2. Subject Headings
  Subject headings are also searched. These are a special set of words and phrases that allow libraries to describe what each item is about, and then group similar items in the catalogue. The Pictou-Antigonish Regional Library provides a helpful page with more information About Subject Headings.
3. Notes and Summaries
  These can include the names of songs on CDs or in Music Scores, previous titles of the book, brief plot summaries (for books and DVDs) and other information included by the librarian who catalogued the work.
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What's the fastest way to find something on a particular topic?
We recommend you start with a Keyword search (e.g., canada history world war ii). Once you click on an item that looks interesting, use the "Find Similar Items" box on the left to continue your search:

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Do you have lists of DVDs, CDs, etc…?
Yes! You can use the links in the QUICK CATEGORIES box (at the bottom left of the Catalogue Search page) to find lists of DVDs, CDs, etc.
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How can I get a list of every DVD or video you have?
From our Catalogue Search page check DVD as Format. Then click Search. But keep in mind we have 1,000s of DVDs so there will be many pages of results!

To find a particular kind of DVD (for example, Feature Films) use the Quick Categories box on the lower left-hand side of our Catalogue Search page and click DVD. You'll find links to DVDs and videos by most popular type (e.g., feature films, documentaries, etc.).
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Why doesn't your website doesn't remember my barcode or password?
You control these settings in your browser's Tools options. (We don't use cookies or related technology to store your barcode or password.) These sites provide information on how to manage these settings in Internet Explorer 6.0 (AutoComplete) or Firefox 2.0 (Privacy).
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I gave an item the wrong rating. How can I change it?
You can change or delete a rating you've assigned anytime:
1. Simply use your library card and password to login to My Library Account.
2. Click the My Ratings button.
3. You'll now see your list and can make any modifications or deletions by clicking on the appropriate star. (Five is the highest rating.)
4. To delete a rating altogether, just use the checkbox beside the item, then click the Delete Marked button above.
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How can I delete my old library card number from my computer? It keeps popping up when I try to login to My Library Account.
This AutoComplete feature is controlled by your Internet browser. This setting retains your user names, account numbers or passwords. To delete an obsolete library account number:
1. Go to My Library Account.
2. Enter the number "2" — the first number of your library card. (This should prompt your browser to display a list of all cards associated with this web page on your computer.)
3. Use the down arrow on your keyboard to highlight the obsolete number and press the Delete button on your keyboard.
4. Do this for each account number you'd like to remove.
For additional information:
- Firefox "Deleting autocomplete entries"
- Internet Explorer "To enter Web information more easily"
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I have a question these FAQs didn’t answer. Where can I send it?
Our Catalogue Help and Services pages may have the information you need.

You can also do a Site Search or use our Site Map to find what you need on our website.

You can also use our Ask a Librarian services for assistance.

You can also use our Web Feedback Form to send comments and questions.
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Last updated July 31, 2008

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