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Manage holds, renew materials, apply for a card, change your password, etc. Last Updated: Jan 17, 2024 8:52 AM

Getting the Most from the FCPL Catalog

Visit your FCPL library catalog

The Integrated Library System (ILS) or simply "catalog" is the hub of everything we do—the library’s brain, essentially. It tracks more than 400,000 cardholders and 2.3 million items, including books, DVDs, thermal cameras, book club kits, audiobooks, digital resources, nature backpacks and more. It routes 1.2 million holds per year to the right library, emails holds notices, makes phone calls to those without email and allows you to renew your books on the phone.

The system integrates both physical items and electronic items, so you can search for books, eBooks and eAudiobooks all in the same place. You are also able to see all your checked-out items in one customer account screen.

You can sign up to receive text messages in addition to emails or phone calls, and you may choose a user ID rather than logging in with your library card number. Additionally, users can create a wish list, so you can save books now to read later.

Your FCPL library catalog provides:

  • Friendly, smart searching,
  • Direct download of eBooks and eAudiobooks from OverDrive, etc.,
  • Optional user-created logon (instead of library card number),
  • User-curated lists for favorite authors, genres and titles,
  • Auto-renewals of physical materials,
  • Text notification (in addition to email notification),
  • The ability to apply/register for an account.

FCPL staff members have created a growing playlist of How-To videos that can help you get the most out of your catalog experience. Videos in the series include How To:

  • Check Your Account
  • Register for a Library Card
  • Save a Search
  • Save to a List
  • Change Your Contact Info
  • Borrow an eBook
  • Change Your Password

Visit our YouTube playlist to see the latest Catalog How-To videos.

Library Catalog Searches

There are several ways to search our catalog. Access the catalog here. Quick Search is available when you first open the library catalog. More search options can be found under the Search Tab in the menu at the top of the page. You can use these to limit or help pinpoint your search.

Quick Search
Keyword Search
"More Search Options" link 
Browse the Catalog
Advanced Search
Boolean Search

Quick Search

  • One method to search for an item is to use the Quick Search box. It can be found on the main page of the library catalog.
  • If you see suggested search terms appear as you type, you can simply ignore the suggestions and continue to type your search term(s), or you can select one of the suggestions and then click Search (the magnifying glass) to see your search results.

  • If you do not want to see the suggestions, start typing and you will see the words Hide Suggestions next to a little symbol with a diagonal arrow at the bottom of the list of suggestions. Click on it. To show the suggestions again after they have been hidden, click on the small arrow in the Search text box.

  • There are four blue buttons below the search box that can be used to narrow your search. Anywhere looks in all the indexed information fields. Subject looks in the catalog's subject descriptions. Title looks in the titles of works in the library catalog and Author looks in authors' names in the library catalog. you can limit your search by clicking on any of these options after typing your search terms and then select Search
  • You can also use the Navigation options on the left side of the screen, limiting by options that include Available Now and/or by Assigned Branch or Publication Date.

Keyword Search

  • Type your keyword or keywords into the search box.
  • You can now limit your search with the following two options - Search By: Any Field or Limit By: Any Format. You can limit a search by format or detailed material type, but not both (If you selected a format in the Limit By box when you set up your search, your format choice is canceled when you set a material type.)

More Search Options

  • You have the option to further narrow down a search from any of the options under the Search tab in the menu at the top of the page. Choose one of the search options and click below the search box(es) on More Search Options. For example, from a Keyword Search, first type your desired keywords into the search box. Then click More Search Options below the search fields. Select (or exclude) items from the following menus: ~Libraries ~Detailed Material Types ~Collections ~Publication Dates ~Target Audiences and ~Languages. Hold the Control key down and click Enter as needed to select multiple items within the menus.
  • TIP: In Quick Search or Keyword Search, limiting your search to "Book" does not limit to physical books as you might expect since eBooks and eaudioBooks remain in the search. Instead, if you select the drop-down menu that says "All Formats" next to Limit By, make sure you select Book (print only). You can also click More Search Options and then, under Detailed material Types, highlight Digital (click OK in the popup box) and then click the checkbox next to Exclude. Finally, select Set Search Options. (Selecting Book as a Material Type under "Narrow Your Search" on the left will not eliminate digital materials.

Browse the Catalog

  • When you browse the library catalog, you can type just the first few letters or numbers of your search term. in the that begins with box, type the first few letters of an author's name, a subject, a series name, a title, or a call number. The results list shows the portion of the catalog index that begins with the text you have typed. You can scroll through the index (forward or backward!) to see more headings or listings. You may also find useful links to related headings or listings.

Advanced Search

  • With advanced searching, you can do a complex, focused search, combining several search terms and selecting a search field for each one. you do not need to know any special commands to do advanced searching. Choose the fields as appropriate. For example, you can choose Author: Macomber, and Series: Cedar Cove and your results will include books from the Cedar Cover series by Debbie Macomber. 
    TIP: You can further narrow your search to exclude DVDs. Follow the instructions under More Search Options above. 

Boolean Search

  • With a Boolean search, you can do complex, precise searches by typing CQL (Common Query Language) search commands. You may be familiar with conducting a search that includes the words AND, OR, NOT. These are the commands used for search multiple terms in a single precise search.
  • For example, to find the works of author Asimov published in or after 1970, you type the following command: AU=asimov AND PD.=1970.
  • For more information about conducting a Boolean search, click the Help tab on the menu to read more in-depth instructions.

If at any time, you need more help than provided above, click the Help tab on the menu at the top of the catalog page. If, in the process of your catalog search you are using any of the search techniques listed above, you might also see an option on the screen that says, "Need help searching? Click here for tips and instructions."

How can I find items on order?

What if I can't find an item that I want in the catalog?

Will Suggest-a-Title automatically put customers on the holds list?

How can I change my method of notification?

How does Automatic Renewal work?

How can I see my checkout history?

Is there an app to access the library catalog?

Where can I go with other questions?

How can I see where I am in a holds queue?

 

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