Catalog Questions FAQs

  • General Questions

    In general, items are returned within a few days of being due. The loan period for an item depends on the type of material, but for most items is 3 weeks.

    Most materials will auto-renew, as long as no one else has a hold on the item. The best way to ensure the item is returned promptly and you get notified is to place a hold on it.

    In addition to getting you in the queue for the item, placing a hold when you want an item also helps us know that there is demand! If something is particularly popular and has lots of holds we may buy additional copies.

    And rest assured, we do follow up with patrons who keep items past their due dates. If a patron has an item more than 10 days overdue, they will be blocked from further borrowing until the item is returned.

    Search our catalog by using the search bar found at the top of every page on the website (if you’re on a mobile device like a phone, click the magnifying glass).

    Once you find the item in the catalog, there are three ways to figure out where it is in the library.

    1. In the catalog search results, each item has a top box with the title and author, and at least one bottom box with a symbol and format description. The words in all caps in the bottom box are the call number. If nothing is in all caps, then the particular item is digital only, so there is not a physical copy in the library. The call number starts with the name of the collection the item is part of, and you can use that and the navigational signs in the library to find your item.
    2. You can also click on the cover image or title to see the item information. From that screen, you can click “Availability by location>” which is above the green “Place hold” button. In the pop-up you can see the collection information and the call number, as well as see how many copies are currently available.
    3. Ask us! Stop by any desk and we are always happy to point you in the right direction.

    If we can’t find the item either, and the catalog says it should be there, we’ll put the item “On Search.” That way, we know to check again in the next couple of days. Sometimes a missing item is being enjoyed by another patron in the library and shows up back on the shelf, but if not, this lets us know it’s missing so that we can decide whether to order another copy.

    To find what we have on order, select Browse from the top of any page on the website and click New Titles (listed under Explore).

    Once you’re on the New Titles page, look under the New Titles heading. Click the blue On Order text to show on order items. You can filter this view by using the filters along the top, or scroll to the bottom of the grey box and click View All New Titles >> to see the same list in the catalog view, which you can filter as you would any other catalog search.

    CPL receives new materials every week.

    To find new items in the catalog, type New and the type of material you are interested in (for example, New e-books) into the search bar. The search results will automatically filter to show you items in that format which the library has received in the last 6 months.

    You can also filter your search results to see items that are "New at the Library." These filters let you narrow your search results to include only at items received in the last 7, 30, 60 or 90 days if you wish. The filter options show on the left side of the screen on desktop, or can be accessed by clicking the blue "filter results" box at the top left on a mobile device.

    For more tips on finding new stuff, check out this blog post.

    If you’d rather browse the physical collection, we also have a New Arrivals area - between the Information Desk and the Fireplace - and other New sections to make new materials easier to find.

    Our library catalog is one of the most important search tools available for our patrons, and as such it’s located at the top of our homepage and every page on our website, just to the right of the CPL logo. There you’ll find “search” with two drop down menus, and then a large empty box to the right of them for typing in info about the subject you’re looking for resources on.

    If you are looking at the site on a mobile device, like a phone, you will see a magnifying glass instead of the normal search bar. Click the magnifying glass, and the search bar will open.

    You can use the search function to look through our website, FAQS, and events, but if you’re looking for materials you’ll want to make sure you have “catalog” selected in the first dropdown. The next dropdown menu offers a variety of ways to search; keyword, title, author, subject, tag, list, and user. If you know some of an item’s title, but not all of it “keyword” is an especially helpful way to search. “Author” is also a more encompassing way to search then some people might expect. That’s because if you’re looking for movies and television shows starring a particular actor you can enter their name in an author search. Learn more about search here.

    If you’ve having difficulties navigating the catalog, don’t worry. There’s an even better and more user-friendly resource you can call on to help you find your materials: library staff are available to answer questions in person and via phone during the library’s hours of operations.

    This means at least one copy of the item is on the Lucky Day shelf. You can check out Lucky Day items but you will not be able to place them on hold.

    However, don't give up too soon! Sometimes the library has multiple copies of an item, and based on expected demand puts a few on the Lucky Day shelf and other copies directly into regular circulation. The other copies can still be placed on hold. To see if this is true for the item that you want, click “View details.” In the pop-up the Lucky Day copies will say Lucky Day in the collection column, and the others will list the section where the circulating holdable copies can be found. 

    To place a hold on one of the circulating copies, click the x in the top right-hand corner to exit the “View Details” screen, and click on the item image or title. In the item record, you will be able to select the hold button as you would for any other regular title.

    We use a shared platform called BiblioCommons to host our catalog on the web. This service helps make items in the catalog easier to find. Because the service is used by multiple libraries, we are also able to share lists, reviews and comments not just from our own library staff and patrons but also from library staff and patrons across the world!

    You can even find your favorite librarian and/or friends near and far by searching their username so you can follow them and share lists. 

    Lucky Day items are newer highly-popular books, DVDs and occasionally CDs available for immediate check out. We do not allow holds on Lucky Day items for the first three months that we have them to improve your chances of finding these hot titles on the shelf when you visit the library. The Lucky Day shelf is next to the New Book shelf.

    You can check out up to four Lucky Day items at a time. Lucky Day books have a seven day loan period; Lucky Day DVDs have a three day loan period. Lucky Day items do not autorenew.