Using the Catalog

Some Technical Tips:

  • POP-UP blockers can prevent some catalog functions. Readjust your settings to allow the webpages to automatically open new windows or temporarily turn off all pop-up blocker or "ad-blocker" software so that you can place holds and view "Enrich data."
  • Website domains using "pop-up" functions for the catalog are:
    • http://www.yvrl.org
    • http://syndetics.com
  • In the catalog, links are not underlined, they are blue.

Searching Tips:

  • For the most recently published materials, change the "sort by" to Publication Date. Your search results will show materials with the most recent publisher date first.
  • See Searching the Library Catalog

Pre-constructed Frequent Searches:

  1. Along the left side of the catalog screen, within the "dashboard," are lists of searches which customers ask for frequently.
  2. Click on the link and a search will be automatically generated in the catalog.

Your Personal Saved Searches

If you have searches that you frequently run for yourself, particularly if you are looking for the latest purchased items, you can save these search strings within your personal account.

  1. You can save any search except a browse search, and have your saved searches run automatically at designated intervals.
  2. You can also run a saved search manually, any time.
  3. Each time a saved search is run, the search looks for results that are new since the last run.
  4. 500 titles is the limit of the number of titles returned for any saved search.
  5. The results of saved searches are automatically sent by e-mail to an address you specify.
  6. The e-mail message includes the name and description of the search, the number of new titles found, and the call number, author, and title of each new item.
  7. You may have multiple saved searches scheduled to run at different frequencies.
  8. In this case, you receive an e-mail message listing the results for the weekly searches, and a separate message listing the results for the monthly searches.

Click here for instructions to set up your Personal Saved Searches.


Your Reading History

You have the ability to save a reading history, which is a list of items you have checked out since the reading history began. The reading history is a convenient record of what you have read and what you might like to read again. It includes the title, author, check-out date, and loaning library for each item you have checked out. (It does not show details such as renewals, due dates, or dates returned.) The library limits the length of the history to 1000 titles or 3 years.


You can log in, access your patron account, and start the reading history through the Change Preferences link. If you have an active reading history, you can stop the history and clear it from your patron account and the system in the same way. You can start a new reading history at any time.


Click here for instructions to set up your Personal Reading History List.