• Book Covers: When you remember what a book was about and what it looked like, but not what it was called or who wrote it this new feature will help.
• Chapter excerpts, table of contents, book reviews, character outlines, book summaries.  You can see if there is a chapter on the subject you want before you request the book.
• Sign In and it remembers your library barcode and personal identity number  so that you can place many hold requests and use the Members Only  magazines and newspaper databases without re-typing these numbers.
• My List: keep track of books you want to read, music and book CDs you want to listen to, DVDs, and videos you want to watch sometime soon. A list of  100 items is stored and does not expire.
• Suspend your hold requests when you go on vacation, out of town or busy with other activities. You set a date and after that date the hold requests will be made active again.
• Play, Song an Sound Indexes:  Locate a play, song or sound effect which is contained in large books of dramas, printed music or in CD collections of sounds.
• 1-Step Search: type a word and find information right away in 5 of the most popular magazine databases, World Book Encyclopedia and the Library Catalogue.  You will need to enter your library card number and PIN number.
• Make the same search on the Internet that you made in the Library Catalogue.
• Support the Library financially by using the link to Amazon.ca or Chapters Indigo.ca which is inside the Library Catalogue when you purchase books or CDs online.
• Email  a list of books or multimedia  titles from the Library Catalogue  to friends or family.  (A great feature for book club members planning their season!)
• It works for any location using the Internet with a firewall
• It uses SSL (Secure Sockets Layer), security certificates and https to provide secure information exchange
• It displays barcodes for paperbacks and magazines you have borrowed in the My Card area
• It works with a variety of Windows and Macintosh operating systems including Windows XP and Mac OS 10 plus Linux.
• It's fast!

• find items while you are at home, work or school
• check your library card account
• renew items you have out on loan 
• place hold requests on items, cancel holds, suspend a hold request, check the number of holds on an item
• see how many copies there are of an item 
• connect with full text magazines and newspapers covering all of your interests in "E-Library"
• locate online books in the public domain and search these books to find quotes or specific passages
• find songs, plays and sound effects which are contained in books or on CDs and cassettes 
• find books for reading levels (children, young adult, learn to read)
• find items in  libraries in Alberta  
• try 3 chapters of books in any of 5 online email book clubs
• use keyword indexes to locate DVDs, audiobooks, music CDs, printed music, publishers, book in series, large print books, talking books, magazines as well as the regular title, author and subject keyword indexes.
• use the Oxford English Dictionary online
• use the Encyclopedia Britannica online
• visit the E-Library area with your library card and use  online magazine and newspaper databases covering all of your interests.
• receive messages by email or phone telling you that your hold request is ready for you to pick up. The email notice will show the author and title of the item that has arrived for you.

• E-Library – Top quality magazines and news information anytime, anywhere, on anything!  Not available on the open Internet...it's one of the major benefits of your library card. Try it today!  Just type in your library card barcode number to reach these online magazine and newspaper databases covering all interest areas.
• My List: Want to keep track of books, CDs, DVDs that you want to read, listen to or watch in the future? Save and store the title of the items you want to follow up on later in My List. We will store the names of the 100 books, music CDs, Videos, DVD, Book CDs, magazines that you want to explore with no expiry.  You don’t have to have to wrack your brain to remember the titles you want to suggest to your book club or the items your instructor recommended. Just click on “Add this title to My List” and a note will be made in My List and stored for you  until you delete it. And My List is only reached by using your library card barcode number so it is your private list.
• 1- Step Search – type a word and find information right away in 5 of the most popular magazine databases, World Book Encyclopedia and the Library Catalogue.  You will need to enter your library card number and PIN number.
• Top Topics – First time visit and not sure what the Library has? Here is a showcase of one touch convenient subject searches on the most popular topics. One mouse click will take you directly to a list of  items you can borrow.
• Links to Government Documents: The most popular government documents which are free on the Internet. You may be surprised at the excellent information you can get for free from all types of governments.
• Links to Business Directories: Essential tools for quick business information.
• Play, Song, Sound Index – Use when you need to find a certain song, a play or a sound effect. Determine which items in the Library's collection contain a short comedy or drama,  sound effect or sheet music for a song. Enter any of the words in the title and you'll locate which book it is in or CD it is on.
• Books Online – Project Gutenburg gives you access to thousands of free on-line books in over 35 languages.
• Try Out 3 Chapters Sign up for the email book clubs and 5 days a week a 5 minute reading sample of a book will be delivered to your email so you can see if you like the first 3 chapters of a book. Amaze your friends by sampling books which have not been published yet in the Pre-Publication Email Book Club, novels in the Fiction Book Club, Mysteries, Teen Books, or inspirational stories in the Good news Email Book Club.
• Good Reads: Every month Library staff recommend books they have been reading in "Recommended This Month" and there's a "Feature Fiction List" of novels which share a common theme, setting, type of character or mood.
• Books in Alberta – simultaneously check library catalogues all over Alberta using The Alberta Library (TAL) Online to find items. Place interlibrary loans for pick-up at Calgary Public Library.
• Ask a ? - ask questions, make comments, express concerns or suggest a title you think the library should have.
• Amazon.ca and Chapters Indigo.ca – Look here for reviews of books and to check the price of a book or CD which you might want to own or give as a gift. People who have an expertise create their own recommended title lists. It’s always interesting to look at a computer developer’s preferred titles in their field. Each time you purchase a book or CD from this source using the link in the Library Catalogue, Calgary Public Library receives a small contribution. Support your library by making book purchases using the link in the Library Catalogue.

• Internet Explorer 6.02 or later
• Netscape 7.1 or later

• MAC operating system 10.3.1 or higher, use MAC Netscape 7.1 or MAC Safari 1.2.1 (1.25.1)  Note:  Some ISP (Internet Service Providers) use a caching method which will prevent you from placing hold requests successfully using Safari.   Disabling the caching on the ISP settings will resolve this problem.  

• Netscape 7.1

CAN I USE THE LIBRARY CATALOGUE FROM WORK?

Yes, port TCP/80 will already be open on your company's or school's firewall if your workplace has Internet access.

• Choose the "Check Your Card " tab .
• Type in your Calgary Public Library card number and personal identity number (PIN) number. (Your PIN number is usually the last 4 numbers of your home phone number.)  
• The first thing you will see is a Summary page with links to Items Out, Hold Requests, Messages, and your contact information.
• Click on one of the choices on the menu at the top of the screen. You can check the holds ready for you to pick-up, change the status of hold  requests which have not come in yet , look at items you have checked out , renew items and read messages on your card.

• Choose the “Search” tab, the first thing you will see is a Basic Search screen which allows you to select from a drop-down list of 4 searches.
• Select a search, type in the words you want to search for and click GO.
• If you want to combine different types of searches, or to refine your search to a particular Library Branch, type of material, or language, choose the “Power Search” tab.
• On the Power Search screen fill in at least one search box to find items.
•  And, Or, Not:  Connect searches using the drop down menu at the right hand side.  For example, choosing “Title Keyword” for “wuthering” and then using the connector “AND”  followed by “Author Keyword”  for “Bronte” will show you items called “Wuthering Heights” with Emily Bronte listed as an author.

• at a one particular library location
• written in a specific language
• available in a format (large print, books on CD or DVD)
• written for a defined reading level (Literacy Learn to Read, Children's Easy Reading  or for Young Adult)
• Pressing the Control key + mouse click at the same time will select more than one format, more than one language or more than one library location. It can also be used to remove the highlighting from a selection.
• Sort your results list in order by title, author, or publication date using the "Sort" dropdown menu
• Click  “Find out more about this item” to see details about the item and where it is located or click on the title of the item.
• Click the "Request a Hold' button to obtain items which are currently out or are not available at your library location. 
• You can keep an ongoing  list of  library items which interest you by adding them  to "My List" anytime you press  the ”Add to My List”  button.
• Follow the links  to "More by this Author" , "More About This Subject" and a connection to finding Internet web sites with one mouseclick about the same topic you searched for in the library catalogue.
• Mouse click on an item on the results list. Details about the item and  where it is located will appear.
• On the left hand side of the screen are links to More by this Author, More About This  Subject, a connection to finding Internet web sites about the author or the subjects and a link to two Canadian book stores where you can find reviews of the book .  Purchase it online from this location and then Calgary Public Library Foundation will receive a financial benefit because of the sale.

• Sign In by entering  your library card barcode number from the back of your card with no spaces between the numbers. Then enter your personal identity number (PIN). Your PIN number is usually the last 4 numbers of your phone number. There is a Sign In button the top right hand part of every screen of the catalogue.
• Find the item you want.
• Click on the "Request a Hold" button.  
• Use the drop-down menu to choose the library where you want to pick up the item when it arrives for you.
• Click on the "Request " button and you will receive confirmation that your hold request has been made.
• If you want to find more items and place more holds click the "Return to Searching" button and you will not have to enter your library card number and PIN number again.

Please remember: a $2 fee will be charged for items not picked up or cancelled within 7 days of arriving at your branch. Finding and shipping items that are not picked up or cancelled by customers impacts the Calgary Public Library's already limited resources, and makes waiting lists longer for everyone.
Please manage your holds by:
• Calling 262-2928
• Asking staff
• Visit the online catalogue at https://catalogue.calgarypubliclibrary.com

• Click on the tab "My Account" and then on the words ”Items Out” to see the items you have out on loan.
• Select the item you want to renew by clicking in the checkbox to the left of the item.
• Then click on the "Renew" button at the top or bottom of the screen.
• If the item cannot be renewed you will see this message: "One or more of your items did not renew. Please scroll down for details."
• If customers are waiting for an item you are trying to renew this message will appear: " Renew failed: Item is requested, cannot renew”.
• If you have already renewed the item twice you will see: " Renew failed: Exceeded maximum renewal limit”.

• Connect to https://catalogue.calgarypubliclibrary.com
• Choose the “My Account” tab and enter the number from the back of your library card and then your personal identity number (usually the last four digits of your home telephone number).
• Click on the “Holds” tab at the top of the screen to see a display of items, which have not yet arrived for you.
• Select the item you wish to suspend by clicking in the checkbox next to the title or select all items by clicking on the checkbox at the top of the list.
• Select the month, date and year that you would like the hold to be re-activated on and then click the “Change Status” button. 
• Your hold requests will automatically become active again after the "Suspend Until" date has passed.

• Click on My Account followed by Summary.  Select the item by a click in the checkbox and then click on the "Cancel Request " button.
• You can also contact library staff in person or by phone or call 262-2928 and use the keypad of your touch-tone phone to cancel the item.
• Hold requests which have arrived for you to pick up can be cancelled using the Catalogue on the Internet.

• The “My List” lets you make and keep a wishlist of books, music CDs, DVDs, and videos. keep track of items you want to  place on hold on in the future, save lists of your favorite library items on a particular topic or to create a booklist of your ongoing interests. 
• Sign In by entering your library card barcode number from the back of your card with no spaces between the numbers. Then enter your personal identity number (PIN). Your PIN number is usually the last 4 numbers of your phone number. Click on the Sign In button. and click on the “Add to My List” button which is next to all items in the Library Catalogue which will add the item to the main “My List”.
• To see the items being stored for you click on the “My List” in the upper right corner of any catalogue screen.  
• To create secondary lists from the main “My List” , check the “Remove” box on the left hand side of the items then click on the dropdown menu “Move to” (above My List). Select “New List”, enter a name for your “New List” and you have made a subsidiary  list. Notice a drop down menu, containing all your lists now appears above My List. You can create a maximum of two additional lists, each holding 50 items.
• From My List, you can place a hold request on the item.
• Delete lists by clicking the “Manage Lists” button and clicking the “Delete” button next to the list you wish to delete.

• There is no expiry for the items kept in My List .

• When you need to know what library book contains a play or piece of sheet music or if you need to know which library CD or cassette contains a particular sound effect visit  http://calgarypubliclibrary.com/library/indexes.htm  

• Choose the DVD / Video Index and type in the language eg. Spanish.
• Click on the Go button.
• You will get a results list of the DVDs with a Spanish language soundtrack on it.

• Choose the Magazine / Newspapers Title Keyword Index .  Type in words from the title. Click the Go button
• Click on Copy Information.
• Choose the issue of the magazine you want and click on Request Copy next to that issue.
• Note: There are magazines for which it is not possible to request a hold on a specific issue.

• Select ”Sign Off” tab at the top of the screen and you will go to the first screen of the Library Catalogue on the Internet.

• BOOK CD = spoken word, stories on compact disc
• BOOKTAPE = spoken word, stories on cassette tape
• CAREER = career collection books and materials
• CD = music on compact disc
• DISC = long play record
• J = juvenile, for children
• LIT COL = literacy collection for adults learning to read
• MUSICAL SCORES = printed sheet music in book form
• YA = young adult, for teenagers
• LPE = large print edition
• TKBK = talking book edition for use by people with disabilities and a Special Needs Services Library Card
• VIDEO CASS = VHS video
• X = children's easy to read
• Z = children's picture book

If you need information about your account contact:

• Phone: (403) 260-2600
• Email: CircServ@calgarypubliclibrary.com