Our online catalog lets you search or browse for titles, place holds, check on due dates (we are fine-free!), and create and maintain shelves. You may also create lists, comment on titles, tag titles, and rate titles. We share a catalog with 30+ other area libraries, so if we don’t have a title you’re looking for, chances are good that another library in our shared system does.
Setting up your account
- Log in to your account by entering your library card number, without spaces, into the Username or Barcode field. Then enter the last 4 digits of your phone number into the Password field.
- Once logged in, you will need to create a username. This username will display publicly if you make your lists, shelves, and comments public. You can log in with your username or barcode going forward.
- Users under 13 will use a color and an animal as their username. After their 13th birthday, they can update this.
- Check through the My Account > My Settings and My Profile menu items to set or update your preferences. We recommend you change your password from the last 4 digits of your phone number to something more secure.
Borrowing history
- Borrowing History tracks physical items borrowed from and returned to the Library.
- You may toggle your Borrowing History on or off through My Account > My Borrowing.
- If you disable Borrowing History, any existing titles that have not been added to your Completed shelf or to a list (see below about Shelves and Lists) are permanently deleted. If you later turn Borrowing History back on, it will begin tracking from the date it was re-enabled.
- You cannot delete individual items from your Borrowing History.
- Sorting options are available until you have 100 titles in your Borrowing History. Pro tip: Adding titles to your Completed Shelf (see below about Shelves) provides you with more flexibility. You can sort and filter the Shelf, making it easier to find a specific title.
Searching
- Searching defaults to CAPL, but you can expand the search to include the 30+ other libraries in our system by selecting Partner Libraries on the results page or through the Advanced Search option.
- When you start typing your search term, up to five suggestions of titles and authors appear to speed up your search or help avoid misspellings. The suggestions will update as you continue typing. If no search results come up, you might see a “Did you mean…?” link to help you complete your intended search.
- Search results show all available formats (print, large print, audiobook, eBook, etc.) grouped together.
- The search defaults to Keyword, but you can change it to search by Title, Author, Subject, Series, Lists, and more.
- Once you have search results, you can narrow them down by applying filters for format, audience, genre, and more. You can pin your selected filters to reuse them with different search terms.
- You can save your searches if you’d like to reuse them. Your saved searches can be found in the menu when you’re logged in.
- Advanced Searching enables you to be more detailed and specific right away by specifying language, format, and more.
Holds
- You can place holds on our items and most items at other libraries through the catalog.
- Holds can be picked up in the Library or at our Drive-up Window. You can change the pick-up location on a title-by-title basis when you place the hold, or you can set your hold pick-up location to always be the Drive-up Window under My Account > My Settings > Account Preferences. You can also enable Single-Click holds if you plan to pick up your holds in the same location each time.
- You can pause or cancel your holds under My Account > My Library Dashboard. Pausing a hold is useful if you have too many items at one time or when you will be out of town, and you won’t lose your place in line.
- If you’re unable to find the item you’re looking for, you may also request items through our Interlibrary Loan service.
Shelves
- You can create For Later, Completed, and In Progress shelves through My Account > My Collections. Add books to your shelves directly from the results as you search or on the specific Shelf page by clicking on the black Add a Title button in the upper left.
Lists, comments, ratings, and tags
- The default setting for these social features is private when you register your account, except for Recent Activity and tagging. If you want to make your Recent Activity private, you can change this in the settings found in My Account > My Profile. Anyone 13+ can rate, comment on, and tag titles.
- You can create Lists, which are a way to group at least four titles together as a topic guide or recommendations for your own reference or to publish for other users to see. You will see lists published by Staff at CAPL and other libraries to help users find materials.
- You can tag titles with genres or keywords that are relevant/helpful to other users under a title.
- You can follow other users whose content you enjoy, including CAPL staff accounts. Lists from people you follow will be visible on your Library Dashboard.
Please note: While our mobile app allows you to search the catalog, place holds, and view your account, it does not include the added social features like list making, comments, and rating titles.