<h3>The Catalog FAQ: What Else Do You Need to Know?</h3>

There are so many to choose from! While the new catalog will include many features previously available in both LEO and CATNYP, we are delighted to announce that there’s even more to look forward to.

When browsing The Catalog, would you like to know more about a book before requesting it? The new catalog offers cover art, full-text reviews, book excerpts, author bios, tables of contents, summaries, and other information for many titles.

Want to limit your search to children’s materials? To items that you can take home or just look at in the Library? How about materials in Chinese? The new catalog offers a wide variety of ways to limit your search, helping you to find exactly what you’re looking for.

I heard that the Library now sends telephone notices. How does that work?

The Library sends notices by phone, e-mail, or postal mail. Notices alert you when a requested item is waiting for pickup, as well as other issues related to your account. Telephone notices work best if you have an answering machine. If you currently receive notices delivered by the Post Office, please consider changing to telephone or e-mail delivery. It helps the Library save money and our notices arrive faster!

I'm only interested in looking for things that I can take home with me. How do I search for just those items?

Using The Catalog's Quick Search mode, enter your search term and then find the Collection limit on the left side of the results screen. Click on Circulating and you will see only those items that can be checked out and taken home.

Using the Advanced Search mode, enter your keyword, title, author, subject, or other search, and from the Collection drop-down menu, choose Circulating. Click the Submit button to begin your search.

It would be great if the Library could remind me when an item I have checked out is almost due.

Yes it would, and we can. Now, if you have provided the Library with a valid e-mail address, we can send you a courtesy notice shortly before the item's due date. And of course, a receipt is still issued for every item borrowed.

I had been using the Preferred Search option in CATNYP for quite some time. Will I be able to continue using it?

Yes and no. While the Preferred Search is still an available feature of The Catalog, if you had any searches saved in CATNYP, you needed to save them outside of the catalog or print them out, and then re-enter them in the new catalog after July 6. The same is true if you had any lists stored in CATNYP. If you need help in recreating those lists, please contact the ILS Office hotline at ils@nypl.org to see if your old lists can still be retrieved. Note that the retrieval of old lists will take time and will be possible only through the end of September 2009, after which we are no longer guaranteed access to the old CATNYP catalog.

Navigating from one page to the next in The Catalog, I keep seeing a security exception window. How do I stop that window from appearing?

On your internet browser, go to Tools, select Internet Options, and then select the Security tab. Find the Display Mixed Content option; switch it from Prompt to Enable and the message will go away.

How many holds/requests may I place for items I'd like to borrow?

You may place up to 10 holds on eligible circulating items. Note that an item counts toward your total of 10 until it has been checked out or cancelled.

I previously requested several items from the Library for pickup at my neighborhood branch through LEO. Will I need to make those requests again in the new catalog?

No. Holds placed in LEO that were not filled by July 6 were brought over to the new catalog.

I’m on vacation and I’ve made several of my holds inactive. Will they stay that way?

While the system didn't automatically transfer inactive holds, the Library is almost finished manually updating them for users in the new catalog. Users may also update the status of their requests themselves through My Account in the new catalog.

What does it mean to “freeze” a hold? And how do I unfreeze a hold?

Freezing a hold works similarly to the suspend hold function in LEO. If you are going on vacation and don’t want your requested item(s) to arrive until after you return, you may freeze them by checking the box next to each title you wish to freeze and clicking the Update Holds button. You will continue to advance in the queue but your request will not be filled until you unfreeze your holds. To unfreeze them, uncheck the box and click Update Holds. Note that items cannot be frozen:

if a requested item is in transit or on the hold shelf for the requesting patron
if a borrower is first in the hold queue and there are available items
if there are more available items than holds

How long does a hold request remain active?

By default, requests for available circulating materials will remain active for one year or until filled. Take advantage of the "Cancel If Not Filled By" date to extend or shorten the period of time your hold remains active.

I requested several items for delivery to, for example, the Richmondtown Branch, but I have moved and now the Stapleton Branch is more convenient for me. Can I change the pickup location?

With the new catalog, you can change the pickup location yourself. Using the My Account feature, click on the link to view your holds and choose a new pickup location from the drop-down menu. Pickup locations cannot be changed once a requested item is in transit or has arrived at its originally chosen location.

I had 15 items saved to My List in LEO. What happened to them in the new catalog?

Unfortunately, you needed to save them or print them out, and then re-enter them in the new catalog. If you did not save the item number, you are welcome to e-mail ils@nypl.org to see if your old list can still be retrieved. Note that retrieval of old lists will take time and will be possible only through the end of September 2009, after which we are no longer guaranteed access to the old LEO catalog.

My CATNYP PIN was 9 numbers. Will it still work?

In order to use the Library’s many other resources that depend on your patron information, such as our self-service checkout machines, circulating laptops, and computers, you will need a 4-digit numeric PIN. Former CATNYP users will need to select a new 4-digit numeric PIN since their old PINs will no longer work.

My LEO PIN was the last 4 digits of my telephone number, but now I can't log in to the new system using that PIN. Did something change?

Unfortunately, PINs for borrowers who used the last 4 digits of their telephone number did not carry over to the new system. If you previously used the last 4 digits of your telephone number as your PIN, the first time you log in to the new catalog, leave the PIN field blank and reset your PIN.

I have both an ACCESS card and a Branch Library card. Do I still need both? Can I still use both?

In addition to merging the collections of The New York Public Library into a single, searchable database, the Library also merged our patron databases. Duplicate patron records have been merged and only your most recently issued library card will remain active in the system.

If you currently have more than one Library card, you are welcome to e-mail ils@nypl.org to confirm which card is still valid.

Bookmark http://catalog.nypl.org for easy access to The Catalog/

Or go to http://catalog.nypl.org/iii/encore/home?lang=eng for easy access to The Catalog’s Quick Search interface!