1. Login to My Account
2. Go to your Requests page
3. Select requests to suspend by clicking in the selection box to the left of the title.
4. Suspended requests always have a date associated with them. When the "suspend until" date passes the request is automatically activated. There are drop down boxes at the top center of the Requests page. Select a date with these or use the default date (one month).
5. Click the Suspend/Activate button.

1. Select suspended requests by clicking the selection box to the left of the title.
2. Click the Suspend/Activate button.
or:
3. Wait until the "suspend until" date passes.

1. The loan period will not be extended just because you are out of town. Make note of your due date before you leave.
2. Bring your card and/or login info with you. While you're gone, to renew items all you need is a computer with internet access or a phone.
3. A title's renewal status can change at any time. Just because a title is able to be renewed when you leave does not mean it will stay renewable. If a request is placed a title becomes non-renewable. Due dates on items that can't be renewed due to requests will not be extended nor fines excused.

Along the way, some new features and enhancements have been added. A summary of the changes are listed below.

Response Time
You should see an improved response time, especially on screens with long lists of titles (items out, requests, my list, etc.)

Checked-In indicator on the "Browse Title" screen
The blue dot that gives you a quick sense of availability has been added to the alphabetical list of titles that comes up when a "Title starts with..." search is performed.

Diacritics
Text with diacritics (accents, umlauts, tildes, etc.) is now displaying correctly throughout the catalog.

Detailed "Messages and Fines"
The information in "My Account" under the "Messages and Fines" tab now includes much more detail. The blocks are now broken down into 5 categories:
- Overdue and Still Out
- Overdue Fines
- Long Overdue (formerly "Lost")
- Other Fees
- Cancelled Requests

More sorting options in My Account
All columns throughout My Account can now be used for sorting.

Current users can grab the updated script here.

New users, get more information here.

Do you use Amazon.com^® to locate books? Wish you could easily find out if the Library owns a book you have located?

Now you can! Our Amazon/HCL Lookup tool displays brief information about the Library status of books you find in Amazon, right on the Amazon results page. While displaying the full page description of a particular title, up-to-date infomation about the status of the the title in the Hennepin County Library collection appears just below the title. The Lookup tool requires the Firefox web browser.

Only want to receive alerts on books? Or only receive alerts for audio CDs? Now you can – from the alerts page, click on Edit Settings to change your filtering options.

What are author alerts? We'll alert you when the Library has ordered a new title by an author or performer.

Tell us which author/performers you are interested in and we will send you an e-mail (or text message) when the library has ordered a new title by that author or performer. You can sign up for alerts from multiple authors/performers, including your favorite musical groups!

Start Now!

For the past four weeks, Library staff have been working to resolve slow response time in the Catalog. After identifying the problem as originating with our enhanced content vendor, staff has crafted a solution that will speed up Catalog searching while still being able to provide valuable added information about titles in the Library's collection.

We are currently working to fix slow response times when searching the Catalog.

Book covers and other information about titles, including tables of contents, reviews and exerpts, are not available at this time.

The Library contracts with a vendor to supply this "enhanced" content about titles in the Catalog. This vendor is experiencing technical problems that, in turn, causes the catalog to respond very slowly as you move from page to page.

We are exploring alternative ways to provide this valuable content in a timely way. While we work to solve this problem, "enhanced" features have been disabled to return search pages response to acceptable levels.

Thank you for your patience as we work to fix this problem.

The Library has created a presence on Facebook to share information and tools with the Facebook commmunity.

Become a fan of Hennepin County Library now!

Benefits include access to our nifty catalog search widget that allows you to search for books and other materials right from your Facebook profile. Here's what it looks like:

and here's a shortcut to get it. Over 300 Facebook users have already added it to their profile; don't miss out!

Did you know? You can also add a catalog search widget to Google and MySpace.

Do you shop online at Barnes & Noble^®? Wish you could easily find out if the Library owns a book you have located?

Our Barnes & Noble/HCL Lookup tool displays brief information about the Library status of books you find in B&N, right on the B&N results page. While displaying the full page description of a particular title, up-to-date infomation about the status of the the title in the Hennepin County Library collection appears just below the title. The Lookup tool requires the Firefox web browser.

Here’s what it looks like on the B&N results page:

The Barnes & Noble/HCL Lookup tool was created by Hennepin County Library and is not affiliated in any way with barnesandnoble.com^®. Questions should be directed to techhelp@hclib.org.

Attention Amazon shoppers! A similar tool is available for Amazon.com.

How to install the Barnes & Noble/HCL Lookup tool on your computer:

1. Get Firefox (free).

2. Install Greasemonkey (free - Installation instructions).

3. Install the Lookup tool (free).

Enjoy! The Barnes & Noble/HCL Lookup tool was adapted from the Amazon SPL Linky created by Carrick Mundell.

• Regular Print - limits search results to regular print books only
• eVideos - limits search results to downloadable videos

Connect Now

Now you can! Our Netflix Lookup tool displays brief information about the Library status of DVDs you find in Netflix, right on the results page. While you are viewing the full description of a particular title, up-to-date infomation about the status of the the title in the Hennepin County Library collection appears just above the title on the screen. The Lookup tool requires the Firefox web browser.

Here’s what it looks like on the Netflix results page:

The Netflix Lookup tool was created by Hennepin County Library and is not affiliated in any way with Netflix^®. Questions should be directed to techhelp@hclib.org.

How to install the Netflix Lookup tool on your computer:

1. Get Firefox (free).

2. Install Greasemonkey (free - Installation instructions).

3. Install the Lookup tool (free). If the Install button on this page does not work, here's a screenshot showing an alternate method for installing the tool:
   

Attention Amazon shoppers! A similar tool is available for Amazon.com.

Attention Barnes & Nobles shoppers! A similar tool is available for barnesandnobles.com.

"Hennepin County Library is always looking for ways to meet the needs of our customers," says Amy Ryan, library director. "This service will provide added convenience and privacy for them."

Customers can log on to the Library?s website, click on "My Account" and follow the step-by-step instructions. Library card, PIN and credit card information will be required to complete the transaction.

Customers can choose to pay the entire amount owed or make a partial payment (minimum of $2 per transaction). Customers will not be charged a transaction fee.

Current users can grab the updated script here.

New users, get more information here.

Do you use Amazon.com^® to locate books? Wish you could easily find out if the Library owns a book you have located?

Now you can! Our Amazon/HCL Lookup tool displays brief information about the Library status of books you find in Amazon, right on the Amazon results page. While displaying the full page description of a particular title, up-to-date infomation about the status of the the title in the Hennepin County Library collection appears just below the title. The Lookup tool requires the Firefox web browser.

• Fiction and non-fiction, adult & children's, bestsellers and classics, some Spanish language
  
  
• Learn French in the air on your way to Paris with "In-Flight French"
  
  
• Time will fly by on that road trip to Grandma's for the holidays when the whole family listens to favorites by Roald Dahl, C.S. Lewis, and Beverly Cleary
  
  
• Even selective teens can find something sure to entertain with titles by Carl Hiaasen, Philip Pullman and Christopher Paolini
  
  
• Be the first to listen to the latest titles from bestselling authors like James Patterson, Nora Roberts and John Grisham

Here's how:

1. When viewing a list of titles, or the full information about a specific title, click on the "More Request Options" link which appears below the Request Item button.
   
   
2. The Request Confirmation screen may include additional options, depending on the type and number of items available for the title you are requesting. View a sample screen.
   
   
3. If there are hardcover and paperback copies available, you will have the option of specifying one or the other.
   
   
4. If more than one copy of the title is available, you will have the option to request multiple copies.
   
   
5. Click the Request button to confirm your request.

If you have created a personalized search page in Google, you can add a Library Catalog search box right on your Google page. (Don't have a personalized page? Next time you visit Google, click on "Personalized Page". The link appears in the upper right-hand corner.)

Here's how:

1. From your personalized page, click the "Add Content" link in the upper left-hand corner of the page.
   
   
2. Enter "Hennepin County Library Catalog" in the search box and click the Search Homepage Content button.
   
   
3. Click to add the Catalog Search "gadget" to your personalized page.

Do you shop online at Barnes & Noble^®? Wish you could easily find out if the Library owns a book you have located?

Now you can! Our Barnes & Noble/HCL Lookup tool displays brief information about the Library status of books you find in B&N, right on the B&N results page. While displaying the full page description of a particular title, up-to-date infomation about the status of the the title in the Hennepin County Library collection appears just below the title. The Lookup tool requires the Firefox web browser.

Here’s what it looks like on the B&N results page:

The Barnes & Noble/HCL Lookup tool was created by Hennepin County Library and is not affiliated in any way with barnesandnoble.com^®. Questions should be directed to techhelp@hclib.org.

Attention Amazon shoppers! A similar tool is available for Amazon.com.

How to install the Barnes & Noble/HCL Lookup tool on your computer:

1. Get Firefox (free).

2. Install Greasemonkey (free - Installation instructions).

3. Install the Lookup tool (free).

Enjoy! The Barnes & Noble/HCL Lookup tool was adapted from the Amazon SPL Linky created by Carrick Mundell.

Choose from adult and children's titles, bestseller and classics. Titles may be checked out for 21 days.

Read the Audio eBooks FAQ for more information about Overdrive Digital Library and NetLibrary, our other audio eBook supplier.

Read more about the NetLibrary audio eBook service, including reader comments.

Screenshot of Overdrive Digital Catalog

Now you can! Our Amazon/HCL Lookup tool displays brief information about the Library status of books you find in Amazon, right on the Amazon results page. While displaying the full page description of a particular title, up-to-date infomation about the status of the the title in the Hennepin County Library collection appears just below the title. The Lookup tool requires the Firefox web browser.

Here’s what it looks like on the Amazon results page:

The Amazon/HCL Lookup tool was created by Hennepin County Library and is not affiliated in any way with Amazon.com^®. Questions should be directed to techhelp@hclib.org.

Attention Barnes & Nobles shoppers! A similar tool is available for barnesandnobles.com.

How to install the Amazon/HCL Lookup tool on your computer:

1. Get Firefox (free).

2. Install Greasemonkey (free - Installation instructions).

3. Install the Lookup tool (free).

Enjoy! The Amazon/HCL Lookup tool was adapted from the Amazon SPL Linky created by Carrick Mundell.

Version 1.1 (updated 6/26/2006) - now links to a title search of the Catalog if there is no exact match with the edition located in Amazon.

Share your comments about books, DVDs, music and more! Did you enjoy a title you checked out from the Library? Let everyone know. Wondering if a title is worth reading? Look for comments from other Hennepin County Library users.

Look for the button in the Library Catalog and on our Book Lists. Click on the button add a comment and view comments added by others. In addition, you will find these features on the page:

• book summaries;
• table of contents;
• book reviews;
• first chapters;
• author notes;
• character descriptions (for fiction);
• related book lists of interest;
• recently commented titles;
• recent reviews from Amazon readers;
• cover art (where available).

When you add your first comment, you will be prompted to create a "Display Name" that appears with your comments, along with a password. Use your Display Name and password when submitting subsequent comments. When other users read your comments, they can click on your name to view all your comments.

RSS feeds are available for individual titles and a cumulative feed is available as well.

In the past, request lists reflected not only active requests but also suspended requests and requests filled but not yet picked up by library users. This led to some odd displays when viewing one's Requests list in My Account. For example, "you are number 145 of 138".

Beginning today, only active requests will be used when calculating the total number of requests for a title. As a result, you may see your place in line "jump ahead" for popular titles!

Firefox users: Add the Library to your Search Bar!

Library Catalog Search

OR
Library Super Search
(includes catalog, website and more)

Q. What is the Search Bar?
A. The Firefox Search Bar gives you quick access to search your favorite websites. Look in the upper right-hand corner of the browser window. Do you see the Google logo? By entering text in the box to the right of the logo, you can search Google from any web page.

Q. Can I search other sites besides Google?
A. Yes. Click on the Google logo to view a list of other searches available from the Search Bar.

Q. Can I add the Library to the list?
A. Absolutely! Click on one of the links above to add the Library to your Search Bar. It's that easy!

Q. Can I remove the Library search from by Search Bar?
A. Yes, in the unlikely event that you should decide to remove the Library from your Search Bar, follow the instructions here.]]> Glenn P. Mon, 17 Apr 2006 10:21:32 CDT http://www.hclib.org/blogs/CatalogNews.cfm?ID=28 We'll alert you when the Library has ordered a new title by an author or performer.

Tell us which author/performers you are interested in and we will send you an e-mail alert when the library has ordered a new title by that author or performer. You can sign up for alerts from multiple authors/performers, including your favorite musical groups!

Update: Filter your alerts by format! Only want to receive alerts on books? Or only receive alerts for audio CDs? Now you can – from the alerts page, click on Edit Settings to change your filtering options.

Start Now!

The collection also includes book club favorites, the Pimsleur language learning series, and the Contemporary English Version Holy Bible. Approximately 30 new titles are added to the collection each month. Audio eBooks can be downloaded or played on any desktop, laptop or portable device supporting Windows Media Player version 9 or higher (sorry, iPods are not supported at this time). Audio eBooks may be downloaded only on computers outside the library. All titles in the audio eBook collection are listed in the Hennepin County Library catalog (search under the subject: DOWNLOADABLE AUDIOBOOKS, for a complete listing).

Once you have created a free netLibrary account, which you can do by accessing netLibrary via the Hennepin County Library web page and entering your valid Hennepin County Library card number, you can check out up to 10 audio eBooks at a time. When you have downloaded an audio eBook, you will have access to it for 21 days and it can be renewed one time for an additional 21 days. There is no limit to the number of listeners who can check out an audio eBook at the same time. For more information, read the Audio eBooks FAQ.

Note: In July 2006, the Library began offering audio ebooks from an additional supplier, Overdrive. See the announcement here including tips for playing audio ebooks on iPods.

Follow these simple steps:

On the black menu bar at the top of the screen, click on ?Search with Limits.?

Click on the tab ?Limit by Format.?

Choose the type of search you want from the keyword pulldown menu. Type your search in the box. Click the circle before the format you want. Click on ?Go.?

Note: In July 2006 the Library began offering an additional audio e-book collection from Overdrive. See the announcement here (see the comments for tips for iPod users).]]> Julie B. Mon, 16 Jan 2006 09:54:36 CDT http://www.hclib.org/blogs/CatalogNews.cfm?ID=15