The Library is excited to announce our new online catalog! For a quick overview explaining the registration process and how to perform common tasks, please watch the video below:
FAQ:
Q: Why did you change the catalog?
A: The new catalog offers a more modern experience, with better search options, community features, and a responsive design that works better with mobile devices.
Q: Why do I need to register if I already have a library account?
A: The new catalog has many new features, including community reviews. This requires each user to have a username.
Q: What should my username be?
A: You can pick whatever you’d like! Keep in mind, the username will be public if you make any community posts such as book reviews. If the username you’d like to use it taken, try adding numbers to the end. For your own privacy, we advise against using your real name in your username. For children’s accounts, you’ll have to select the username from pre-created options due to the requirements of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act.
Q: Can I still login with my barcode number?
A: Yes! Once you’ve registered, you may login either with your username, or your barcode number, whichever is easier for you.
Q: I tried to place an item on hold, but got an error. What happened?
A: It’s possible there are no copies of that item available. We share our catalog with dozens of other libraries. In many cases, you can place holds on their items and then those items get sent to us, allowing you access to tons of materials located across the state! However, if we don’t own an item, and none of the copies at other libraries are being shared, it’s not possible to place a hold on that item. This typically only happens on very new items. You can click on the “availability by location” link on the item’s page to confirm if we own an item.
Q: Can I filter my results to only include items I can get at Houghton Lake?
A: Yes! You can use the “Available Now” filter and select, “Houghton Lake Public Library” to only show items available at our library. When browsing new titles, use the “New Titles” link on the navigation menu to show all of our newest titles.
Q: Does this change how I search for eBooks?
A: The new catalog has the ability to search for, check out, and even read eBooks from inside the catalog! You can use the eBook option under the “Format” filter to limit your search results to eBooks.
You can also continue to use our eBooks section or the Libby app to access eBooks. Nothing has changed or been removed with those options.