THE
MOST FREQUENTLY
ASKED QUESTIONS
from the
ASK A LIBRARIAN ONLINE REFERENCE SERVICE
How can I find new items in the WRL collection?
There
are three ways to find new items in the Williamsburg Regional Library (WRL)
collection from its online catalog, which can
be found
at
http://catalog.wrl.org.
The
first way is to select "Reader Resources" (found in the middle
part of the colored bar near
the
top of the page):
Under "New
Items at WRL" you can search our latest
acquisitions for a variety of item types for either the latest
month or for
each of the last 12
months.
The
second way: select "Hot Titles" (also found in the blue bar,
to
the right
of
the words "Basic Search").
At
the search results screen, you will find a variety
of
listings of
new items over the last month, including DVD's, audiobooks
on
CD, and music CD's.
The
third way to find new items in the WRL collection: do a "SUBJECT starts with" search
from the main catalog page and enter
one of these
exact
phrases:
audiobooks on
cassette
audiobooks on compact
disc
DVDs
music
compact discs
This will
pull
up our new listings over the past year, broken down by month, for these item
types. The
monthly
listings are in
alphabetical rather than chronological order.
Once you select a month of interest, like February 2008, you can use the sort feature to sort the list by call
number, which will separate the feature films (movies) from the non-feature films, like documentaries.
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How can I access
the many databases offered by WRL? Are there any special
requirements?
To
access these databases, go to the WRL website, www.wrl.org
and select "online databases"
and then
on the next page select "at home
use"
You
will then be at the main database
page. At the top of the page, you will find a list of the different categories of
these
databases, like
Books &
Reading
and Magazine and Newspaper Databases.
When
you select one of these categories, like Magazine and Newspaper Databases, you will be
taken to the complete
list
of
databases
that we have in that category.
When you find a database
like Big Chalk that you are interested in
and select it, you will then be prompted to enter the entire 14 digit number on
the
back of your library card, a number
that starts with 21688.
You will then be able to access the database.
Several
databases have special requirements. Net Library requires
that you set up an account at one of
our 2 locations
before you can start using it from home. This
can be done in a matter of minutes depending on computer availability. You
will need to enter your full name, your
e-mail
address, and a username and password.
Rosetta Stone requires that you
set up
an account, which you can do at home,
so that you can save your progress in
learning a language.
Some
databases, like Ancestry.com,
can only be
used from
within the library.
How can I
place a hold on an item in the WRL collection?
- Let's
say you want to place a hold on John Grisham's novel "The
Appeal." From
the WRL catalog page (http://catalog.wrl.org),
do a “title starts with" search for “The Appeal.”
- At
the Search Results screen, select “The Appeal” by John Grisham with
the "F Grisham" call number, which is the regular print version
of this title.
- At
the Item Information Screen, select the gray “Request Item” bar that
is below the title information and to the right of the gray “Add to my
list” bar.
- At
the login screen, enter the 16-digit number on the back of your library
card and select the gray login bar to access your library account.
- At
the Request Confirmation Screen, which shows your position on the hold
list, your notification status, and your pickup location, select the blue
“Request” bar to place your request.
- The
next screen will say “Your request has been successfully placed” and
it will show the same confirmation information about your request as the
previous screen. You can either select the “Return to Searching” or
the “Logout and Return” bar depending on what you want to do.
You can manage this and
other holds that you have made by accessing your online library account.
-
From
the WRL main catalog page (http://catalog.wrl.org), select the gray
"My Account" tab at the top of the screen
””
- At the login page, enter the 16-digit number on the back of your
library card and then select the gray login bar
request
has been
77p7 request has bee
- At the Account Overview page, select "Hold Requests" to see
a list of the holds that you have placed
successfully
10.
At the "Hold Requests" screen you can manage your holds in several
ways. First, select the box in front of the hold item you want to change
(highlighted in red below). If you want to cancel the request, then select the
gray "Cancel Request" bar located above and below the list of
requested items. You can suspend your request if for some reason (like travel)
you will not be able to pick it up when it comes in for you. Not only will you
not lose your place in the hold line, but you can actually move up the list
while the hold is suspended. But the item will not be held for you until you
reactivate the hold, which can be done by selecting the "Suspend /
reactivate" bar.
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How can I place a hold on a specific DVD in a series?
First,
go to the library's online catalog page, which can be found at http://catalog.wrl.org.
Select the "FILM TITLE starts
with" search,
enter the name of the DVD
series you want, and select the red arrow button (or press enter).
At the Search Results screen,
again select the name
of the series and the season that you want to watch.
Second,
at the Item Information screen, look for the copy holding information,
which
is found below the description of
the
series. Once you are
there, you will see
the listings and locations for the volumes in the series, and on
the far
right, you will see the words "Request
specific item." Select the volume you want, then click on the
"Request
specific
item" button next to that volume number.
Third,
enter
your library card number with no spaces (it starts with 21688....) and then select
the "Login"
button
to access your library account
You will
then get a request confirmation for
that specific item, and you
can
specify where
you want
to pick it up, either the
Williamsburg Library
on Scotland Street or the James City County Library on Croaker Road. Once you
do that, you click on the
request
button, and your hold will be placed
for that specific DVD in the series.
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How can I
renew an item that I have checked out from WRL?
- From
the Williamsburg Regional Library’s website, www.wrl.org,
select the "catalog-renew-reserve" button.
- Select
the gray "My Account" tab at the top of the next page.
- Enter
the 16-digit number on the back of your library card and & then
select the gray "Login" button.
- At
the "Account Overview" page, select "Items Out", which
is directly under the
"Account Overview" heading.
- At
the "Items Out" page, check the box in front of the item that
you want to renew, and then click on the gray renew
button, which can be found at both the top and at the bottom of your
"Items Out" list.
Your item should then be
renewed.
NOTE:
Sometimes you will not be able to renew an item because
1.
The item might be on hold by another patron
2. The item has already been
renewed twice
3. The item is more than a day overdue
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How can I
create and save a book list in the WRL catalog?
You
may create a list of titles from the library catalog, then save it for use later
or email it to any valid email address.
When
you find a title you would like to add to your book list, , click the "Add to my list" button.
The
"My Temporary Book List" icon at the top right corner of the screen numbers your
entries:
Click
the "My Temporary Book List" icon, to see the all of the titles in your
book list
To
save your book list, click the
"Login to your library account" icon at the top right corner of the screen
Enter the
the barcode number from the back of your library card
and click on the "Login" button
Once
you are logged into your library account, click the "My Temporary Book List"
to open up the book list
Click
the checkbox to the left of the title
From the -Move To- pulldown box above the
blue Title bar, select
"New List" to name your new list
Enter a list name. Click OK
Titles disappear from the screen. They have been moved to your named list.
Select your list name from the Saved Lists
pulldown box at right of the screen to view titles
in that list.
Once
the book list is open, you can do several things to the list. You can remove
titles from the list,
you
can email the list, you can manage the list, and you can request the
title.
When
you select the manage list option, you can rename or delete your booklists and
keep track
of
when the lists were created and when the lists will expire, which is
approximately 6 months from
the
date that they were created.
When
you are finished managing your booklists, be sure to click on the red logout
button at the top right of your
screen
to close your session.
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How can I donate items to WRL?
The
Williamsburg Regional Library accepts donations of a variety of materials,
including books, magazines, videos, DVD's,
CD's,
and even records. Most of these materials will be added to the two Friends of the Library Sales that are held every year.
These
sales generate thousands of dollars that the library uses to enhance its many collection areas and services.
Librarians review these donations and, if they are
in good condition and fit what is needed, they will be added
to the WRL
collection. You can
drop your donations off at the Circulation or the Reference Desk at either library. If you have a
large load
of
items to donate, you can drop them off at the loading dock of either
library, but come in and let us know you are here so
that we
can come out and meet you. Your donations are tax
deductible, so we can provide you with a contribution
report if you want one
for your records.
For more information: http://www.wrl.org/info/policies/donation.html.
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How can I find foreign films in the WRL collection?
From
the WRL online catalog, http://catalog.wrl.org,
do a "subject starts with" search for "foreign language films"
and then
click on
the red search button, or just press the enter button on your keyboard.
On the search results page, you will see a list
of foreign films in alphabetical order broken down by the language in which
the films
were made. Be
sure to select "Next twelve subjects" at the bottom of the page to see
more international films.
If
you select a name of a list (like "Foreign language films, Czech") you will be taken to a list of films in that particular
language.
If
the list is long, you can sort it by using the sort feature that can be found
at the top right of the screen, which lets you sort
the
list in a variety of ways, including by publication date and by title.
If
you find a title that you would like to check out, select its title, which
will take you to the Item Information screen. You will see
more about the movie, including a brief summary of the plot, when it was made
and who acted in it. If you scroll down to the
bottom
of this page, you will find the Copy/Holding Information, where you can see the movie's
location and availability.
If
you would like to browse through our entire list of foreign
films, you can do a "subject contains" search for "foreign
language
films"
This
will bring up a list of over 300 foreign films that you can
look at directly. You can also use the sort feature
here
(at the top right of the screen) which can be helpful when looking at such a large list.
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Where can I find local property information on the Internet?
James City County,
York County and the city of Williamsburg have online property tools
that can provide you with useful
information about properties in their jurisdictions.
The James City County property tool
can be found here:
http://www.regis.state.va.us/jcc/public/index.htm
The
York County property tool can be found here:
http://www.yorkcounty.gov/realestateassessment/york/search/frmSearch.asp
The
city of Williamsburg property tool can be found here:
http://www.ci.williamsburg.va.us/dept/realestate/disclaimer.htm
When searching by address, be sure to include the number
and name of the address but DO NOT put in the type of street
(road,
lane, etc). These property tools
also
provide a mini-map feature of properties in their databases.
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How can I get an item from another library through interlibrary
loan? What are the requirements?
The
Williamsburg Regional Library provides a free interlibrary loan service (ILL)
for items it does not own for library users who live
in
Williamsburg, James City County, and York County. Library users from those
areas can obtain a variety of materials via ILL,
including books,
VHS tapes, audio tapes, and microfilm. They can also obtain
photocopies of articles from magazines held
by other libraries.
Library
users who live in Williamsburg and James City County may borrow up to 3 items at a
time, while those who live in York
County may
borrow 1 item at a time. Library users cannot have more than $2 of
fines on their library accounts. ILL requests
take about
2-3
weeks on average to get here. Items checked out through the
ILL service cannot be renewed and cannot
be requested again for
a six month period. Items that are less than six months old cannot be
obtained through ILL, and
if the item is of general interest to
the public, the library may decide to purchase the item and add it to
the library collection
rather
than obtain it through ILL. The library user will
be notified when the item comes in, regardless of the way we decide to get
the
item.
ILL
requests can be made in three ways. Eligible library users can come to the Reference
Desk of either of our two libraries to make
their
request. They can also call in their ILL requests at 259-4050 or 259-7720 during
the library's regular operating hours, which can
be
found here: http://www.wrl.org/depts/circ/hours.html.
Callers
need to have their library card numbers ready (these start with
21688...)
in order to place their ILL requests over the phone.
To place requests after hours, or at any time, eligible library users can send in
their
requests online through the WRL "Ask-a-Librarian"
service, which can be found here: http://www.wrl.org/ask
. Supply your name, e-mail
address, library card number
and phone
number when you make your request online. You should indicate as much
information as possible
about the items of
interest, including
the title, author & ISBN number. You should also indicate where you would like to pick up the item
once it
arrives, either the Williamsburg Library on Scotland Street or the James City
County
Library on Croaker Road.
The
Williamsburg Regional Library belongs to OCLC, a nationwide network of
libraries that provides access to a wealth of
information
to
eligible library users. We make every effort to locate and obtain these
materials. Sometimes, we are unable to
obtain items
that are requested. In that case, we will notify a library user that the
ILL search has not been
successful, and that
person
will
have to explore other options to try and get the item.
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What computer classes are offered at
the Williamsburg Regional Library, and how can I sign
up for them?
The
Williamsburg Regional Library offers a variety of free classes covering
basic computer and Internet concepts. The
two
most popular classes
are the Basic Internet and Basic Computer classes. These two classes
require little if any knowledge
of computers or the Internet.
Some
of our other classes, like the Online Databases and the Online Shopping
classes, are
designed for
library users with some knowledge
and experience
of basic computer and Internet concepts. You can look at our latest
bi-monthly schedule of these classes here:
http://www.wrl.org/depts/ref/internet/newtrain.html.
You can also view a complete
descriptive list of classes offered
and look
at the class outlines
for most of these classes here:
http://www.wrl.org/depts/ref/internet/list.html.
Most of these classes are offered at the
James City
County Library's computer
lab on Croaker Road, though several classes are also
offered at the Williamsburg Library on Scotland Street.
The classes in
Williamsburg use laptops
and are limited to six library users per
class.
When
you find a class that you want to take, you can call 259-7720 to reserve a
spot in the class. Most classes are limited to 11
spots,
and some
classes limits are even smaller, so be sure to sign up as soon as possible.
If the class is full when you call to
sign up, you may be put
on a waiting list. If there are any cancellations before the day of the
class, people on the waiting list
will be notified in the order in which
they were put on the list. Most classes will provide a handout, a
schedule of upcoming
classes,
and a feedback form.
If
you need more help with a specific computer or Internet concept,
you may want to come in and get help from one of our
computer
volunteers. Right now, WRL has several volunteers who usually are here for 2
hours throughout the week. Library users
can
call
259-4050
or 259-7720 to find out the latest information about our volunteers and the
times that they are available.
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