Overview
Recommended Web Browser Software
Database Selection
Database Description
How to Search
Search Tips
Search Results
Title List
Sorting
Printing the Title List
Additional Links
Available Copies
Placing a Hold on an Item
Review Search History
Saving, E-Mailing, and Printing Records
Branch Information
Journal Title Availability
Personal List Manager
Saving Your Personal List to Disk
Sending Your Personal List via E-Mail
Placing Holds on Multiple Items in Your List
Printing Your Personal List
Interlibrary Loan
Patron Information (Items Checked Out, Overdue, Lost, Holds, Fines)
Renewing Checked Out Items
Canceling a Hold
Patron Placed Holds
Reserve Tips
CARLweb is a graphical user interface which gives you access to your library catalog and, if your library has elected the option, to licensed databases. This Web interface also enables you to place holds, view your library card information, such as items checked out, items placed on hold or overdue, fines, etc.
The CARLweb development team has made its best effort to support all browsers; however, some browsers do not support all of the features used in CARLweb .
We recommend:
If your library is displaying non-Roman languages, such as Chinese or Korean, and you wish to view them, we recommend Internet Explorer 5.0 or higher.
Support is not guaranteed for beta release versions of these browsers. Support for co-branded versions of Netscape and Internet Explorer is not guaranteed. Using other browsers may result in error messages, formatting problems, or reduced functionality.
CARLweb opening pages are customizable by your library. If your library has included the library type option, and if you are unfamiliar with the databases in the scrolling list, click on one of the library type icons on the left side of the page. (Local Databases, Public Libraries, Academic Libraries, Special Libraries, School (K-12) Libraries, Magazines and Reference or All Databases.) If you click one of these buttons, a smaller list of relevant databases will appear in the scrolling list.
From the Database Selection page, you may click on one database, or hold the Control key (Windows PC) or Command key (Macintosh), while clicking up to six databases to be searched simultaneously. Click the Search these databases now button, which will take you to the initial search page.
In the upper right corner of the page throughout CARLweb , you may click on Change Database to return to the Database Selection page containing the list of databases.
If you have selected a single database, the name of that database will appear on the initial search page followed by a one-line summary (this short summary does not appear if you have selected multiple databases). Clicking on the database name brings you to a fuller description of the database.
The Basic Search Page lets you construct a search. You may simply enter a search and click the "Search" button, and the software will automatically execute your search term against the keyword, name and optionally subject indexes, as well as let you choose a browse link for title, author, or subject.
You may also select a search index from the drop down search type box, located beneath the search edit box.
Enter a word or words into the edit box. CARLweb is not "case sensitive." You may use upper (capital) or lower case (small) letters.
Search Types:
A description of the search types is listed below. If you do not choose a
search type, the system will default to a search indicated in the
search type drop down box. The search type options are:
Keyword: If you are unsure of the exact title or subject, type key words. You may type one word, or several words in any order. The result will be a list of titles which contain your keywords. The additional options of limiting by format, language and/or date are only valid in author or keyword searches.
Format and Language Limiting: To find the videorecording of "Gone with the Wind", enter "gone wind" as the search terms, then scroll down and click the "Limit by format" field and choose "Videos". Now click the "Search" button next to your search terms. To find math books for children written in Spanish, enter "mathematics" as the search term, scroll down and click the "Limit by format" field and choose "juvenile"; then click on the "Limit by Language" field and choose "Spanish". Now click on the "Search" button next to your search term.
Date Limiting: After entering your search term(s), scroll down to the Date Limit Options and click on "Limited by Date". To limit the results of a search on "cancer treatment" to titles published since 2000, enter 2000 in the Year is later than field .Now click on the "Search" button next to your search terms. NOTE: Date limiting is applicable to search results of 500 titles or less.
Subjects: Type words from subject headings in any order. Use this search if you are unsure of word order. The result will be a list of subject headings that contain your subject words.
Author or Name Headings: Type in author or editor names, either personal or corporate, i.e., Anne Rice, United Artists Corporation. Use this search if you are unsure of name order, i.e., Gabriel Garcia Marquez. The result will be a list of name headings that contain the name you typed.
Title Browse: If you know the exact title, type it in. Do not include leading articles (a, an, the) in any language. Most punctuation does not have to be included within the title. If you are uncertain about the exact title, use a keyword search.
Author or Name Browse: Use this search to browse an alphabetical listing of name headings. For personal names, type last name first, a comma, a space, then the first name, i.e., Grisham, John. For corporate names, type the name in direct order. The result will be a list of name headings beginning at, or closest to, the name you typed. Names containing apostrophes (e.g. O'Donnell, Chris) must include the punctuation for correct placement within the browse.
Subject Browse: Use this search to browse an alphabetical listing of subject headings. Type in as much of the subject heading as you know. You will be put at, or closest to, the first word you typed, i.e., Art Italy. For personal names, type last name first, a comma, a space, then the first name, i.e., Kennedy, John. If you are not sure of the exact subject heading, use Subjects instead. The result will be a list of subject headings beginning at, or closest to, the first word you typed.
Series Browse: Use this search to find titles which are published as part of a series. Type in as much of the series title as you know, i.e., Sunset Books. Exclude the leading article (a, an, the) in all languages. The result will be a list of titles that contain series headings beginning at, or closest to, the first word you typed.
Call Number Browse: If you want to search the collection as it is shelved, type in as much of the call number as you know. Call numbers should be spaced as they appear on the books, videos, etc., and include any decimal points, i.e., 796.252 J665-2. The result will be a list of titles beginning at, or closest to, the call number you typed.
Name/Word Searches: Authors or names can be combined with titles or subjects in a single search. The search must be formatted as name/word (e.g., stephen king/shining or sondheim/broadway).
Search Tips
1. Combined author and word searching:
Authors or names can be combined with title or subjects in a single search. Type //n followed by the name, then a / followed by words from the title or subject. For example:
//nMichener/Hawaii
//nGrisham/Pelican Brief
//nRoosevelt/new deal
2. Other quick search shortcuts:
//n for author or name
//w for keyword
//tw/ for title keyword (if your library supports it)
//sd/ for subject keyword
//ed/ for series keyword
//t for title browse
//c for call number browse
//s for series browse
//l for LCCN search
//z for control number browse
3. Truncation:
You may use an asterisk * with part of a subject or name to expand the search. This also helps if you don't know the exact spelling of an author or subject. The * character may be appended to the beginning, in the middle, or at the end of a word.
"psych* child*" will find items on child psychology or children and psychiatry
"tschai*" will find items by or about the composer Tschaikovsky
"*house" will find items on house and doghouse
"h*se" will find items on house and hose
4. Wildcard searching:
You may use a question mark ? with part of a subject or name to expand the search by a specific number of characters. The ? wildcard character can be appended to the beginning, in the middle, or at the end of a word.
" transport?" will find items on transport and transports whereas "transport*" will retrieve transport, transports, transportation, etc.
"comput???" will retrieve records containing compute, computed, computer, and computers, but not computation, computerize, etc.
" wom?n" retrieves women and woman
5. Expand your search by using OR between search terms:
teenagers or adolescents
dogs or canines
6. Narrow your search by using the words AND or BUT NOT:
mountains and geology
viruses but not computers
7. Date limiting:
"Singapore [d>1989]" will find books written about Singapore after 1989
"Dogs [d=1991]" will find books written in the year 1991
"Asian art history [d<1920]" will find books written before 1920
8. Searching for words near each other (if your library supports it):
You may use proximity and adjacency operators to specify how close your search words are to each other, and in what order. These operators will work for title keyword, subject keyword, series keyword, and author or name keyword searches only.
The (w) operator specifies that words must be next to each other (adjacent) and in the order specified.
cold (w) fusion retrieves cold fusion
The (#w) or (w#) operator specifies that words must be separated by no more than the chosen number of words, e.g., five words apart or (5w) or (w5), and in the order specified. The (w) operator may be preceded or followed by a number from 1-99.
balance (1w) trade retrieves balance of trade
george (3w) carver retrieves George Carver and George Washington Carver
The (n) operator specifies that words must be adjacent, but in any order.
john (n) kennedy retrieves John Kennedy and Kennedy, John
The (#n) or (n#) operator specifies that words be separated by no more than the specified number of words, e.g., five words apart, or (5n) or (n5). The words can appear in any order. The (n) operator may be preceded or followed by a number from 1-99.
cost (1n) benefit retrieves cost to benefit, benefit to cost, cost-benefit, benefit/cost
hillary (n3) clinton retrieves Hillary Clinton; Clinton, Hillary Rodham; and Clinton, Bill and Hillary
7. Limit by branch and availability:
You may also limit your search to include only items that are owned by a
particular branch of your library, or only items that are both owned by
a particular branch and are currently available.
By clicking on the button labeled "Limit by branch and availability",
you will go to a new screen that will allow you to select the branch of
your choice (for example, your local branch). To choose a branch, click
the radio button next to the branch name.
Additionally, this screen allows you to limit your search further by
choosing to show only items that are available (i.e.--not checked out)
at the selected branch. To do so, click the radio button next to "Yes".
Please note that this limiting option will only work with a Keyword or Author or name search type.
Your local installation of CARLweb may or may not include a Results page if you search a single database. If it does not, you will be taken directly from the initial search page to the Title List page.
If your local installation does include the Results page, or if you have entered a search against more than one database, the Results page will present you with a list of matches resulting from each index searched (such as keyword, author, name and optionally subject). You will also be given the ability to try your search term as a browse, with links for browse titles, subjects, or names. The following is an example of a search in the Phoenix Public Library for 'Taos':
Database: Phoenix Public Library
234 Keyword matches
5 Author or name matches
154 Subject matches
Browse titles beginning with "Taos"
Browse subjects beginning with "Taos"
Browse names beginning with "Taos"
Help Contents
You may click on the Keyword, Author, or Subject matches link, which will take you to the Title List page, or you may click on any of the Browse links to go to the respective index for browsing.
NOTE: If your search term did not retrieve results in the Keyword, Author, or Subject indexes, or if your library does not support subject searching, you will not see matches links on the results page.
You may change your search or database by clicking on New Search or Change Database in the upper right corner.
The Other Search Engines is an option which allows you to re-execute your search term against a variety of other web search engines, such as Lycos, HotBot, or Amazon Books. Click on a search engine link to explore this capability.
NOTE: Once you click on a new search engine, you are no longer in CARLweb , and must use your browser's Back button to navigate back to CARLweb .
The Title List displays the titles of your results. From this page, you may View the Full Record, Display checked records this page, activate the Personal List Manager feature, or Review Search History .
Sorting
The default sort for the list of titles is reverse chronological order, that is, the most current items first. If your retrieval set is less that 300 (a configurable number that is determined by the library), you may also choose to sort your list by author, title, call number, date, or original order.
NOTE: if you select Sort by Date, this will give you a true chronological date order, that is, oldest items to the newest items. Original order will restore the list to the default sort.
Clicking on the Display checked records this page (assuming you have checked boxes next to some or all of the titles on the page), displays the Full Records for the checked titles continuously on one page.
You may change your search or database by clicking on Change Search or Change Database in the upper right corner.
To print the Title List page (which contains up to ten titles), click on your browser Print button at the top of the page. If you want to print a list longer than the page displayed, use the Personal List Manager.
To view the Full Record, click on the highlighted title link.
At the Full Record page, to view another record, either return to the Title List to select another Title, or click on the Next or Previous link at the top or bottom of the page to take you to the next or previous Full Record.
From the Full Record page, you may go Back to List, view Available copies, Place Hold(s), , activate the Personal List Manager, Review Search History, Save record(s) to disk, E-mail records, Display print version of the record, or, if your library has included the ILL option, Request item from Interlibrary Loan. (see Interlibrary Loan.)
You may change your search or database by clicking on New Search or Change Database in the upper right corner.
To print, save, or e-mail Full Records, see Saving, E-Mailing, and Printing Records.
Most Full Records have links to enable you to look at other records which have a common element with the Full Record. For example, you may find links in the Name field, the Author field, the Subjects field, the Other Entries field, etc. Clicking on one of these links will initiate either a browse or a search on that index, depending on what your library has defined.
Your library may have selected an option to place an Available Copies button on the left side of the Full Record page to link to another page showing Available Copies. Or it may have opted to place the Available Copies information at the bottom of the Full Record page.
Clicking on the highlighted branch name next to the Available Copies information will take you to a new page with pertinent information about the particular branch, such as its address and phone number.
Another option your library may have selected is a Where To Find It button, which allows you to jump directly to the holdings associated with an item.
If your library has selected this option and you would like to place a hold on an item, click the Place Hold(s) button on the left side of the Full Record page. You will be prompted for your user validation information, and then taken to the Branch Pickup page. Select the branch from the scrolling window and click enter. You will receive a confirmation as to whether the hold has been placed. For more information, see Patron Placed Holds.
You may review the searches you have entered during your current session by clicking on Review Search History, which appears on the Title List and Full Record pages. Your Search History will be listed within each database in the order searched. You may click on any of these links to reinitiate a previous search.
There are three ways to save and print records:
From the Title List, check 1-10 of the boxes to the left of the Title. Click on Display Checked Records on the left side of the page. The records you checked will now display in full format on one continuous page. You may now:
a. Print this page using your browser print button;
b. Click the Save record(s) to disk on the left side of the page (see Saving Your Personal List to Disk)
c. Click the E-mail record(s) on the left side of the page. (see Sending your Personal List via E-Mail)
By clicking a highlighted branch name link on the Full Record page, you will arrive at the Branch Information page. This page provides pertinent information about a specific branch of your library such as its address and phone number. To go back to the Full Record, click on the Return to Full Record button.
When you click an Individual issue information link
on a Full Record screen for a magazine or other serial, you will see a
list of issues for the journal title, the current status of each issue,
and a check-in date for each issue.
Right above the list is a form which allows you to search for issues in a
particular year. Currently, you may choose any year from the present
back to 1988.
The Personal List Manager enables you to capture and store your search results in two different formats. Once you have placed your selected records on your Personal List, you may save them as a file on diskette or your personal computer's hard drive, or send them to an e-mail address, print them, or place holds on items from your list.
From the Title List, you may select specific records by clicking on the checkbox to the left of each title, and then clicking Add checked records from this page to list. You may also select one or more titles from the Title List page by clicking Add all records from this page to list, or Add all results to personal list. You may cumulatively add a maximum of 500 records to your Personal List during a CARLweb session.
After you have selected and added the titles to be stored in your Personal List, you may click on View personal list. From this page you may go Back to list, Sort results, Delete all records, Delete checked records, Place hold(s), Save record(s) to disk, or E-mail records.
The titles you select from various searches during one session of CARLweb will all be added to the same list. This feature enables you to add Records from various databases to one Personal List. You may Delete from your list at any time.
After you have selected the Records you want on your Personal List, click on View my list. To save your records electronically, click on Save Record(s) to Disk on the left side of the Personal List Manager - Title List page. On the Personal List - Save to Disk page, click on the following selections:
Record Type: Title List or Full Records
Record Format: Plain Text or HTML Format
For efficiency in processing, records are downloaded from the database provider in sequential groups of 10. After each group is downloaded, you will be given the opportunity to download 10 more. Each group of 10 will append to the previous group so that all of the downloaded records will be saved to one file. (Note: your library may choose to download in groups greater than 10.)
If you are using Netscape:
After you click on Click here to stop and save the downloaded records to disk, a browser-generated window entitled Unknown File Type will appear.
IMPORTANT: DO NOT CLICK on More Info or Pick App, as these selections do not relate to CARLweb.
DO CLICK on Save File (or Cancel if you have changed your mind about saving).
A Save As window will appear. Save as you normally would save a file in a Windows or Macintosh application. The default file name will be records.txt (Plain text file, no diacritics or special features) or records.html.
If you are using Internet Explorer:
After you click on Click here to stop and save the downloaded records to disk, your record(s)will be displayed as a page in your browser. Click on the File drop down menu at the top of the screen, Save as, and name your file.
After you have selected the Records you would like on your Personal List, click on View list. To e-mail your records, click on E-mail records on the left side of the Personal List Manager - Title List page.
Fill out the following boxes. Subject and Comment are optional fields:
Send to: your own or someone else's e-mail address. Be sure to type in the complete e-mail address, including the domain name, as CARLweb does not know your institution's domain name.
Subject: Add a subject line, identifying email content.
Comments: Add explanatory text.
Record Type: Title List or Full Records
Record Format: Plain Text or HTML Format
If you select the HTML Format, the message will be received as text with the HTML code displayed. By saving the e-mail message as an HTML file after receipt, the records can then be viewed with browser software or e-mail readers that interpret HTML. (The plain text file will not contain diacritics or special features.)
So that your records will e-mail efficiently from the database provider, they will be sent in sequential groups of 10 per e-mail message. After each group is sent, you will be given the opportunity to send the next group of 10.
Placing Holds on multiple items in your Personal List
After you have selected the Records you would like on your Personal List, click on View list. To place holds on multiple items at once, click on the box next to each item on the list, then click Place hold(s) on the left side of the Personal List Manager - Title List page.
This is a convenient way of securing a large number of items that may
not be immediately available. For the Patron Placed Holds function, you
must have a library card in good standing for your home library. You may
only place holds in your own library system. You may only use the
multiple holds function for items owned by your library. For more
information on how to place holds, see Patron Placed Holds.
After providing the necessary information and clicking the Place Hold(s)
button, a confirmation screen will appear. The confirmation screen will
let you know whether or not your holds were successfully placed, your
place in the holds queue (i.e.--how many people have a hold placed on
each item before you), and the number of holdable copies of each item.
If a hold may not be placed on any item(s), you will get a message
indicating why and be instructed to contact library staff.
NOTE:. This feature will not work for items from other databases.
To print one page of your Personal List - Title List, view the page, and click your browser's Print button at the top of the page.
To print one Full Record from your Personal List, view the page, and click your browser's Print button at the top of the page.
To print one page of Full Records (including holdings), click View these full records. Full records 1 through 10 will display. Select your browser's Print button at the top of the page.
To print the entire Title List or the Full Records from your Personal List:
If your library has opted to attach the optional Interlibrary Loan module, on the left side of the Full Record page, you will see a Request Item from Interlibrary Loan button. If you would like to make a request to borrow or photocopy an item, click this button. You will be taken to a page that explains the library's interlibrary loan policy. Clicking Continue at the bottom of this page will take you to the Interlibrary Loan Request page. Please fill out as much of the requested information as possible in order to expedite your order. Click on Transmit Request at the bottom of the page, and your request will be e-mailed to your library's Interlibrary Loan department.
If the CARLweb Interlibrary Loan option is not available, you may print a copy of the Full Record (see Printing a Single Full Record or Printing Your Personal List) and take the paper copy to your library's Interlibrary Loan Department.
From your library's home page, click on Patron Information. Enter the information requested on the Patron Validation page(s). You will then be taken to the Patron Information Summary page. Click on any of the available links for summary information on items checked out, overdue, lost, holds, or fines. Links on these summary pages will lead to pages containing detail on each item (in particular, see Renewing Checked Out Items and Canceling a Hold).
Note: You may also access your patron information after placing a hold. Click on the View my account button.
Click the Exit button at the top of the page to return to your library's home page.
Renewing Checked Out Items
To renew items that you have previously checked out, you may click the Checked out
link on the Patron Information Summary page. This link will take you to
a summary of all the items that you currently have checked out. From
the Checked Out Summary screen, you may click the Renew all items button to renew all of your checked out items, select several titles from the list, then click Renew selected items, or you may click on a title link to go to a Checked Out Detail screen. From there, you may click on the Renew this item button to renew that item. A confirmation screen will appear to confirm your renewal.
Canceling a Hold
If you have placed a hold on an item and have decided that you no longer need the item to be held, click the Hold summary button on the Patron Information Summary page. This link will take you to a summary of all the items that you currently have on hold. Click on the title of the hold item that you want to cancel to go to the Holds Detail screen. On this page, click the Cancel this hold button. A confirmation screen will appear to confirm your cancellation.
NOTE: If you are having trouble gaining access to your patron information, we would recommend clearing the cache in your browser. If you are using Internet Explorer, go into "Tools" and "Internet Options", and then click on "Delete Files" under "Temporary Internet Files". If you are using Netscape, go into "Edit" and "Preferences", click on "Advanced Category", select "Cache", and click on the "Clear Disk Cache" button.
For the Patron Placed Holds function, you must have a library card in good standing for your home library. You may only place holds in your own library system.
Follow the hold prompts, entering your library card number, selecting a branch where you would like to pick up the hold, and specifying a date after which you no longer need the item. If a hold may not be placed, you will get a message indicating why, and to contact library staff.
After providing the necessary information, click the Place Hold(s) button. A confirmation screen will appear, indicating whether or not the hold was successfully placed. It may also notify you of your place in the holds queue (i.e.--how many people have a hold placed on the item before you), and the number of holdable copies of the item. If a hold may not be placed, you will get a message indicating why and be instructed to contact library staff.
To view your library account, you may click on the View my account button. From here, you will be able to cancel your hold, if necessary (see Canceling a Hold).
The Reserve main menu displays search options for course or professor
lists within your library. If you know your course number or
professor's name, you may enter the information in the appropriate text
box and click on the Enter button.
Alternatively, you may click on either the View all COURSE NUMBER or View all PROFESSOR NAME link to view all of the courses or professors that have placed items in your library's Reserve area.
Search by course
Search Reserves by COURSE NUMBER browses the Reserve
course list by course number and course name and displays any items
associated with the course number or name as entered.
If there is more than one course that begins with the string of letters
and numbers entered, a browse screen is presented from which you may
choose the correct course. The browse list includes course name or
number, professor and the number of items on the course list for each
course.
Truncating
If you are uncertain of the exact course number or name, you may enter a
short string of letters or numbers for the course. For example,
entering "art" will display a list of courses that have that string of
letters in either at the beginning of the course number (e.g.-- ART220)
or the course name
(e.g.--LANG ARTS/ SS CUR).
To limit your search, enter as many letters and/or numbers that you are
certain your course number contains. For example, entering "HIST" will
display a list of any courses numbers beginning with "HIST", plus any
courses that have that string of letters in their title (e.g.--WR LIT
HISTORICAL FICTION, an English course). However, entering "HIST2" will
display a list of courses that contains only course numbers associated
with a particular department and level (e.g.--HIST299).
Search by professor
Search Reserves by PROFESSOR NAME browses the reserve course list by name and displays any courses associated with the name as entered.
Truncating
If you are uncertain of the correct spelling of your professor's last
name, you may enter the first letter(s) of the name in the text box and
click on enter. If there is more than one name that
begins with the string of letters entered, a browse screen is presented
from which you may choose the correct professor.
If a match is found on the professor searched, or after selecting a professor from the browse, CARLweb shows courses listed for that professor.
Display
The display of courses includes a professor name, course title, and course number for each course. To view a list of all the Reserve items for a particular course, click on the course's highlighted line.
After selecting a course from a professor course list or after searching a course, the course list is displayed. Course lists show all items that have been converted to Reserve for that course. In addition to the item's title, your library may include other information for each item such as the call number, item number, Reserve status, status date, and the Reserve loan period code.
Last updated: 10/22/01