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The New Catalog

The new catalog is throwing us all (staff and customers) a few curves, but as with any large data migration and change in software, these "hiccups" can be expected.   The Ramapo Catskill Library System administrator is updating us frequently on the changes and updates they need to perform in order to make things run smoothly.  You may notice temporary loss of access when they make such changes.

DVD title searching can be done by first searching the title.  On the results page, under Media Type in the left-hand column entitled Limit Search Results, check off Physical Video Media and click on Include.  Give it a moment, and the DVD results will be culled out of the original results.  Using the Advanced Search to do this is a bit problematic right now, so we don't suggest that route. For new releases, use a keyword search such as "debt dvd" for the new release "The Debt."  See comments below for further explanation.

Please bear with us as we adjust to the new catalog.  This catalog is not a locally-controlled website; it is an Integrated Library System selected and shared by the 47 libraries that belong to the Ramapo Catskill Library System (RCLS).  It is what enables us to share and distribute the many wonderful resources that belong to the citizens of Rockland, Orange, and parts of Ulster and Sullivan counties. We shared over six million items last year, so you can understand that this is a significant undertaking that is not as simple as it might seem.

And to answer one more question: no, we will not be bringing back the old card catalog.  As frustrating as these new technologies can be, they can still deliver results that no wooden drawer of index cards ever could!

Thank you again for your patience.

Your rating: None Average: 2.3 (3 votes)

My Lists feature

My list has been successfully restored. Some minor glitches but all in all I'm getting used to new catalog.

Thanks for the good news!

Thanks for the good news!

12/13/2011: My account's MY LISTS still not restored

Well I'm not sure how other patrons fared, but taking down the catalog for about 15 minutes yesterday afternoon didn't restore my account's MY LISTS.

 

When are they planning to add new materials to the new catalog system? Throughout yesterday and today, I've been looking for the new DVD "The Debt", which was released a week ago. New City may not have purchased it for this month, but I'm sure other libraries in the RCLS did. So far, there's no catalog listing for it.

 

Thanks for the updates!

I assisted a customer today

I assisted a customer today in the library who showed me that her My Lists had been restored from the old catalog.  Has anyone else had similar success?  Thanks -

My lists have been restored,

My lists have been restored, thanks!  Some actions are not working on all lists (like delete).

Lists restored

Hooray!  I took a look at the Delete feature in my own list and was able to delete.  Check the box next to the item you want deleted, then under Select An Action, choose Delete Selected.  If you wanted to delete the entire contents of the list, check the box next to Select An Action.  That will select all entries.  Then you can choose Delete Selected.

To remove the list itself (and its contents), go to the left-hand column, check the box next to the list's name, and click on the little notebook with the minus sign.  Thanks for letting us know about your list recovery!

Thank you so much for your

Thank you so much for your info.  I haven't heard of a success story yet myself, so if anyone out there had their list restored, please let me know.

For those of you who use My Lists, please note that there is such a thing as a "Temporary" list.  It will save items only for the duration of your session.  When you log out, it goes away.  Please be sure to create a new list with a name (in the left hand column click on the notepad with the plus sign).  Items stored in your named lists will remain.  For now you may want to back those up by printing out or emailing them to yourself.

Searching newly released DVDs is tricky. For "The Debt" put the terms "debt dvd" in the search box.  The first hit is our copy.  Even though the subtext in the results list says "no copies available at New City Library", it means they are checked out.  If you see a Place Hold button available for the title, that means you can put yourself on the holds list.  If you were interested in the movie "The Help", use "help dvd" as your search terms.

DVDs don't come with nice clean bibliographic records like the books do.  RCLS enters a barebones record into the database so that the libraries can link their copies and get them out to the public and create holds lists.  Unfortunately, that doesn't make for easy searching (even for staff).  The records are cleaned up at a later time.  We had this problem in the last catalog, too.

Update:  The record for the new movie "The Debt" has now been "cleaned up."  Using the search terms "the debt" will pull up the DVD (unfortunately, it's the fifth hit). Please note there are three different films in the catalog with the same title!  Always take note of the release dates when placing your holds.

Hope this helps! 

picking up held materials

I know that there are many things out of the control of each local library and I would hope that the needed restorations, improvements and tweaks to the system can be completed quickly to better aid our use of the improved capabilities the new system will offer, as well as those much needed ones offered by the previous system.

Thank you for contributing

Thank you for contributing your concerns.  The "pick up by" information is apparently not yet in the "My Account" feature and is not being included in the automated telephone notification either.  We apologize and the system is aware of the problem.  I know the information was included in email notification.  I use that method and saw the "pickup by" date for my own holds. We appreciate your patience as the system works out this issue.

I can log in, but my

I can log in, but my previously saved list is gone. I accessed it right before the upgrade so I know it was there; it had about 12 books on it. 

Sorry about your list.  RCLS

Sorry about your list.  RCLS will be notified.

MY LISTS still not restored

No, as of 10:15am on Sunday (12/11/2011) my account's MY LISTS have not been restored.

BTW, in the old catalog system we were able to look up items by their RCLS bar code number, ISBN numbers, and other identifiers. Are there methods to do this in the new catalog system?

Thanks for the input.  The My

Thanks for the input.  The My Lists apparently are still not there.  On a happier note, you can search by ISBN.  In the basic search, leave the "Everything" index selected, and put it in the ISBN.  Be sure to leave out spaces or hyphens, as it is format-sensitive.  No luck with item barcode, however.  That's not too often used by our customers (the savvy ones, yes, ;-)) so I'm not sure that capability will be added.

Unable to log in

Clicked on My Account under the account heading and nothing happens.  Unable to log into account.  What happens if you cannot see and renew items.  Will we get late fines? Also, don't know when to return books to library.  Why are there so many problems with program that were not fixed before it was launched?

Thank you and Happy Holidays. 

I just tried myself and had

I just tried myself and had no luck either.  Perhaps like many other online databases they are performing weekend overnight maintenance.  RCLS has been notified.

The library opens at noon today (Sunday), and you can call the reference desk at 634-4997 x 125 for an update.  You may also request to renew your checked out items over the phone at the circulation desk at x124.  Please try the system again later this morning, but call if you still can't get on.  Thank you for letting us know.

My lists have not been

My lists have not been restored.  Are you still working on the problem?

Sorry to hear that.  I'm glad

Sorry to hear that.  I'm glad you took the time to let us know.  There was an email at 11:30 am today from RCLS in Middletown stating that there were problems with the server that is used for the public catalog.  I'm not sure if that is part of the problem you are experiencing, but it is certainly an indication that there are still kinks that must be worked out in the coming days.  Rest assured that the member libraries are in contact with RCLS to alert them of any problems customers or staff are experiencing.  As it is now the weekend, they may not be fully-staffed, so we ask your patience while they work to sort things out.  Believe you me, we want to get past the rough patches as quickly as you do! 

Mobile Version

Is there a mobile version? I just logged onto my account & found it difficult to navigate on my cell phone. I also tried to cancel a hold from my phone & it didn't work. Even now as I'm typing this comment it is very clunky and difficult to manage on the phone. A mobile version is a must if this new catalog wants to be as technologically advanced as it claims. 

Yes, there is a mobile

Yes, there is a mobile version of the catalog, but it has apparently not "gone live" just yet.  We will investigate this further and provide an update when available.  I'm not sure why cancelling a hold didn't work, though.  I was able to do so myself on a Droid.  Perhaps you missed the confirmation pop-up window?  I had to do some swiping to find it!  Thanks for your input and stay tuned...

logging in

I would love to try the new system, bu i need a user name to log in. all i have is my card. Help?

The user name is the barcode

The user name is the barcode on the back of your library card.  Use the whole number with no spaces.  Your password is still the last four digits of the phone number we have on record.  Please call the reference desk if you need further help.  634-4997 x126.  Thanks for sticking with it!!

I am disappointed with the

I am disappointed with the new online catalog. What exactly was wrong with an old one? I would like to know who made decision to spend tax payers money for that update and what was the rationale behind it.

 

So library does not have money to get a yearly passes to the NYC attractions ( that cost $100+ /year and could be used multiple times) but there are enough money in the budget to do costly web site upgrade?

I'm sorry to hear that you

I'm sorry to hear that you are not pleased with the new catalog.  Please understand this is not an upgrade of New City Library's website; it is a change in the catalog that our 47-member library consortium, the Ramapo Catskill Library System, uses.  It was selected by RCLS because our previous catalog had become outdated and was no longer being supported by the company that produced it.  This is a common occurrence with software publishing as technology changes.  New City Library pays an annual fee to RCLS to participate in this catalog, and the joint catalog is what allows all the libraries in Rockland, Orange, and parts of Sullivan and Ulster Counties to share their resources.  In 2010, over six million items were circulated amongst the members through this joint catalog.

As to museum passes, the costs continue to rise and the venues themselves have been constricting their usage by public libraries.  We would love to be able to offer more, but the issue is about more than the cost.

Please know that our website is produced in-house by staff using a free, open-source content management system called Drupal with a nominal hosting cost saving thousands of dollars a year that would be spent if we used an outside web design company. We are very conscious of the public dollars we spend, and when we find suitable, cost-saving measures such as these, we employ them.

Thank you for your comments, and do drop by the reference desk if you'd like further assistance using the new catalog. 
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