Using the Online Catalog
The catalog contains those books acquired by the Mercantile Library from 1991 to the present. Books published before 1991 are accessible from our card catalog on the first floor. At the search screen you have the option to do an Author, Title, Subject or Keyword search. Below are some examples of searches.
Author Search: If you are looking for all the books we have by P.D. James (from 1991 to the present) you would type in James, PD and press “Author”.
Title Search: If you are looking for a specific title you would type in the title without leading articles a, an, or the and press “Title”. Once you type in a title e.g. Private Patient and click on “Title” the entry for that book will come up. On the far right it will tell you if the book is available or checked out. If it is available it will say: “1 of 1 available” and if the book is checked out it will say: “0 of 1 available”. Now if you click on the title which is in bold you will see a short synopsis of the book and if you then click on the book jacket picture you will be able to see reviews and even an excerpt from the first chapter.
Keyword Search: The Keyword search is the default search so if you enter your search terms and press enter it will always be a keyword search. You can also use this type of search when you just remember a few words from a title. Type in the words and all titles containing those words will come up.
Subject Search: If you have a subject in mind such as New York, enter those words click on “Subject” and you will see all the fiction and nonfiction books about New York.
Once you have a barcode on your card, you may set up an account by creating a user id and password. This allows you to keep track of your checked out books and to place online reserves. To place an online reserve, type in the title you want e.g. Private Patient and press title. Then click on the title in bold type and you will see a button on the right called “Hold It!” Click there to place your reserve. Our catalog also allows members with accounts to make book purchase suggestions through the “Wish List” option. This button appears on the right side of the screen above the “Hold It” button. Click here to suggest a book for purchase.