USING THE PLS WEB PAC
(PUBLIC ACCESS CATALOG):
BASIC DIRECTIONS

The Peninsula Library System (PLS), which is made up of all the public (city and county) libraries in San Mateo County in addition to the three community college libraries (Skyline, CSM and Canada), now has a version of its catalog on the World Wide Web. This PLS web catalog is called the WebPAC (Public Access Catalog) and is different from the text-based version of the catalog commonly used in most of the libraries. Unfortunately the PLS WebPAC does not work with all web browser programs. To use the WebPAC, you need to have Netscape Navigator 3.01, 4.03, 4.04, or 4.05 or Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0 or 3.02. If you are using the AOL browser, the WebPAC probably will not work. (If you're using Netscape or Microsoft, you can check to see which version you are using by clicking HELP in your toolbar and then "About Navigator/Communicator" or "About Internet Explorer" depending on which browser you are using.) For more information on Web PAC requirements, link to http://www.pls.lib.ca.us/pls/plan/requirements.html

On the World Wide Web, link to http://plsinfo.org/plsclient.html.

Click on the Library Catalog button on the left side of the screen. [See example]

When you are using the PLS WebPAC, do not use the Back, Forward or Stop buttons on your browser. In the upper left of each WebPAC page there are Back and Forward arrows, a Stop button, a Start Over button and a Help button.

To search for books on a specific subject:

1. In the box titled "Choose an index to search", click, scroll down and select "SUBJECT Key Word(s)". [See example]
   
   
2. Click in the box titled "Enter a word or phrase", type in a word or words related to your subject and click the "Search" button (or press Enter). [See example]
   
   
3. This will display a list of all books with subjects related to the key words you entered. [See example] The "Number of hits" shown above the top of the list indicates the number of books available in all PLS libraries for all of the subject headings related to your key words.
   
   To move up or down in this list, use the scroll bar at the right side of the list.
   
   
   • If you are unable to find useful books with a Subject Key Word search, try an "ANY WORD(S)" search:
     
     
     • Click on the "New Search" button on the left side of the page.
     • The index is preset for ANY WORD(S) so no index selection is necessary.
     • Repeat steps 2 - 3 above.
     • The books displayed on the list will include all books containing your key word(s) in the title, author or subject(s) of the book.
       
       
   • If a large number of books are listed for the key word(s) you selected, it is usually helpful to limit the books to just those at a specific library or to sort them by publication date.
     
     
     • To limit the search to books only at a specific library, click on the "Search Settings" button near the bottom of the page; [See example]
       then, in the left selection box, click on the library or set of libraries you want to limit to; then click "OK". [See example]
       
     • To sort all of the books on the list by publication date so the newest books are displayed first, click on the word "Date" on the gray Field bar at the top right of the records list [See example]. The list will then be redisplayed with the newest books displayed first [See example]
       
       
4. To display the full information for any book on the list, click on the listing for that book (it will then be highlighted) and then click on the "Show Details" button near the bottom of the page. [See example]
   
   
5. On the "Detailed View" page, the full information for a book includes author, title and publication information and all subject headings for the book are shown in the top window. [See example] The subject headings are displayed below the basic information for the book, so you may have to scroll down in the top window to view the subject heading(s). [See example] The lower box shows the libraries, status and call number for the book. To find the book on the shelf of a specific library, copy down the call number.
   
   
   • To list other books on any of the subject headings listed, click on the subject heading word(s). This will display the subject heading index showing the heading you selected and other alphabetically-close headings. [See example] You can then select any headings to view lists of books for those subjects. [See example]
     
     
   • If the book is not available in the library you are using but is available in another PLS library, you can place a "hold" on the book in order to have it sent to any library at which you'd like to pick it up.
     To place a hold on the book:
     
     
     • Click on the "Place Hold" button near the bottom of the page [See example].
     • Then enter the bar code number from your library card and your "PIN" number--the last four numbers of your phone number--in the designated boxes and click on the "Submit Barcode" button.
     • Your name, address and phone number will be displayed. If the information is correct, click on the "Continue" button.
     • Then select the library at which you want to pick up the book (use the scroll bar in the library location box) and click on the "Finish" button.
     • After you enter this information, the book will be automatically sent to the library you selected. It should be received within 2 to 3 days.

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These materials may be used for educational purposes if you inform and credit the author and cite the source as: LSCI 105 Online Research. All commercial rights are reserved. To contact the author, or send comments or suggestions, email: Eric Brenner at brenner@smcccd.cc.ca.us