The Electronic Newsletter of the Palm Beach County Library System

Contents:
1/ Introduction to Books & Bytes
2/ Your Library Card Account Online
3/ Database of the Month – “World Book Online Reference Center”
4/ A Quick Byte – The F5 Key
5/ In Next Month's Issue

1/ Introduction to Books & Bytes

Welcome to the February issue of Books & Bytes. This month we will highlight how to check your library card account from home through our web site. In addition, we will learn how to locate articles from the “World Book Online Reference Center” database. Finally, “A Quick Byte” will feature a tip to assist you in your daily computer use.

We hope you enjoy receiving Books & Bytes. Please let us know what you think of our publication by writing to: webmaster@pbclibrary.org

2/ Your Library Card Account Online

What can you do from a computer set up in your living room, or one at your office downtown, or even an Internet-accessible computer on a cruise ship in the middle of the Atlantic? You can check your library card account online! The Palm Beach County Library System’s web catalog provides easy access to your library card account information. Use the “My Account” link to see what you have out, when it is due, and to renew your items.

Before you begin, you will need your library card number and your PIN handy. Your Personal Identification Number (PIN) provides access to your borrowing information on our web site. If you had a library card before November 20, 2003, your PIN was reset to the last four digits of your home telephone number. If you got a card after this date, you were given a random PIN when you signed up for your library card.

To access your account information, start at the library home page (www.pbclibrary.org). From there, choose “Check My Account” in the top right corner of the page. In the “My Account” section, three options are given:

“Review My Account” allows you to view the items currently checked out on your card. To see the list, enter your library card number starting with the “D” and without the space between the fourth and fifth numbers (ex: D01234578) and your PIN. Click on the button “Display User Information” to see a list of your items plus their due dates, along with any fine money owned for overdue or lost items.

“Renew My Materials” allows you to extend the loan period for most items. Again, enter your library card number and PIN, followed by a click on “List Charged Items.” From here, you can select specific items to renew by clicking on their check boxes. To complete the renewals, click on the “Renew Selected Items” button. Please be aware that you are only allowed to renew an item once, and only if another person has not placed a hold for that item.

“Change User PIN” allows you to change the secret number used to protect your library card account. To do so, enter your library card number and current PIN. Then type your new PIN in the labeled fields. Your new PIN should be at least 4 numbers long, and no more than 8 numbers long. Use numbers only - no letters, special characters, or punctuation. If you have forgotten your current PIN, you will need to visit a library branch to have a staff member look it up for you.

More information on your library card can be found at:
http://www.pbclibrary.org/cardfaq.htm

3/ Database of the Month – World Book Online Reference Center

Have you ever searched through heavy volumes of an library encyclopedia set to find answers to questions or facts for research projects? While you can still find good information in these weighty books, the library now provides access to the wealth of knowledge that does not require heavy lifting. You may now search the contents of the World Book Online Reference Center, available at home and in the library, by visiting our Electronic Databases page:
http://www.pbclibrary.org/edb/patronlinks.asp

The link for the World Book is located in the Kids section of our Electronic Databases, but the information it contains is useful to all ages. The home page of World Book Online Reference Center has a large search box at the top of the content area. Users can enter terms to search for articles, dictionary definitions, maps, pictures, and media on the site.

To conduct a basic search of the encyclopedia, type a word or phrase in the search text entry box at the top of the screen, then click Go or press Enter on your computer keyboard. The basic search will also search for different tenses and plurals of the term you entered. For example, if you search for "Indian," it will retrieve articles that contain the words "Indian," "Indians," or both. The results of the search will include the following types of content: Articles, Dictionary, Atlas, Tables, Sounds, Pictures, Videos, Back in Time Articles, and Special Reports.

Encyclopedia article results will be displayed in the center of the results screen. The number of returns in each content category is listed in the left column. Click the title of a content category, such as Tables, to view a display of the results in that category.

Users can print articles, e-mail them to others, or save them to their home computer.

We invite you to browse the World Book Online Reference Center on our Electronic Databases page at:
http://www.pbclibrary.org/edb/patronlinks.asp

4/ A Quick Byte – The Refreshing F5 Key

If you use Internet Explorer to view the Internet, you know that from time to time it is necessary to reload pages to ensure that you have the most current content. Normally, this is done by clicking on the “Refresh" button on the browser tool bar. You may not know that the F5 key will do the same thing. Press F5 when viewing a web page to make sure that you have the most current version of that page. You can also use F5 when in Windows to refresh the screen. This can be a handy shortcut when your are viewing the contents of a floppy disk. When you insert a new floppy, your screen will still show the contents of the first floppy. Just press F5 to refresh the screen and see the contents of the floppy you just inserted. So when you need a good refresher, consider the F5 key.

5/ Next Month in Books & Bytes

Next month we will show you how easy it is to volunteer at your local library. We will also show you how to search Morningstar in our Electronic Databases.