Tip of the Week Archive: OPAC

Sorting Items by Date in the Online Catalog

(Shared 3/25/2025)

When library staff and patrons search for items in the 4CLS online catalog (at www.4cls.org), the list of search results does not always show the newest items first. 

For example, my search for Louise Penny just now brings back a list with a 2010 book at the top; in most cases, you’d be looking for her most recent work to satisfy a patron request.

Here are two ways to sort items by publication date:

Sort search results by date

• After you’ve searched for your terms and received a list, click the Sort By menu at the top right.

• Choose Publication Date (Descending) to have the newest items appear at the top of the list. 

Limit search results by date

• After you’ve searched for your terms and received a list, look for the Publication Date section of the Limit Search Results menu on the left-hand side of the screen.  (It’s near the bottom of the menu.)

• In the boxes that say Any, type in the earliest and latest publication years that you’re looking for.  (You can make both of them the same year, if you want.)
• Click the blue Include button.
• The catalog will re-search and bring back only items that fit in the years you requested.

One caveat with both methods! 

There are some items in the catalog that are considered “continuations,” where the catalog believes that there are issues of a series that are published every year.  This is especially tricky with things like DVDs, graphic novels in series, travel guides, etc., but it can also include some older materials that were cataloged using now-outdated practices.

Tip of the Week - Tricky Words in Workflows

(Shared 11/26/2024)

This week’s tip has to do with some words that make searching trick (and sometimes frustrating!) in Workflows.

Have you ever been searching for a title in Workflows and got back a strange error message?  For example, if your patron is interested in Near the Bone by Christina Henry, and you type NEAR THE BONE into the search bar in Workflows, a cryptic message pops up: Error in query NEAR “NEAR((NEAR”  What does that even mean??

It turns out that there are some words called “operators” that give commands to Workflows within your search, and if they get used in a way that Workflows doesn’t expect, they’ll create error messages.

One category of operators is called “Boolean operators.”  These can be used to help focus your search if you place them between search terms.

• AND – Workflows locates records containing all of the specified terms. For example, a subject search on “cats AND dogs” locates records that contain information on both cats and dogs. Records about only cats or records about only dogs are excluded.

• NOT – Workflows locates records containing the first search term but not the second. For example, a subject search on “cats NOT dogs” locates records only about cats, and excludes any records about cats that also contain information about dogs.

• OR – Workflows locates records matching any or all of the specified terms. For example, a subject search on “cats OR dogs” locates records that contain information only about cats, records only about dogs, and records that contain information on both cats and dogs.

Another category of operators is called “positional operators.”  When placed between search terms, these locate records in which the terms are in close proximity.

• SAME – Workflows locates records in which a bibliographic record field contains all of the specified terms.
• WITH – Workflows locates records in which a field contains a sentence with all of the specified terms.
• NEAR – Workflows locates records in which a field contains all of the search terms adjacent to each other; however, the order of the terms does not have to match the order they were entered. 

But what if the title you’re looking for contains one of these words, and you don’t want to use it as an operator?  The solution is simple: just put the word in quotation marks.  So to return to the original example, typing “NEAR” THE BONE into the search bar will bring up the book you’re looking for.

Tip of the Week- Finding Item-Specific Collections in the Online Catalog

(Shared 11/19/2024)

Do you ever have a patron who wants to know what books are available in large print by a particular author?  Or do you have a patron who’s curious about what tools might be available to borrow from libraries in 4CLS?  Or maybe you’re looking for a professional book related to a topic relevant to issues at your library.  In each of these cases, one of the easiest ways to find these items is to use the “Local Collection” option in the 4CLS online catalog.

Here’s how to do it:

• Visit www.4cls.org
• Type your search terms in the top bar, and click “Search” (or press “Enter”).
• When the list of items loads, look at the menus on the left-hand side, under “Limit Search Options.”
• In the menu titled “Local Collections,” click the link for the type of item you are interested in.
• The list will reload, with only the items relevant to your (or your patron’s) needs included.

Here are some examples:

Mrs. Jones would like to know what Danielle Steel titles are available in large print.

• Search for “Danielle Steel.”
• In the “Local Collections” menu, click the link for “Large print editions.”
• The list will reload to include only the LP versions of Danielle Steel’s books.

Mr. Smith is interested to test out some knitting equipment before he purchases it.

• Search for “knitting.”
• In the “Local Collections” menu, click the link for “LIBRARY OF THINGS” or “CRAFTING COLLECTION.”
• The list will reload to include only the knitting equipment available from member libraries in the system.

A library staff member is interested in getting some ideas for children’s programs to hold in the library.

• Search for “children’s programs.”
• In the “Local Collections” menu, click the link for “LIBRARY PROFESSIONAL COLLECTION.”
• The list will reload to include only the books available in the Professional Collection.

Thanks to our amazing 4CLS cataloging crew, there are quite a number of Local Collection options to help narrow your search and find what you need!  Here’s a list (please note that some items are included in multiple collections):

Audio-enabled book collection.

Big books collection.

Blu-ray collection.

Book club kit collection.

Book-on-CD collection.

Braille book collection.  

Compact disc collection.

DVD collection.

Language CD collection.

Large print editions.

Launchpad collection.    

Library professional collection.

Literacy collection.

MP3 collection.

Playaway collection.

Readalong collection.

Reading Rainbow collection.

Storytime kit collection.

Toniebox collection.

Video game collection.

LIBRARY OF THINGS COLLECTIONS

Attractions and experiences collection.   

Cookware collection.    

Electronics and equipment collection.

Games and puzzles collection.

Crafting collection.

Puppet collection.

Recreation collection.

Tool collection.

Toys and educational materials collection.

Tip of the Week- Finding Book Club Kits

(Shared 4/2/2025)

This week's tip is about finding book club kits in Workflows and the OPAC.

Workflows:

• To search in Workflows, set Index to "General," Type to "Keyword," and Library to "ALL_LIBS" (if you want to search all libraries).
• Search for "book club kit collection" in the Search bar.
• All book club kits should have "[kit]" in the record's title.
• Alternatively, you can click the "Book club kit collection" hyperlink under "Local collection" in the record preview to view them all.

OPAC:

• Go to the library catalog: www.4cls.org
• Set your search to "Everything" and "All Fields," and click "Search" (without entering anything in the search bar).
• On the left, in the "Format" filter, check "kit" and click "include."
• On the left, in the "Local Collection" filter, check "book club kit collection" and click "include."
• Searching the OPAC allows you to see cover art and book synopses.