Power to the Patron

The BPL Catalog has some great features that should make things easier for you to take care of your library business wherever you are this summer. Here are instructions for renewing items and placing holds whether you’re in the Library, at home, or far afield from Alexandria.

How to Self-Renew Items from the BPL Catalog

All patrons who have four-week borrowing privileges are entitled to one renewal per item. As long as you renew before the item is due and the item doesn’t have a hold on it, you can take care of your own renewals online. Please note that the system won’t allow you to renew most items until about a week before their due dates in order to give you the maximum amount of circulation time.

1. Click “My Record” on the right side of the catalog page.
2. You’ll be asked to Log In:
   1. Enter your Full Name and press Return.
   2. Enter the Barcode (the numbers, letters, and/or symbols string in its entirety) found on the back of your library card and press Submit.
3. Click the line that indicates the number of items you have currently checked out.
4. Select specific items to renew by clicking the checkboxes next to the title and clicking “Renew Selected”, or click “Renew All” if appropriate.
5. A screen will verify that your renewal was successful, or, if not, an error message will explain why it was not.

How to place a hold in the BPL Catalog

Members of the VTS Community can use the library catalog online to place holds on items that are currently checked out. Items should be reserved by title (not specific copy), unless you need a particular volume of a set.

1. Search for the item of interest.
2. Verify that the item is not currently checked in (see the Status column).
3. Click the “Request” button at the top of the screen.
4. You’ll be asked to Login:
   1. Enter your Full Name and press Return.
   2. Enter the Barcode (the numbers, letters, and/or symbol string in its entirety) found on the back of your library card and press Submit.
5. Verify your Request:
   1. Add a date if appropriate; for instance, if your paper is due on June 20^th, you wouldn’t want the book if it’s not returned until July.
   2. You can also change the pickup location if necessary.
6. Click Submit.
7. A screen will then verify that your request has been processed, and the Library will call when your requested item has been returned and is placed on hold for you.