Sofware: Important

Koha is best viewed with Firefox although Internet Explorer and other browsers will work. Click here to obtain Firefox.

Click here to add a search tool to IE7 or Firefox 2,3 to search the Stow-Munroe Falls catalog from your browser search tool.

Virtual Shelves Note: Virtual shelf names need to be unique and cannot be created when a previous shelf shares the same name. It is best to name your shelves something special like janesficiton, mikesscienebooks, funfictionforbill. This should be fixed in the new version.

Software that may prevent logging into the catalog: Some software may exist on your PC that can prevent logging into the catalog. If this is the case please contact your Internet Service Provider or a computer tech to repair the issue. In general, no proxy Internet connection will permit a login.

• AOL Internet Service Provider's rotating proxy - If you use AOL you will need to call them to ask them to turn this off
• Google Web Accelerator - This also uses a proxy which is Google data cache. It is said to have low privacy.
• Squid Proxies - This is a proxy used at businesses.
• Workplace Proxies - If your workplace uses a complex proxy, then you will not be able to log in and authenticate from work.

• Some antivirus programs and/or personal firewall programs will need an exception for the catalog, although it is rare.
• Some pop-up blockers on certain web browsers will prevent some of the features from working. You will need to make an exception to opac.smfpl.org to allow pop-ups to work.

• Accept Cookies - The Koha catalog, and most of the Web, requires that cookies are accepted. If you have cookies disabled in your browser you will need to turn them back on, at least for the opac.smfpl.org catalog.

Logging into Your Personal Library Account:

Your PASSWORD is a protection feature of your library account.

In most cases, it is the last four digits of your phone number in your library record.

For example, if the patron's phone number is: (330)-555-1234, then the password would be entered as 1234

In order to increase the security of your account, you are permitted to change your PASSWORD, only if you wish to, as this is not required. If you do wish to change your password, you must be logged in, and the option to change your PASSWORD is available from the “Your Account” screen. If you wish to keep using the last four digits of your phone number as your password, then please do so.

1. Type your library card barcode number,
2. Press the TAB key
3. Type your password which is the last four digits of your phone number unless you or a librarian has changed it.
4. You are logged in.
5. Remember to LOGOUT when you are finished

The Search Interface:

Welcome!

This library catalog system has search interface similar to popular internet search sites. Generally, you may type keywords of your title, author, subject on the main search line and press search. The results are by default relevance ranked according to the terms you use on your search.

Beginner Koha Help Brochure

Special Reserved Words and Symbols - These words are treated differently.

• AND - Require phrases on both sides of AND-- can also use ^ * +,
  • ex. this AND that
  • ex. this ^ that
  • ex. this + that
• OR - Require either phrase on each side of OR-- can also use | ,
  • ex. this OR that
  • ex. this | that
• NOT - Exclude phrase that follows, ex. this NOT that
• ( ) - Group operations - multiple levels are allowed, ex. (this AND (that OR those))
• [ ] - Any character, any order - ex. [aeiou] and reading
• . - The period - End symbol.. Required after many symbol operators - ex. Scien?.
• + - Inclusive Operator - use for small words and letters, ex. Star Wars Episode +I
• ? - Wildcard - any characters, ex. Scien?.
• ! - Stop Character-- can also use %, ex. Science!.
• : - For advanced search terms - ex. au:Tolkien for the author
• ' ' or " "- Literal Quote - use for literal interpretations of reserved words and symbols !%^*( ) [ ] :
  • example 'what?'

Subject, Title, Author, Series Authority Refinement

After a search is completed, if more than one entry was located in the catalog, all the bibliographic entries are listed, along with subject, title, author, and series authorities along the left hand side of the search result page. When these are clicked the search is refined even further to restrict on the authority clicked. The number next to each authority is the number of bibliographic entries or item entries for the current page. In other words, even though 20 pages of results are found these numbers represent how many on the very page you are viewing. You will only see the authority items based on the authority restriction and the restriction of your original search.

If an authority is clicked on a page for a single book, ex. "The Hobbit," then all items relating to that authority will appear.

Advanced Search Screen

The advanced search screen is the easiest option to restrict your search to various criteria, such as movies, audio books, history, or many topics. Select the categories you wish and type in the search terms you require, then hit search. Remember to clear your old search by clicking [New Search]. Because of the statistical nature of advanced searching, the results vary based on the data stored in the bibliographic records.

Specific Search Line Commands for People who Need More Control than the Advanced Search

(too many cooks)

(Ohio OR Florida) AND cat

the phrase too many cooks

grouping of search terms

code NOTcomputer

star NOTwars

Ohio NOT Cleveland

the word code but NOT the word computer

the word star but NOT the word wars

the word Ohio but NOT the word Cleveland

ti:wizard

ti:decorating and craft

au:Clancy

au:Rice and woman

su:poetry

su:poetry and snow

se:science

se:science and physics

callnum:smith

callnum:smith and short stories

isbn:0790729628

isbn:0618002219

yr:2000 and cats

(yr:2001-2006) and cats

    - note the use of ( )

fic: 1

fic: 0

Fiction

Non-Fiction

fic:1 and politics

fic:0 and wizard

l-format:sd

l-format:ss

l-format:vf

l-format:vd

Compact Disk

Cassette

VHS Video Tape

DVD Disk

l-format:sd and Mozart

l-format:ss and Bach

l-format:vf and wizard

l-format:vd and messenger