Book a book from your reading nook!

Say you just got home with your library haul. You have a huge stack of books and dvds  to keep yourself out of trouble and in your reading nook for the next 3 weeks. You settle in, and start at the top of the pile. It’s an impulse pick that happens to be something by an author that you’ve always been meaning to check out but never have.  It grabs you. You DEVOUR it. You’ve closed the back cover before the snow has melted on your boots by the door.

Here’s the thing. You have 3 weeks before the rest of your books are due and you will probably find a few in your pile that are just great, but this one was something special. You start to wonder; how many more are there by this writer? Does my favourite library branch have them? Will they be on the shelf for me next time I’m there? Will I even remember to look for them after 3 weeks of (insert your busy thing here) passes by?

Time to climb out of your reading nook (or pick up your phone/ipad). Time to BOOK A BOOK!

Placing a hold at www.valleylibrary.ca can be fast and easy as long as you don’t get sidetracked and end up browsing through titles that you didn’t know you wanted to read.

Here’s what you do:

1. Grab your AVRL library card and go to www.valleylibrary.ca

2. Find the search field and type in the title. Don’t know the title? How about the author? Or the series name?

3. Clicking on the search button sends you to our online catalogue. Now it’s time to narrow the search. We can choose to search for title, author, subject, or series. Then, we can narrow our search even more, with a number of drop down menus.

4. Scroll down until you find a title that looks interesting and...

5. Wait! You must be logged in to place that hold! You need your library card number and your PIN. Don’t have a card? Get one here: http://valleylibrary.ca/get-library-card Forgot your PIN? Contact any branch for help.

6. Aha! The hold can now be placed.

7.Choose a pickup location. And that's it!

Now the hard part. Waiting until it’s ready for pick up!

Tips:

• Sharing a computer? Don’t forget to log out!
• Looking for a popular new release? Try a less popular format. Maybe the Large Print version is available. We also have audiobooks and eBooks through our Overdrive for Libraries service. 
• Keep your search simple, then narrow the search. You might see something unexpected and interesting with a broader search. Second, you could be too specific with your search terms and come up with nothing.
• Looking for DVDs? Choose format-DVD. Click the Find button. All the DVDs in our catalogue!
• Suspend holds: Want to watch a TV series in order and season 3 has a shorter waiting list than season 2? Place a suspended hold. You will keep your place in line for the item, but it won’t come to you before you need it. Also great if you are going to be away on vacation. Just suspend your holds until you get back.
• Don’t forget that the Annapolis Valley Regional Library shares our catalogue among 11 branches and the Bookmobile. If a book is in Windsor, we can have it sent to any of our other locations for pick up.
• If we don’t have it, Interlibrary Loans are also available. Separate rules apply.