It's me again, for my second Nashua Public Library blog post. Did you miss me? Or were you busy reading about Bigfoot?

I used the library before I started working here, and I considered myself a relatively savvy user of the website and the online catalog. But there are aspects of it and neat little tricks that I didn't discover until later on. Did you know about these already?

1. Hold Request

   If you're browsing the catalog and find a book you like, but it's checked out, you can hit the button to place a hold on it. But here's where it gets cool. If you want a specific item - say the 2008 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records, or the third disc of Doctor Who Series 2 -- you can put a hold on that one particularly. Look at the Copy/Holding Information and over to the right next to the due date column, there's a link for "Request Copy".

   
   
   

2. Title versus Title Only Keyword Search

   Have you ever noticed how a Title Keyword Search turns up items that don't have your search terms in the title? That's because it's actually searching the title and a couple of other fields. If you want to narrow that down to just items with your terms in the title, you need to select Title Only Keyword. You can get to it under Advanced Keyword on the Search tab.
   
   

3. Browsing the Deweys

   Ever get a craving to browse the library shelves without actually being at the library? Never know if your search is actually turning up everything that might be useful or interesting to you? You can browse by Dewey number. A search for vampires will show you a number of nonfiction books about vampires are 398.45. Go to Browse and then select "Dewey Call Numbers", type in 398.45, and find not only the vampire books you saw previously, but other related books that might interest you. It's almost as good as browsing in person. (Note: When it pulls up the list for you, click on the call number rather than the title. For some reason, the title links don't go anywhere.)
   
   

   
   

4. Maximum Requests Have been Exceeded?

   Ever get the error message "Unable to place a request on this item. The maximum requests for this item type has been exceeded."? Once upon a time, I thought that meant I had too many DVD requests at the same time. What it actually means it that it's a Hot DVD, so new that hold requests aren't yet allowed on it. You'll have to come in to the library and find it on the shelf, or wait until it says 'Hot DVDs (requests allowed)'. What I tend to do is save it in a List that I've named 'Movies'. Then every couple of weeks, I see if any of the DVDs in my list have become requestable yet.
   
   

5. What's that in my List?

   Ever get a weird item showing up in your saved List that you're pretty sure you didn't put there? What probably happened is that you used one of the catalog computers in the library to search for something. If there are items saved in a list on one of those computers by a previous user, then when you log into your account, those items will get added to your list. If you've found this problem happening to you, just make sure the list is clear before you log in to your account on one of the library computers.
   
   

I'm learning the quirks of this catalog all the time. Have you noticed something I haven't? Is there anything about the system that still confuses you? Please leave a comment! (Note: The comments are moderated to weed out spam, so your comment won't show up immediately. Check back the next day, Monday through Friday, and I should have spotted it and fished it out by then.)

Most of us have probably heard, if not used, this phrase to describe someone sleeping soundly or peacefully. As a new mom, I can assure you that babies, at least the really young ones, do not "sleep like babies" themselves. They are often restless. My baby makes all sorts of faces when she's sleeping. Her eyes flutter and she grins. It's very cute (of course I think so), but not peaceful. Also, newborns tend to not sleep through the night. Being woken up at 2:30 a.m. is not the highlight of motherhood.

So, what is a new parent to do? You can find relief right here at the library! Numerous experts have written books about getting your child to sleep. Take a look at the books below. If the call number includes "JUV," the book is on the parenting shelf in the children's room.

Solve your child's sleep problems / Richard Ferber JUV 618.9284 F
The no-cry sleep solution : gentle ways to help your baby sleep through the night / Elizabeth Pantley 618.92 P
Healthy sleep habits, happy child / Marc Weissbluth 618.92 W
The 90-minute baby sleep program : follow your child's natural sleep rhythms for better nights and naps / Polly Moore JUV 649.122 M
The happiest baby on the block : the new way to calm crying and help your baby sleep longer / Harvey Karp 649.122 K
Sleep : the Brazelton way / T. Berry Brazelton, Joshua D. Sparrow JUV 649.122 B
Good nights : the happy parents' guide to the family bed (and a peaceful night's sleep!) / Jay Gordon and Maria Goodavage JUV 649.122 G
American Academy of Pediatrics' guide to your child's sleep : birth through adolescence / editor, George J. Cohen 618.92 A

If you're too tired to read, and you may very well be, we also have The happiest baby on the block on DVD MAM DVD 649.122 H.

I cannot guarantee the success of any of these programs. Every baby is different, and if one of these methods does not work, you can try another. Good luck and sweet dreams.

"The more I observed, the more I began to formulate the notion that flexibility is the key to pleasing customers. Retail outlets that adhere strictly to store policy tend to antagonize people. We all like to think that we have unique needs, preferences, and desires. I concluded that good stores -- and libraries -- focus on people, not policies. [But] the biggest skeptics were always the circulation clerks." (Will Manley, "Rule-Benders Rule", American Libraries 9/08, p 80)

"Great service is hard to find because, quite simply, it isn't fair." (Ari Weinzweig, Zingerman's Guide to Giving Great Service, p 33)

Circulation departments can be nesting places for inflexible attitudes towards customers, and usually in the name of "fairness". Many of us have this notion that life should be fair, and that we should never back down when customers are in the wrong. But that isn't the way customer service works. As Weinzweig tells his employees, "'Fair' is another planet. If you need things to be fair, then it's time to think about a different place to work." (ibid, p 34) Library stewardship isn't jurisprudence, and circulation clerks aren't magistrates. It's often the case that unpleasant patrons get more attention (and better service) by complaining about what upsets them.

As I emphasized before, this doesn't mean that rules go out the window (nor that we become doormats, especially to those who frequently exploit our flexibility), only that policies are forever subject to people, not vice-versa. As Manley implies in the American Libraries article, there's a higher law in customer service, one riddled with ambiguity and subjectivity. It's the law of flexibility and good public relations, and we follow it at the Nashua Public Library. Or at least we try.

The library is a great resource for students of all ages. The Nashua Public Library has great resources for everyone at every stage of learning. One request I get often at the Reference desk is for practice exams for the GED or other exams for professions that require the job candidate to take. Examples include law enforcement, teaching, and civil service careers. While the Nashua Public Library has many books on different professions, as well as materials on practice exams, there is another great resource you can use. As a library card holder, you can access the database Learning Express Library.

From the NPL homepage, you will see the NPL banner with menu items. Under Database – Most Popular, you can access the Learning Express Library, or Click Here! to see an alphabetical list of our databases. If you are using the database at home, you will need to enter the last 5 digits of your library barcode.

Once in Learning Express Library, you can create a username and password (for free) and begin taking practice exams for the GED, GMAT, ESL, Praxis, Real Estate, and much more! When signed into with your individual username and password, you can take those practice exams, get scores and answer explanations.

To find out what books we have on different careers, you can browse the libraries Career Books section, or see the Reference Department for assistance. For you searching convenience, I've linked some of the practice exam examples I've included above, to our catalog.

What are some resources you have found useful for studying?