Sedona Library, better than Amazon

By David W. Keeber | Sedona Public Library

Sedona, AZ - May 02, 2008 - Too often, one can become inured to the things with which one has regular experiences. Heaven help me if I ever become complacent with the gorgeous red rocks that surround us, but sometimes I do have to express wonder at the way a person can get books through the Yavapai Library Network (YLN).

Quite often in my reading, I find a title of a book that is of interest to me. Some folks go right to Amazon to purchase it, but I always go the library catalog online at www.sedonalibrary.org. Follow along as I lead you through the steps of searching our catalog and if necessary the interlibrary loan option.

When you go to the Library's website, aside from the many other features of the page, you have two ways to access the catalog. The first is at the top right hand corner of the page that offers a quick search. Essentially, you have all the same options found by clicking on the formal link (more on this later), but you can do it without delving more deeply into the site.

First, click the drop down menu to choose between a topic, author, or title search. Then, simply type into the box below that the term you wish to retrieve. Remember, when you search by author, enter the person's last name first. Click the "Go" button and you will quickly be directed into the YLN catalog. One of the best parts of this system is that you have access to 1.4 million items county-wide!

When the computer does its work, you will be presented with a listing of items that should include your sought after item and a number of other items who may have a title, subject of author that is close in character to the original search term. Now, find the item for which you are searching and you are then directed to the electronic version of the old card catalog card.

This information describes the book's contents, author and much more. Scroll down the page to see which libraries in the network have the item. Then search the shelves, or click on the "Place a Hold" button. If the item is on the shelf of the holding library, in a few days you will be sent the title here at Sedona Public Library for you to pick up. If someone else is reading it, you are placed in a queue to await your turn.

You can do all these same steps by initially clicking on the "Browse the Catalog" link on the home page also. But, let's say that the title you are searching for is a bit more esoteric and is not held by any of the 50 libraries in the YLN. Then you need to search Interlibrary Loan.

While this has a few more steps, by understanding those, you can access libraries throughout the US and sometimes even further. The items coming from within the YLN are intralibrary loan (intra = within) and interlibrary loan are from libraries almost anywhere! Items can be searched very finely by such methods as title and author and publication date. And those are just a few ways to do this.

Interlibrary loan items, if received from a library within the state of Arizona are free. If they come from outside of AZ, the fee to cover postage is $3 per item. Not a bad price for getting an unusual item from almost anywhere outside the state!

We have found that if you are a bit flummoxed with using this particular tool, you can get great results by simply asking one of the staff here at the Library to walk you through the process of searching and ordering. Once shown, this tool is really simple and very effective. And by using this great service, the Sedona Public Library really does become the gateway to information from around the world! If you need the help, stop in or call the Library and ask us for a tutorial. We are never too busy to help you learn this invaluable resource.

As I said at the beginning of this column, sometimes we can grow complacent about those things that we use frequently. But, whenever I read a review of a brand new book and go to the Library's website, it is the rare time that I cannot find the item and order it for rapid delivery! That is a great service and one I use often. I don't think that it will become commonplace for me. Hopefully, you too will use it often and to great result!

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