14 Oct Searching for Children’s Books in our Catalog
Finding the right book isn’t always easy. Sometimes you know exactly what you are looking for, other times you just have a topic in mind, or maybe you’re simply hoping something will catch your eye.
We’re always happy to help you at the Children’s Desk, over the phone, or over our “Ask Us” chat, but if you’d like to sharpen your catalog skills and explore on your own, this guide is for you.
Getting Started and Accessing the Catalog
PGTPL is part of the Evergreen Indiana Library Consortium, which means we share materials with over 100 libraries across the state. That means thousands of books, movies, games, and audiobooks are just a click away!
Our catalog looks like this:
You can access it from our website by clicking “Catalog Search” in the top right corner.
Searching by Title or Author
If you already know the book or author you want, type it directly into the search bar.
Here’s what the results mean:
- On Shelf (Green): The item is available right now at PGTPL
- Checked Out/Available At Another Library (Yellow): We own it, but someone has it checked out right now. The same title is available to put on hold from a different library.
- Available at Another Library (Yellow): Another Evergreen library owns it, and you can place a hold to have it sent here.
- Checked Out (Red): We own it, it’s currently checked out, and it is not available anywhere else.
If you place a hold, you’ll get a notification when it’s ready for pickup at PGTPL, usually within a few days to a week, depending on location availability.
Searching by Keyword or Topic
Not sure exactly what you want? Try typing a keyword like “dinosaurs” “fantasy” “friendship” or “unicorns.”
Because these keywords pull up a lot of results, it helps to use filters to narrow things down. You’ll find them on the left side of the results.
Filter by Shelving Location
Click “Shelving Location” and choose one of the options starting with “children.” This will show you only items that are physically owned by PGTPL. Perfect if you’re browsing in person or want something today!
You can also narrow down your options using other filters to find books available across the entire Evergreen system. First, make sure “Entire Collection” is selected.
Then use the filters to narrow down what you’re looking for. For example, if I want to find fantasy children’s graphic novels, I’ll use the filters:
- Search Term: “fantasy”
- Audience: Juvenile
- Fiction/Non-Fiction: Fiction
- Format: Graphic Novel
Playing around with these filters is key to finding exactly what you’re in the mood for!
Browsing Online Content
Looking for eBooks or eAudiobooks?
Use the dropdown menu in the search bar and change “in Library Catalog” to “in Online Content.”
Alternatively, you can add filters under eContent Collection like “Libby” or “Hoopla.” Or, you can use format filters like “ebook.”
If it’s easier, you can also search directly in the Libby and Hoopla apps!
Finding Similar Books
Tips:
- Click the author’s name to see all their books in the catalog
- Click on the Series to pull up every book in that series and make it easy to find or place a hold on the next book
- If a list pops up, you might find similar titles in that list!
- When looking at a book, scroll down to the NovelList drop down menu. It’ll show you titles similar to the book you’re looking at!
Browsing In Person
If you’re in the library, note the Call Number listed under the title. It’s your book’s address on the shelf!
For example:
J FIC Riordan → Children’s fiction by Rick Riordan
E FIC Carle → Picture book by Eric Carle
Our books are sorted by the author’s last name alphabetically.
Need a Hand?
Even with these tools, it can feel overwhelming, and that’s okay! That’s why we’re here, and we are always happy to help you find books at your child’s reading level, suggest new authors or genres, place holds, request materials, or help in whatever way you need.
Stop by our Children’s Desk, call us, or use the “Ask Us” chat feature on our website anytime.
Written by Madelyn K., Youth Services Librarian
