Catalog Information

The Ocean County Library's automated telephone system calls when requested items are available for pick-up, or when items are overdue. The automated phone system will leave a generic message on your answering machine. You may use the automated telephone system to access your library account anytime, except during system maintenance, to renew titles, list titles on loan, list or cancel titles on hold, hear your current fines, or list overdue items. You will need the following:

1. A touchtone phone

2. All 14 digitals of your library barcode number

3. Your password – to ensure your privacy, you must have a password. If you didn’t select a password, it is the last four digits of your phone number. You can change your password at the library or online.

To dial into the automated telephone system:

*Note: If you dial one of the numbers above and it rings more than five times the line is in use. Hang up and try again.

Once connected, wait until the introduction finishes and then:

• For English, press 1

• For Spanish, press 2

Once you have selected language:

1. Press 1 to renew or get library account information

2. Enter all 14 digits of your barcode followed by the # sign

3. Enter your password and press the # sign

Wait approximately 5 seconds. When your name is announced, listen carefully to the available options.  You will be able to renew titles, list titles on loan, list or cancel titles on hold, hear your current fines, or list overdue items.

You can access your account through the Library Catalog.

Patrons can receive eReceipts for check-out, renewal, and fine receipts from in the library and for renewal receipts
from Power PAC, Mobile PAC, and the automated Telemessaging system.
Login to your library account.
Click on Contact Information and Preferences.
In the section Preferences, under E-Receipts, check the box in front of E-mail.
Please make sure the email address in your library record is correct. Update e-mail address if necessary.
Click Submit Change Request.

Active - When a hold request is placed, its status is automatically set to active.
Cancelled - The library canceled the hold at the patrons request, patron cancelled the hold requests, or the hold
request was in the status of unclaimed, then the library removed it from their hold shelves.
Expired - If a hold request is not filled within the specified period of time, the request status automatically changes to expired. Currently set to 1 year of when the hold request was placed.
Held - The item is ready for the patron to pick up.
Inactive -An inactive hold request has an activation date in the future. The patron has changed the activation date to
a future date.
Pending - When the library is searching for a copy of the title to fill a hold request the status is pending.
Shipped - A shipped hold request means that an item is being shipped from a branch other than the pickup branch.
Unclaimed - If the requesting patron does not pick up the held item within the specified period of time (currently 5
business days), the hold request status automatically changes from held to unclaimed.

Yes. Log in to your library account and click on My Account and choose My Record from the pull down menu, then
choose Contact Information and Preferences.
Check the box at the bottom to Maintain Reading List.
A window will pop-up with the following message explaining the impact of keeping a permanent reading list: 
        “The feature you have selected is associated with person data in you patron account. Such data may be accessed
by law enforcement personnel without your consent. Do you wish to proceed?”
If you wish to proceed, click OK. 
Click Submit Change Request. 
Note: When you check out an item, it will not appear on the reading list until the next day. If you want to turn off
Reading History, repeat the steps listed above, unchecking Maintain Reading List box. When you turn off Reading
History, your existing list of read items will be permanently deleted. 

Even if a book is listed as "In" at a branch it may not be available to fill your request. If you have been waiting longer
than a few days for a book that was “In”, please call the branch and they will assist you.

In our Catalog:

• Log into your library account using the log in button at the top right corner of the page.
• Click on Bookshelf at the bottom of the screen.
• Click on Holds to see your list of holds.

In our Classic Catalog:

• Click on My Account
• Click on Requests
• Log in with your library barcode and password

When you see a title you want, look for the Place Request button. If you are not signed in, you will be asked to log in
with your library Barcode number and your Password. Once you are logged in, choose the branch where you want
to pick up your item(s) from the Pickup Locations pull down menu. Finally, click the Submit Request button.
Don’t forget to log out when you are done especially if you are using the catalog on a public computer.

There are several reasons an item does not renew:

• There could be a hold request on it for another customer. This will prevent a renewal even if you have renewals left.
• You may have used up your renewals. You can renew an item two times before you must return it. 
• Some copies of our newest titles have copies that are not renewable. These “browser copies” do not fill hold
  requests and therefore can be found on the shelf when not checked out. If you’ve checked out one of these
  "browser copies” you will not be able to renew it.

If you need more information, please call your local branch and ask for circulation.

There are several options that you can use to renew your library items if they are available for renewal. You can call
the Automated Telemessaging System, 24 hours a day, to renew by phone, call the library and speak to a staff
member, or you can do it online through the catalog. Use the following instructions to renew items through the
catalog. 
Log into your Library Account with your barcode and password.
Click on your name and then Items Out.
You have two options, either Renew Selected Items or Renew All Items. 
To renew selected items:

• Check the box in front of the items you wish to renew and select Renew Selected Items.

To renew all items available for renewal:

• Select Renew All Item.

You will know that the items have been renewed successfully when you get a screen displaying the number of items
successfully renewed. 
Remember to Log Out of your account when done.

If you know what your current password is, you can log in to your Library Account to change it. If you do not know your current password, you must go into any Ocean County Library Branch with your library card and a valid ID to request your password be changed.

From the Home screen choose My Account.
Click on Hold Requests. Your list of holds appears on the next screen.
Click on the check box in front of the holds you wish to cancel.
Click on Cancel Selected.
The next screen will ask you to verify that you want to cancel the requests.
Press Yes to cancel the requests.
Note: The canceled hold will still show up on your holds requests list, however, it will have a cancelled status rather than an active one and will go away after 30 days. 

You can find new DVDs, new Blu-ray discs, and new music CDs by doing the following in our catalog:
Click the Search tab and then the Browse tab to change the search method.
In the “Search for:” box, change Title to Series.
In the “that begins with:” box, type in ONE of the following:

• new dvds
• new blu-ray
• new music