Search for books, movies, music and more

For a full list of FAQ’s click “Help” in the top right corner of the catalogue or see OPL BibloCommons help.

1. Why do I need to register?

You do not have to register to be able to use the new catalogue to search for items.

Registration is required if you want to take advantage of all of the features of the new catalogue. These include:

• manage your renewals and holds;
• receive personalized recommendations;
• review items; and,
• communicate electronically with your library and other users.
• Create an easy-to-remember username instead of your 14 digit card number

 2. Where do I begin?

You simply log in to the new catalogue with your barcode and PIN.   A screen will be displayed that shows you the first and last name we have on file, along with a request to enter your birth month and year.

3. Why does OPL need my birth date?

It is not mandatory to provide your date of birth. However, by not doing so you will not be able to participate in certain features that require you to be of a certain age. For example, children under the age of 13 are not permitted to use the private messaging feature. 

4. What happens next?

After clicking the ‘register’, you will be taken to a page which shows:

• your name;
• date of birth (month & year if entered);
• email address; and,
• language preference we have on file.

At this point you will need to enter a unique username of your choice, and to read and accept the Terms of Use of the new catalogue.

5. Why would I want to “Enable Recently Returned”?

The Library does not retain records of your borrowing history. However, if you decide to activate the Recently Returned feature, you will see a record of the items you have borrowed for up to the last three months.

If you’d like to activate this feature at a later date, just go to the account settings – privacy page. If you turn off the feature all the items on the list are removed. If you decide to turn it back on, only the items you borrowed after re-activation will be recorded. This list is private and only you can see it.

6. Where can I see my holds (requests), checked out titles and other account information?

Once you log in, this information is displayed under the “My OPL” tab. All account information will be up to date upon your first login.
Explore page 

7. How can I find my friends/family/co-workers in the new OPL catalogue? 

OPL is a community centered on shared interest in library materials. To maintain users’ privacy, the site does not provide the ability to search for users. However, you may find your family and friends by asking for their user names and the url for their “My Collection”. In addition, if a person uses a recognizable user name you can see them in the “Recent Activity” list on the “Explore” page. The Explore tab will get you back to the “Home” page.

 8. What is the difference between the “For Later” list and “My Lists”? 

Your For Later list is a private list of titles that you would like to keep track of so that you can take them out later. Other lists that you create in My Lists are for sharing. You can share lists of your favourite titles or of things that go together. For example, you may put together a list titled “Audiobooks to listen to while driving through Gatineau Park.” You can search for your own lists or other people’s lists by selecting it from the drop down under “Keyword” selecting “List”. Enter the kind of lists you are looking for in the search field and click “Search”.

9. Who can see my comments/reviews?

All of the content that you contribute, including commentary and video, is available for viewing by everyone when you comment on a title. Your input adds to the depth and richness of the descriptions in the catalogue.

10. Who can see my tags?

Your tags attached to a particular title will be visible to other users on the right hand side under “Tags”. Tags that you enter in the “Personal” field are for your personal notes. Words that you enter in this field are not visible to other library users, but you can still use them to filter your collection. For example, you may want to use this to tag books read in summer 2010.

 11. How do I recommend a title to others? 

You can recommend titles to people who “follow” you by giving a title a high rating. Every time you give a title at least a four star rating that title will appear in their Recommendations list. This works the other way around if you choose to follow another user.

 To share something you like with others in your social network you can click on the e-mail, Facebook or Twitter icons.

12. What are community credits for? 

Community credits are a way of keeping track of your participation in the OPL community. This feature can be used as a way to look back, remember and gauge your activity. This is much the same as a Wikipedia user’s “My Contributions” page. In the future, your level of community credits may be displayed for others to view.
Community Credits

13. How do I change my username? 

To change your username go to your account “Settings”. The link is at the top of the web page. Replace your old user name with a new one in the “Username:” box and click “Save”. This will allow you to choose a username to “Display in Public:” from the drop down menu. Click save and you are done.
Account Settings 
 
14. Privacy 

Your privacy is protected and other users cannot find out your identity if your user name is anonymous. However, if you use your real name it will be displayed. In any case, your borrowing history is not shared with anyone.

Terms of Use
Privacy Statement

15. What if I have an item in “My Collection” I want to keep private?

You can mark any item in your collection as private by clicking “add details” to the right of the item and selecting the “keep this item private” checkbox. A lock icon will appear on that record to indicate it is private. Just uncheck to make the record public again.
Additionally, you can make any of your “My Lists” private at anytime by checking the “Make this list private” checkbox on the left-hand side of the “Edit List” page.