Burlington Public Library



Frequently Asked Questions:

how to use Evergreen, our online catalog

What’s my user name?   It’s your library card number. 
Type in all the numbers from the back of your card, with no spaces.
 
What’s my PIN number? 
Unless you change it, your PIN number is automatically
the last four digits of your phone number.

Can I renew my books online?   Yes.Here’s how.

How many times?  New books can only be renewed once. 
Other materials can be renewed up to three times, as long as no one is waiting for them.


How do I place a hold?   Just log in and search for the item you want to put on hold. 
We’ll call or email you (depending on
your preference) when it’s ready for you. 
After notification, we’ll hold it seven days for your pick-up.


 How do I search the catalog?  Here you go.

 How can I tell if something is available to check out?  Here’s how.

Can you tell me if I’ve already checked this book out? 
No.  For your privacy, we don’t keep this information.
But you can set your account to keep it for you.
 
Can I see what books I have out and if I owe any fines?  Yes.  Here’s how. 
 
Can I pay my fines online?   Well, not yet.  But for any fees over $5.00, you can use a credit card – even over the phone.
 
Someone told me they get reminder e-mails from you before they go overdue.  How can I get that?
 
Argh!  Your website is not working like it should.   What can I do?
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How to Search Our Catalog

Here’s the home screen.  We’ve added the boxes lined in red to show you some options.

 how to search


All formats.  Use this drop-down box to limit your search to a particular type of material.
 
Keyword.  Use this drop-down box if you know information about a specific book you want.
Otherwise, just search under ‘keyword.’
 
You can make your search even more precise by not searching on this screen at all.  Instead, click on “Advanced Search” like this:
  advanced search

How can I tell if something is available to check out? 
 
In the picture below, you can see that someone searched for “The Hunger Games” by Title, and got one result.   In the red circle you can see four pieces of information: the title, the author and the year it was published, the “call number” (library-speak for where to find it—this item is in the Teen area), and if it is or is not available.
Availability 
Here you can see that we have six copies of this book, but none of them are available (all are checked out).
(Look to the right to put the book on hold.)
 
One more tip:  if you click right on the title, another page will open with lots of information about the book.
 
 

How can I renew an item?
 
1.       Once again, you need to be signed in for this to work.
2.      Next, go to My Account, and choose the “Items Checked Out” tab.
Renew an item 
3.       In the drop-down menu, choose “Renew Selected Titles.”
4.       Now put a check mark in the box next to all the items you’d like to renew.
5.       Click on the blue “GO” button.  It’ll ask you if you really want to renew the items; just tell it OK.
6.       Check to see that those items reappear with new due dates.
 
Wait!  It didn’t work!  New due dates didn’t appear.
There are a few reasons why you wouldn’t be allowed renew something. 
·         If there are people waiting for it on hold, it cannot be renewed.
·         If you have fees over $5.00
·         If you’ve already renewed it three times (or once, if it’s a new book).
If you aren’t sure, just give us a call at 755-0760 and we’ll help.

How do I put something on hold?

First, you need to be signed in so the computer knows who you are.  To sign in, go to “My Account” in the upper-right corner of the main screen.   You’ll know you’re signed in when you see your name and account information in that same corner.
 
Next, you want to find the item you’d like to put on hold, and click on “Place Hold” on the right.
Place Hold
 
Clicking “Place Hold” will take you to a screen that looks like this. 
Submit hold
 
Click on “Submit, and you’ll see a message that tells you the hold was successfully placed.
(Leave both the “Yes by” boxes checked, and ignore the “Phone Number” blank.  You’ll be notified by
e-mail, if you’ve given us one, and after that by the phone number on your account.)
 
  
Your Account.  In the upper right-hand corner is a link to log in to your account information.  You’ll need to type in the numbers on the back of your library card (with no spaces) and your PIN number.
 
 
What’s my PIN number?  I don’t have a PIN number!
Unless you change it, your PIN number is automatically the last four digits of your phone number.
 
Once logged in, you’ll see a summary of your activity in the upper right of the screen, and all these tabs:
Your account

Items checked out tab:  a list of your current books out.  You can check the boxes by the titles and renew your books, if you want.   There’s also a tab here that says “Check Out History.”   This is a function you can turn on if you want the computer to keep a list of all the books you check out.  To turn it on, go to  Account Preferences, and choose the Search Preference tab.  On that tab is a box to check that says “Keep history of checked out items?”  (This won’t include e-books or audiobooks items from Overdrive.)
 
Holds tab.  See items you have on hold; also, you can Suspend or Activate holds (if you’re going on vacation, for example), or cancel a hold.  To place a hold, look up the item in the catalog, click on the title, and to the right there’s an option to put it on hold.  (You must be logged in for this to work.)
 
Account Preferences tab.   Change your password/PIN or your email address, (by giving us an email address, you’ll automatically get e-mails a few days before your items are due) tell us how to notify you of holds, and more.
 
My Lists tab.  This is a neat way to keep track of items you want to check out, have checked out, your favorites… anything you can think of.  You can choose to keep your lists private or public.  To put an item into one of your lists, you look it up in the catalog. Click on the title, and to the right there’s an option to Add to My Lists.  (You must be logged in for this to work.)
 
Fines and Payments tabs.  At the bottom of the screen are tabs that tell you if you owe any fees, and if so why; and also list the payments you’ve made to the library in the past.
 
E-mail notification
If you give us an e-mail address, you will automatically receive a notice two days before your items are due.
This is a service we provide for your convenience, and it may occasionally glitch or fail.
You’re still responsible for overdues!    ;-)
 
For the best chance of getting your overdue notices:
·         Make sure we have your current e-mail address
·         Add us to your e-mail contacts, so the messages don’t go into a junk or spam folder.  Add this address:  blibrary@ci.burlington.wa.us.
 
 
When the website is not working*

1.       Take a deep breath.
2.       Close your Internet browser, re-open it, and try again.
3.       Try another browser.  If you’re using Internet Explorer, try Firefox, or Chrome.*
4.       If none of that works, try clearing your cache (directions below).
5.       Call us!   360-755-0760. We’re glad to help with whatever you’re trying to get done, and we’ll be sympathetic about your computer problems.
 
*The catalog works best with Google Chrome, Firefox, and Internet Explorer version 9 and above.
 
 
Clearing your Internet browser cache can help all sorts of Internet glitches.
 
To clear your cache if you use Firefox, click here.
 
To clear your cache if you use Chrome, click here.
 
To clear your cache if you use Internet Explorer, click here.
 
Or, use your Help menu inside your browser.