Explore SCLSNJ’s newest catalog features and discover your next favorite book
The Somerset County Library System of New Jersey (SCLSNJ) will be releasing an upgraded checkout and catalog system on December 5. And even though the Library System will have to close for the three days prior to the launch - December 2, 3, and 4 - the upgrade is worth the wait.
Many new features and new ways to explore SCLSNJ’s collections will be released - including book rivers and a librarian-curated children’s catalog.
A book river is a scrolling view of books, DVDs, CDs, and more, that is curated especially for Somerset County patrons by SCLSNJ’s expert librarians.
“Let's face it, sometimes we do judge books by their covers. I know occasionally a cover will pique my interest and I'll pick up a book I may have overlooked if I had just heard the title. Now, there will be book rivers within our catalog,” said Yvonne Selander, collection development supervisor.
Continued Selander, “We will highlight new titles; newsworthy items like former best picture Oscar winners during Oscar season; tie-ins with current events like romances for Valentine's Day, or signature programming initiatives such as a celebration of Mo Willems books in February 2018. Check out the scrolling covers to find an eye-catching read, listen, or view.”
The curated children’s catalog will offer a secure and enticing interface for children, parents, and caregivers alike.
“For our younger visitors, we are pleased to introduce the curated children’s catalog. It's a fun, appealing way to see what SCLSNJ has for our young readers. The new design facilitates searching by topics such as dogs, rainbows, the alphabet, and more; or by series title like “Diary of a Wimpy Kid,” “American Girl,” or “Battle Bugs.” Clicking on an image takes the child to a list of relevant items in that topic or series. Additionally, visual cues allow users to see if an item is available quickly, easily, and beautifully – a green circle indicates the title is in, and a red box lets you know the item is out,” said Rebecca Sandoval, technical services manager.
Continued Sandoval, “We will also be renaming some of our collections to make searching easier for our patrons. Our juvenile collection will now simply be referred to as children’s, our collection for our middle grade children will now be referred to as tween, and our former young adult collection will be referred to as our teen collection. This is how our young readers define themselves, so we are removing any confusing terminology, and therefore, any hurdles our patrons might have when attempting to discover their next favorite read.”
SCLSNJ staff are thrilled about the opportunity to offer these innovative, robust features to Somerset County residents.
"Our new checkout and catalog system has a children's catalog with new features oriented to our younger library patrons. This powerful section has an easy-to-use interface that helps children find exactly what they’re looking for within our collection. The children's catalog includes an interactive display with magnified book jackets and images; full functionality on devices; the ability to find books in a series more easily; and dozens of categories to explore ranging from numbers and letters to basketball, giraffes, and fire engines," said Margarita Ketselman, SCLSNJ's automation projects specialist.
Additionally, SCLSNJ’s new checkout and catalog system will offer easier searching yielding more relevant results, innovative account management features, effortless integration with eBooks and eAudio, and an intuitive layout and user experience.
SCLSNJ’s ten Library branches will be closed December 2, 3, and 4, but the System’s eCollections will be available at somerset.overdrive.com.
For more information about SCLSNJ’s new checkout and catalog system, contact SCLSNJ’s Director of Operations Lynn Hoffman at lhoffman@sclibnj.org.
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