How do I...?

Find a book
Find a magazine or newspaper article
Find a good website
Download audiobooks
Send a question to library staff
Renew a book
Request a book
Get a library card
See what I currently have checked out

Find a book, etc.

If you know the book you are looking for

Go to our catalog, type important words from the title and/or author's name in the search blank (type the word "and" between them if you know both) and hit the "words or phrase" button or the "enter" key on your computer keyboard.

After you get a list of different items, click on the "Details" button (blue and on the left hand side) to find out whether the item is checked out. The information about which libraries own the book and whether it is on the shelf is at the bottom of the "Details" page. There will be a number or a section of the Library's collection in the Location column, indicating whether an item is on the shelf. A Librarian can help you find it, or you can call the Library and ask for the book to be put aside for you.

If the book is listed as checked out, you can click on the "Place Hold" button on the left-hand side of the screen to request that we try to borrow it from another library. You will need the barcode from your library card to place a hold on an item. The password is the word 'patron'.

Need a good book?

You can use one of our 24-Hour Resources, Novelist to suggest a book based on other books you have read. You could also subscribe to our NextReads service to send you e-mail messages with suggested titles on topics you enjoy. Finally, you can ask a Librarian and he or she will try to suggest a book based on what you like and might enjoy.

Find a Magazine or Newspaper Article

If you are looking for a specific newspaper or magazine article

We have the full text of many magazines and newspapers available through subscription resources purchased specifically for our patrons. If you are looking for an article from the Chicago Tribune, the New York Times, or the Wall Street Journal, each of those has its own page where you can look for the article you need. Good choices for finding magazine articles are InfoTrac OneFile, Gale Academic OneFile, or Electric Library

If you don't know where the article you need was published

If you don't know which of our many online resources will have the information you need, the best answer is to search them all at the same time using our single search tool. After you enter your library card number, you'll be able to type important words from you topic into one of the search blanks and almost all of our resources will get searched at once. It's a great way to find something if you don't know where to start.

Find a Good Website

The Library maintains a list of recommended websites divided by category. Our librarians have chosen some of our favorite sites to share with you. When you have questions, we have the answers. Also don't forget our many 24-Hour Resources, which are paid for with your tax dollars and provide information which is often difficult or impossible to find on freely available websites. We've selected these resources with you in mind.

Download Audiobooks

In order to download the downloadable audiobooks we have available, you need to have a computer with Microsoft Windows installed on it (98, 2000, XP or Vista) and Windows Media Player 9 or later. If you want to put an audiobook on a player it must be compatible with the secure WMA file format (PlaysForSure / Certified for Windows Vista). You can download our detailed instruction guide (PDF - 1.6 MB) or see our NetLibrary Frequently Asked Questions List for more information.

Send a question to library staff

If you have a question, there are several ways that you can get it to Library staff without coming to the Library in person.

• You can phone the Library at (847) 446-7220 and we will help you out over the phone.
• You can go to our Talk to a Librarian page and, if we are online, chat with a Librarian using our intant messaging box.
• You can fill out our e-mail reference form to send an e-mail message to the Reference Desk, and we'll get back to you at our earliest convenience.

Renew a book

If you need to renew a book, there are several ways that you can do this without coming to the Library in person.

• You can call the Library at (847) 446-7220 and the Circulation staff will be happy to process a renewal request on your behalf.
• You can use the My Account page
  on the Catalog to renew items you have checked out. Just use your library card number and the password 'patron' to log in.
• You can send us your renewal request using our online renewal form and we will e-mail you the results at our earliest convenience.

If you have an item checked out which you received through interlibrary loan, special rules apply. Please see our Interlibrary Loan page for more information.

Request a book

If you can find an item that you want in our catalog, the easiest way to request that we get an item for you that we do not own is to press the "Place Hold" button. After you put in your library card number and password ('patron' if you haven't changed it), your request will be in our system.

In some cases placing a hold in the catalog is not possible, and in such a case (or if you just have difficulty using the catalog) you can always do one of the following:

• Give us a call at (847) 446-7220 and ask us to get the item for you.
• Use our request form to send an e-mail message to the Reference Desk where we will process your request at our earliest convenience and let you know of your request's status.

Get a library card

Most residents of Winnetka, Northfield, and Kenilworth are entitled to a "free" Library Card. Bring one piece of state issued identification showing both name and current address to the circulation desk at either the Main Library or Northfield Branch and you can get a card. If you live outside of the Winnetka-Northfield Public Library District and are not served by another library, you may purchase a card at the library nearest your residence.

See what I currently have checked out

To see what items you have currently checked out, go to the My Account page and click on the "Review My Account" link. You will be asked for your library card number and password (which if you haven't changed it is the word 'patron'). Then click on the "Display User Information" button. If you have anything checked out it will then be shown on your computer.

Page last updated on: December 12, 2008