One catalog Aug 27: FAQs

July 30, 2009

• What's happening and why?
• What's the timeline for combining the catalogs?
• Will I be able to request items from any of the 41 libraries after the catalogs are combined?
• What about my account in the Minneapolis catalog?
• Will my holds/requests and checked out items be transferred from my Minneapolis account?
• What if I had fines or fees on my Minneapolis account?
• How will I log into my account in the combined catalog?
• How do I pick up my holds?
• Will my Minneapolis library card still work?
• I had turned on "Reading History" in my Minneapolis account. Will that come over?
• I had turned on "Ratings" in my Minneapolis account. Will that come over?
• I have an account in the suburban catalog only, will I notice any differences?
• What does the red "dot" mean next to titles in the combined catalog?
• Why do some catalog entries look different in the combined catalog?
• Will I still be able to check out Museum Adventure Passes?

What's happening and why?
As part of the merger between Hennepin County and the former Minneapolis Public libraries, our two catalogs will become one beginning August 27. This will not only reduce operating costs, it will also give customers and staff access to the entire 5-million-item collection in one place, the current suburban catalog.

What's the timeline for combining the catalogs?
The fully merged catalog will debut on August 27, 2009, following this timeline:

• Sunday, August 23, 5 p.m.
• The Minneapolis catalog will be shut down and no longer available.
• Sunday, Aug. 23, 5 p.m. – 8 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 27
• The items (books, DVDs, CDs and magazines) from the Minneapolis collection will not be available online in the merged catalog. However, the merged catalog is available for use in library and from any computer with Internet access.
• You may still come into any Hennepin County Library and check out or return items.
• You may renew Minneapolis items in person at any Minneapolis library with item in-hand.
• Wednesday, August 26
• The merged catalog is not available at all on this day as final migration of data takes place.
• All Hennepin County libraries normally open on Wednesdays are open on this day. Customers may check out or return items and use the public computers.
• Thursday, August 27
• You will be able to access all 5 million items in the combined catalog.

Will I be able to request items from any of the 41 libraries after the catalogs are combined?
Yes! As of August 27, you can place a request on any circulating ("request-able") item in our combined catalog for pick up at any Hennepin County Library.

What about my account in the Minneapolis catalog?

• All customer accounts will be moved to the combined catalog.
• August 21 - Customer accounts will begin migrating.
• August 21 - 26 - Migrated accounts will be incomplete.
• August 26 - All remaining activity will be migrated.
• If you had accounts in both the Minneapolis and suburban Hennepin County Library systems, those accounts will be combined when your Minneapolis account is moved.

Will my holds/requests and checked out items be transferred from my Minneapolis account?
Yes, all the activity on your account will be transferred to the combined catalog. Requests from both catalogs will be combined, so your place in the “queue” may change if there are also requests on that title in the suburban catalog. In order to reorder the combined request queues fairly, all requests will be ordered by when they got into the queue, relative to when the title became available to request.

What if I had fines or fees on my Minneapolis account?

• Any fines or fees on your Minneapolis account will be transferred to your new account in the combined catalog.
• If you had accounts in both the Minneapolis and suburban Hennepin County Library catalogs, the accounts will be combined and any fees or fines will be combined as well. If that combination puts you over the limit for borrowing items, you will need to pay down the balance so you can borrow items again.

How will I log into my account in the combined catalog?

• You will log in with your library barcode and PIN, so you will no longer enter your name to log in.
• Your PIN will be changed if you had a Minneapolis account only.
• PINs in the combined catalog are four digits long, numbers only.
• Your new PIN will be the last 4 digits of your phone number.
• If there was no phone number in your account, the PIN will be '0000'
• You can change your PIN when you log in to your account.

How do I pick up my holds?

• Once the catalogs are combined, if you had a Minneapolis account, you will be assigned a "pickup number" which a staff member will write on your library card. This number is used to locate your held items on the holds shelf.
• When you go to pick up your held items in a Minneapolis library for the first time after August 26, please see a staff member to get your pickup number.
• You may also look up your pickup number yourself after August 26 by logging in to your account and clicking on the Personal Information tab;
• If you had accounts in both catalogs, you already have a pickup number, and that will stay the same.

Will my Minneapolis library card still work?
Yes, your Minneapolis library card will work in the combined catalog. If you had library cards in both the suburban Hennepin County Library and in the former Minneapolis Public Library system, both of those cards will still work. We will combine your two accounts and preserve the information in both of them.

I had turned on "Reading History" in my Minneapolis account. Will that come over?
Yes and no. Reading History is not currently available in this version of the combined catalog, but will be in the near future. Here is the plan during this transition.

• Your Reading History will be migrated to a MyList on your new account titled "My Reading History from Minneapolis Catalog"
• Each MyList can have up to 200 titles. If you have more than 200 titles on your Reading History, multiple MyLists will be created on your account.
• You can continue adding titles to your new MyList, keeping your reading history up to date if you wish.
• The date each title was checked out will not be able to be migrated to the MyList.
• When the combined catalog has a Reading History feature in the future, your MyList (Reading History) can be transferred to that feature, still connected to your account.
• Another option to preserve your Reading History, before 5 p.m., August 23 is to:
• Go into your account on the Minneapolis catalog and click on "Reading History".
• Choose "Export Reading History".
• Choose "Select All" and email the list to yourself, or save it on a disc or simply print out the screen.

I had turned on "Ratings" in my Minneapolis account. Will that come over?
Ratings you have entered will NOT be migrated. That feature is not available in this version of the combined catalog, and there are no plans at this time to develop that feature for this catalog. If you would like to preserve your ratings information, go into your account on the Minneapolis catalog before 5 p.m. on Aug. 23, click on "My Ratings" and print out the screen. There is no "export" option for this feature.

I have an account in the suburban catalog only, will I notice any differences?
You will have access to an additional 1.3 million unique titles in the combined catalog. Other than access to this new wealth of resources, your account and catalog will look much the same as it does today (see “Why do some catalog entries look different in the combined catalog?”).

What does the red dot mean next to titles in the combined catalog?
The process of moving millions of records from the Minneapolis to the suburban catalog will take about a month. During this process, titles from the Minneapolis catalog (marked with a red dot) will appear in the suburban catalog, but will be incomplete. On August 27, the migration will be complete and you will be able to access all of these items.

Why do some catalog entries look different in the combined catalog?

• The combined catalog will have entries from two formerly separate library systems, each with slightly different cataloging procedures, so you will see some titles where the copies may have different descriptions of where to find them on the shelf, or different kinds of call numbers (Dewey, Library of Congress).
• All the information you need to find your item will be in the catalog entry. If you are looking for an item on the shelf, take note of the information for the item that’s in the library you’re visiting.

Will I still be able to check out Museum Adventure Passes?
Unfortunately, Museum Adventure Passes will not be issued during these times at these locations:

• Minneapolis libraries on Aug. 25 and 26;
• Suburban libraries on Aug. 26.

We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience during the transition.

Post a Comment        posted by Glenn P. on Jul 31, 2009 at 9:03 AM

On Jul 31, 2009 at 11:05 AM, cat wrote:
Will Mpls hours change to the same as Hennepin county hours

On Jul 31, 2009 at 11:29 AM, Glenn P. wrote:
No. Library hours are not affected by the catalog merger. See the general Library FAQs for more details on hours.

On Jul 31, 2009 at 11:39 AM, george wrote:
can't wait!!

On Jul 31, 2009 at 12:44 PM, Josh wrote:
Will this change the # of holds you can have at any given time? I know MPLS is currently at 30 and Suburbs are at 50 (I think)...will it now be 80?

On Jul 31, 2009 at 1:10 PM, PCA wrote:
The suburb hold limit is currently 100, but I have a similar question. If I have 90 suburban holds and 28 mpls holds, will the new catalog allow me to have 118 holds?

On Jul 31, 2009 at 1:32 PM, BC wrote:
Thank you so much for doing this -- and good luck!

On Jul 31, 2009 at 1:47 PM, PCA wrote:
If I have pending requests at a Mpls library, will I be able to move those to a suburban library? And If I have suspended requests, will they stay suspended after the merger?

On Jul 31, 2009 at 1:57 PM, Glenn P. wrote:
Pending requests on the Mpls catalog will be moved to the combined catalog automatically. You will not lose any of your requestsl. Suspended requests will remain suspended. If your number of requests exceeds the limit of 100 you will not be able to place new requests until your account is under the limit. See the answer to the question Will my holds/requests and checked out items be transferred from my Minneapolis account? above for details.

On Aug 1, 2009 at 1:08 AM, Laura wrote:
Sunday, Aug. 23, 5 p.m. – 8 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 27 The items (books, DVDs, CDs and magazines) from the Minneapolis collection will not be available online in the merged catalog. However, the merged catalog is available for use in library and from any computer with Internet access. I'm not completely clear what this statement means. Does it mean that that there is no access to the Minneapolis items at all via the catalog during this time, or are the Minneapolis items only viewable in the catalog at the library?

On Aug 1, 2009 at 10:34 AM, Anon wrote:
Thanks for doing this! I have 149 books on my to-read list and am sure looking forward to the greater access from the suburban catalog. It's too bad the new catalog is retaining the awful bar code/PIN login scheme. It's really hard to use. Any plans to migrate to an industry-standard username/password scheme?

On Aug 1, 2009 at 3:02 PM, Linda wrote:
To add to the misery, Nokomis Library, where all my Mpls. requests are, is closing Sept. 12 for remodeling. When they are combined, will I be able to change the location for pickups fairly easily?

On Aug 1, 2009 at 5:38 PM, Dan C, wrote:
Please continue to use the Minneapolis Search engine for searching and locating items...the Hennepin version is terrible.

On Aug 1, 2009 at 10:14 PM, Barb of Mpls wrote:
currently for the newer books through Mpls libraries allow three weeks where Hennepin County allows only two weeks. Which rule will prevail after the merger is complete? I prefer the three weeks as I am not able to finish in two for many of them.

On Aug 2, 2009 at 5:28 PM, Dave wrote:
I like to use telnet to access the Minneapolis catalog. Will that still be an option after the catalog merger?

On Aug 3, 2009 at 11:35 AM, Mark wrote:
Please preserve the "Your Item would appear here" feature in the search results for a book in the catalog

On Aug 3, 2009 at 11:46 AM, Glenn P. wrote:
Laura: You can search for titles during this time but information on individual items will not be available from any location.
Anon: We're exploring easier login options. One-click access is available from My Account on the home page: enter your bc/pin and click the "remember me" button.
Linda: You will be able to change the pickup points using My Account.
Dan: The combined catalog will use the suburban search interface while new options are being explored.
Barb: Good news! Suburban libraries' 14-day loan period for high demand items has been eliminated. See the Unified Lending Rules blog post for details.
Dave: Sorry, telnet access will no longer be available.
Mark: If your search is not located you will still see the nearby results alphabetically.
Thanks for all the great questions!

On Aug 3, 2009 at 12:31 PM, John wrote:
My Minneapolis and Suburban PIN numbers are different. Which one will survive the merger?

On Aug 3, 2009 at 4:04 PM, Glenn P. wrote:
John, continue to use your suburban PIN in the consolidated catalog.

On Aug 3, 2009 at 6:04 PM, Heavy User (of the library) wrote:
I'm glad the Hennepin County web system will be used as it is FAR better than the Minneapolis web system. I've been using the Minneapolis web site to place holds and do searches for years and it is very unwieldy. So I am glad the right system was picked.

On Aug 4, 2009 at 7:23 PM, Marit S. wrote:
One of the features I love about the Minneapolis catalogue is that music scores and sheet music are catalogued as scores. In the suburban system they are catalogued as adult books, which makes them much more difficult to search on the catalogue, as there is no way to limit results. I have found the suburban system very frustrating in this aspect. I strongly suggest transferring this Minneapolis feature to the integrated search catalogue, since there is an incredible wealth of scores and sheet music available at the central library which would be far less accessible otherwise!

On Aug 4, 2009 at 7:45 PM, Dustin wrote:
i have just loss my anoka county card and the new bar code is in suburban system and my Minneapolis account is blocked and the new barcode is not in the Minneapolis system and my pickup location will be which location suburban location or Minneapolis location in the new catalog thanks Dustin

On Aug 5, 2009 at 12:13 PM, george wrote:
what happens if you have both a Mpls and Suburban card?

On Aug 5, 2009 at 4:44 PM, Glenn P. wrote:
Marit - I'm seeking more information about your question.
Dustin - your pickup location will remain unchanged.
George, see Will my Minneapolis library card still work? above.


On Aug 6, 2009 at 9:20 AM, laura wrote:
I second that comment about marking scores in the catalog. It's really hard to find music in a library that doesn't separate out scores.

On Aug 6, 2009 at 10:28 PM, wrote:
So, I search in the Hennepin browser for artist Queen (music group) and I get back 260 results! Since they only have 15 albums this is obviously wrong. Again, please use the MPLS search engine as Hennepin is terrible!

On Aug 7, 2009 at 9:30 AM, Glenn P. wrote:
Use the Author search when looking for musical groups. An author search for Queen retrieves 18 titles, including compilation albums to which they contributed a track, their own albums and their sheet music.

On Aug 7, 2009 at 1:54 PM, Dan wrote:
I am a Minneapolis library user, and I am impressed with how you are handling this transition. Thanks for giving people info in advance and answering questions. I hope the transfer goes well.

On Aug 8, 2009 at 11:13 AM, Deborah wrote:
I strongly endorse the continued use of the designator "Score" to denote (good pun!) printed sheet music and bound music scores. The Minneapolis Main Library is nationally famous for the exceptional and very large printed music collection it continued to develop from its Atheneum days.

On Aug 8, 2009 at 3:05 PM, wrote:
This is great that you are combining catalogs. Does Hennepin carry Blu-Ray discs? If not, is this something that either library is looking into? Thanks

On Aug 9, 2009 at 8:41 PM, Mary Anne wrote:
Will Hennepin County continue to use Dewey and Minneapolis Library of Congress? How will new acquisitions be cataloged?

On Aug 10, 2009 at 12:50 PM, Glenn P. wrote:
Marit & Deborah - "Music Score" and "Sheet Music" will be used to describe these materials; limiting to "Printed Music" will be an option encompassing both;
The Library does not carry Blu-Ray discs but is monitoring developments in this area;
Mary Anne - suburban libraries will continue to use Dewey and Mpls locations Library of Congress to designate the shelf location.

On Aug 10, 2009 at 7:34 PM, Lisa wrote:
I have a Suburban and Minneapolis account using the same card. When the systems merge, can I pick up the Minneapolis systems request at a suburban library?

On Aug 11, 2009 at 2:58 PM, Glenn P. wrote:
Once the catalogs are combined you can pick up requests at any of the 41 library locations.

On Aug 13, 2009 at 2:05 AM, BeccaD wrote:
Wow. New to the area and by all I have read, I might wish to wait until this merger is complete before signing up locally. :) I must commend all those who are working so hard to make this as smooth a transition as possible. It's because of your dedication that I am so looking forward to renting from my local library! Just a quick question though, since moving here from out of state, what exactly will I need to register for my own card? (I am also renting and the utilities and such come in the owner's name.) Thank you for your time and patience with a "newcomer". :) Have a blessed day!

On Aug 13, 2009 at 9:09 AM, Caro wrote:
I've been using both Mpls and Suburban and always returning the books according to the bar code saying "Mpls" or "Henn Co" but now the bar codes are all saying "Henn Co." Will it matter where a book is returned now? If a book from a city library is returned to a county library, will it be checked in immediately or, as now, wait until it is transferred back to its 'home' until it is checked in?

On Aug 13, 2009 at 11:30 AM, kate k wrote:
I envision quite a line at all Mpls libraries of folks needing their new pickup #...please allow enough staff for this! Also as very few new books have been processed and released in Mpls awaiting the catalog-merge, there will be a deluge coming through once the items are released after the merge...please allow enough staff to haandle this! Thanks!

On Aug 16, 2009 at 7:10 PM, arthur wrote:
Will I still have my mesa anoka county card still work?

On Aug 17, 2009 at 12:14 PM, Glenn P. wrote:
BeccaD - no need to wait, come on in! Bring identification showing your current address or apply online;
Caro - You can return items to any Hennepin library; after August 27 they will be checked in immediately upon receipt;
Kate - we are planning for extra assistance. After August 27 you can locate your pickup # by logging in to your account and clicking on the Personal Information tab;
Arthur - yes, your Anoka card will still work!

On Aug 17, 2009 at 12:27 PM, kate k wrote:
maybe change the info under "how do i pick up my holds" to reflect that everyone can get their own pickup number in their account information so people aren't standing in line for staff help when it isn't needed...thanks!

On Aug 17, 2009 at 1:17 PM, KBF wrote:
I'm glad to hear that when both catalogs are combined, books from what was then was the opposite library system will be checked in immediately. When time permits, I try to return books to their home libraries, but when time does not permit, I have returned MPLS books to Suburban Libraries and vise versa. I feel that I have been mistakenly charged fines when transit time was not taken into account or when returns were not backdated to reflect returns the previous night by Circ Desk staff. It is probably too late to get my present fines forgiven, but I am glad that this will not happen under the combined system. I hope. Thanks, KBF

On Aug 17, 2009 at 3:12 PM, Glenn P. wrote:
Kate - good suggestion, now implemented!

On Aug 20, 2009 at 8:53 AM, SMC wrote:
Just curious, why migrating everything to an automation system that already is at end of life?

On Aug 21, 2009 at 9:47 AM, BETH wrote:
Is there any way to have fines that I feel should not have been charged to me be considered for withdrawal? I feel the same way that KBF does that I received fines from books not being backdated as they should have been-- or from books returned from "the opposite library system." Is there any way for this to be done? Thank you for your consideration.

On Aug 21, 2009 at 12:13 PM, Anne wrote:
Are you still sending e-mail when a requested item is available for pickup?

On Aug 21, 2009 at 2:33 PM, Glenn P. wrote:
Beth - the merged catalog will be using the suburban catalog system, so this feature will still be available (SMC - this was a very complex decision beyond the scope of this FAQ). Please speak with library staff if there are errors in your account.
Anne - yes, email notification is available -- log in to your account and click on the Personal Information tab to set your preferences.

On Aug 24, 2009 at 5:29 AM, MG wrote:
I am trying to renew a book online that was checked out from the Minneapolis system, but am unable to access my account. Am I understanding correctly that I must come in with the item to get it renewed?

On Aug 24, 2009 at 11:26 AM, Glenn P. wrote:
Checkout information should appear by tonight. Check back to renew online.

On Aug 24, 2009 at 11:28 AM, david wrote:
I wanted to request an item but it doesn't show the dt mpls central library as a place to pick up the request am I missing something? How do I request to pick it up there?

On Aug 24, 2009 at 11:41 AM, Glenn P. wrote:
Central (along with the other 14 Mpls. locations) will appear as a pick-up point beginning on Thur. Aug. 27.

On Aug 24, 2009 at 10:57 PM, Donna Biggar wrote:
Can we return books checked out at a Minneapolis Library to a Hennepin County Library?

On Aug 25, 2009 at 8:34 AM, brad wrote:
I was a bit annoyed yesterday that my Items Out was blank on my HC account, but I see it's all there today. Thanks! Also, I like the Renewal column. And, does the RSS feed work on the Items Out page--when I tried it I got a partial, unformatted list of my items, then an error?

On Aug 25, 2009 at 11:00 AM, Rusty wrote:
I don't see Linden Hills as an option on the dropdown menu on the profile page for preferred location to pick up holds. Will it be added?

On Aug 26, 2009 at 6:51 AM, Lucy Feneis wrote:
I would like to not pay an additional fine for today as Wednesdays are our day to go to the library. We log on on Wednesdays to see what is due on this day. And being that you are down for the day, we are unable to do this. Thank you!

On Aug 26, 2009 at 8:39 AM, Diane wrote:
I have a book due today which I would normally just renew online. With the online library unavailable, I can't do that. What are people like me supposed to do???

On Aug 26, 2009 at 10:27 AM, Meg C. wrote:
Donna- Items borrowed from Hennepin County Library may also be returned to any public library in Minnesota. Brad- thank you, we'll look into it! Rusty- It will be there beginning Thursday. Lucy- We are open. Items may be returned, renewed and checked out today at your library. Diane- You can call any open HCL location to renew.

On Aug 27, 2009 at 11:01 AM, Tesla wrote:
I went to Central on Monday to return a book only to find that the return kiosks were down. I dropped it in the Book Return bin. It's now Thursday, the item is due today, but it's still showing as "out". I know I can't be fined for an item that I've already returned, but the catalog status worries me.

On Aug 27, 2009 at 11:18 AM, Meg C. wrote:
Tesla, There is a backlog of books that need to be checked in now that the catalog is up and running. Staff will check in the book with your Monday return date. Thank you for your patience.

On Sep 1, 2009 at 9:21 AM, Wendy wrote:
Will I be able to return materials to any location (Minneapolis or Suburban) or do I need to drop off items in the library system I borrowed from?

On Sep 1, 2009 at 9:21 AM, Meg C. wrote:
Wendy,Yes, you can return items to any location in Minneapolis or the Suburbs.

On Sep 13, 2009 at 11:35 AM, JerBear wrote:
Now that you have cut over to the Hennepin County system, it has become a royal pain to try and find an individual song in your new and "improved" catalogue of CD's. I now go to the Ramsey county library system or Inter-library loan to try and find songs I am looking for rather than knock myself out trying to find a song in your system.