Posted by eileen on September 1, 2011
As Wheaton’s students head back to school, WPL wants to make sure that all children have the most important school supply of all – a library card.
Owning a library card provides students the resources they need to compete academically. Most public libraries (89.6 percent) provide students free access to databases of news articles, encyclopedias and test preparation materials, as well as homework help and resources. In addition, public libraries are the number one access point for free Internet access, an important resource for families without access at home when 96 percent of school districts require students to use the Internet to complete their homework.
Getting a library card is easy. Wheaton residents just need to bring two forms of identification to the Checkout Desk to show proof of a Wheaton address. Children ages five through grade five may register for their library cards in the Children’s Department. A signature of a parent or guardian is required for anyone under the age of 18.
Library Card Sign-up Month is a time when the American Library Association (ALA) and libraries across the country remind parents that a library card is the most important school supply of all.
For more information on how to sign up for a library card, visit Wheaton Public Library, 225 N. Cross St., Wheaton, IL, in person or visit the library online.
Posted by eileen on January 12, 2011
New Book Alerts is a free online service that showcases the newest titles purchased by Wheaton Public Library. You can select to receive alerts via email and/or RSS feeds, which are updated weekly. You can choose which alerts you would like by category or genre, including: Comics and Graphic Novels, Romance, Sports, Children’s Books, and many more. Plus, the alerts aren’t just for books! The New Book Alerts service also includes DVDs, audiobooks, and CDs.
When you see a new title you are interested in, just click Borrow to see if the item is on the shelf. If it’s not currently available, click Place Hold and the library will notify you when the item is available. To place a hold, you need a WPL card number and PIN.
Posted by eileen on April 22, 2009
Why not celebrate Earth Day by learning something new about our amazing earth? A great place to start is Access Science. You can access this awesome database from WPL’s Science Research page. Access Science isn’t just encyclopedia articles. There are image galleries, news videos, animations, and a lot more awesome stuff. I just checked out a news article from earlier in the week: “Massive Solar Flares Captured in 3-D” and their image of the week (right).
Are you or someone you know taking a science class? Access Science also has a Study Center. The Study Center includes Topical Study Guides, AP Study Guides, suggested Essay Topics, and Bibliographies. What a great resource! There is a Q&A section where the editors answer your science questions. I just learned that tsunamis are most often caused by earthquakes, not the action of the tide.
If you want to access it from home, you’ll need a WPL card number and PIN. If you don’t have (or don’t remember) your PIN, look at the To Create a PIN instructions.
Posted by dawn on March 31, 2009
Someone asked how she could get call numbers for the titles in her My Lists lists. She wanted to print her list and bring it to the library, but it’s pretty useless without call numbers. True!
Here’s the answer: Instead of printing right from the the My Lists screen, Export the list first.
From your My Lists screen, click on one of your lists to see the contents. You’ll see a button at the top of the list called “Export List.” 
Click it.
If you want to print everything on your list you can skip this part and go down to choose a format. If you want to remove some titles from your printed list, click the box next to the titles to be removed, then click Delete Selected. This only deletes titles from the export, not from your My Lists page.
Choose a format: Full Display, Brief Display, Pro-Cite, End-Note or MARC. To print a list to bring to the library (and save paper) Brief Display is the way to go. Pro-Cite and End-Note are software programs used to create bibliographies. They aren’t used by the average public library patron.
After selecting the format, select where to send the list: email, screen or local disk. Select Screen and click the Submit button. See the call number listed at the end of each entry? Print the list using your browser’s print function.
Bring your list to the library, find your books, check them out and enjoy!
One thing to note, the information exported does not include item location (2nd floor, New Books Browsing Room, New DVD, etc.) You may need to check the catalog for the exact location.
Posted by dawn on February 6, 2009
Do you frequently search the catalog for a favorite subject? Would you like to be notified by email when something is added to the collection on your favorite topic? If the answer is yes, then you’ll want to set up a Preferred Search. To get started, log in to My Account. Search the catalog as you normally would. In the green box at the top of the results page you will see a button that says “Save as preferred search” – click it. You can search for a broad subject such as Cookery, or a narrower subject such as Cookery, American — California Style. The words that appear in the search box next to the type of search are saved as your preferred search. So if you want a narrow search, make sure the all the words in your subject are included in the search box.
To use your preferred searches, click on Return To Your Record at the top of the screen then click the Preferred Searches button. To search the catalog, click on the Search link next to your preferred search. To receive email notification when something new is added to the collection on your subject, simply check the box in the column called Mark for Email then click the Update List button. An email notification is sent each Monday when material cataloged during the previous week matches any of the preferred searches you have checked. YOU MUST HAVE AN EMAIL ADDRESS IN YOUR LIBRARY RECORD or you will not receive an email notice. (See Modify Personal Info.)
Preferred Searches work with any kind of search. While you may not want to create a preferred search for a title, you may want to be notified if the library adds a book by a particular author. You may also like to listen to classical music or world music. In that case, create a preferred search for the call number CD Classic or CD World Music. Don’t forget to check the Mark for Email box (and click the Update List button) so you can be notified when we add something new.
Posted by dawn on
Do you have a new email address or telephone number? How would you prefer to receive your library notices? You can update this information yourself online!
Just login to My Account with your name, library barcode number and PIN. Click the Modify Personal Info button and make the necessary changes. If your mailing address has changed, please call the library at 630-868-7510 and we will make the change to your library account.
Do you have an email address?
Enter your email address and click the button to tell us that you would like to receive notices from the library by email. With an email address in your account you will receive a Courtesy Notice before material is due. You will receive Hold Notices and Overdue Notices via email, and you can receive a notice if the library adds material that might be of interested to you. (See Preferred Searches.) Here’s another reason to add an email address to your account: if you forget your PIN you can change it immediately via a link sent to your email address. This feature works only if an email address is entered in your account. (On the login screen, click the Forgot your Pin? link to reset it via email.) If you don’t have an email address in your account, please call the library at 630-868-7510 to have us reset your PIN.
Posted by dawn on December 22, 2008
Ever wish you could make a list of books you’d like to read sometime, or movies you’d like to watch? Well, now you can! The new My Lists feature in the online catalog allows you to make multiple lists and save catalog records to those lists. When you’re ready to read that book, you’re just one click away from finding the call number and shelf status. If it’s checked out, you can easily request it from your list. Creating lists and saving records is easy when you follow these simple steps.
That’s it! Your records have been saved. Now that you’ve logged in to your account, you can search and save titles without logging in again.
Click Return to Your Record at the top of the screen to go to your library account. See the My Lists button on the right? Click it to see your lists and the items you’ve added. You can sort the lists by name. Click on a list to see the items in the list. You can sort the items by title, author or date added. You can even export your list to print, save or email. To remove a book from your list simply click the box to the left of the entry, then click the Delete Marked button. You can also delete them all by clicking the Delete All button. You don’t need to click the check boxes first.
You can do a lot with your library account. See some of the other features by clicking on the category My Library Account.
** If you would like to save items on different pages click the Save boxes on one page then click the Save Marked Records button. 
Continue to click the Save boxes but remember to click the Save Marked Records button before going on to a new page. When you’re ready to place them in a list, click the View Saved Records button at the top of the page. From this screen, click the Save to my Lists button to save all the items you’ve chosen. They all have to go in the same list. Don’t forget to click the Clear Saved Records button when you’re done.
Posted by dawn on December 18, 2008
A number of people have inquired about the stars that appear above the book jacket image in the online catalog. What do they mean? How do they get there? Can I rate a book too? Those stars are part of My Ratings, another fun feature available in My Account.
When you search the catalog you’ll notice most of the stars you see are gray. That’s because those items haven’t been rated yet. Once an item has been rated, the stars turn blue depending on the rating. Move your mouse over the blue stars (don’t click) to see the number of stars and the number of people who rated the item.
If you would like to rate an item you must first log in to My Account. You’ll need your library barcode number and PIN to log in. (Find out more about PINs.) Once in your account, search for a title you would like to rate. Move your mouse over the stars and you will see question marks inside them. Click on the star that represents your rating. For example, click the fifth star to give it a rating of 5. (One star is the lowest rating and five stars is the highest.) After you rate something the stars turn gold. As long as you’re logged in, when you come across an item that you have rated, the stars will be gold. They will be blue if you are not logged in or if someone else rated the item.
Everytime you rate an item it is added to your My Ratings list. To see the list, log in to My Account. (If you’re already logged in, click Return to Your Record at the top of the screen.) Click the My Ratings button on the right side of the screen. You will see a list of all the items you rated along with their ratings. You can change a rating any time by clicking on the stars next to the title. The rating is updated immediately. You can delete a title from your list by clicking the box next to the title, then clicking the Delete Marked button. Delete them all by clicking the Delete All button. FYI – If you remove a rating from your list it will also be removed from the online catalog.
Every time you rate an item you’re letting other library users know if you think the book, movie or CD is worth their time. The more ratings we have the more informed users can be. Thanks for rating!
Posted by dawn on July 29, 2008
Opt In to My Reading History to keep track of what you’re reading, watching and listening to! Log into your library account using your barcode number and PIN. Click the My Reading History button then click the Opt In button. See the Opt Out button instead? Then you’re already keeping track of your checkouts. Anything checked out after clicking the Opt In button will display on the screen in alphabetical order by title. To remove titles, click the box in the Mark column to select the titles you wish to delete. Then click the Delete Marked button. You can delete everything in your list without selecting them first by clicking the Delete All button. To Opt Out, click the Delete All button to delete your reading history, then click the Opt Out button. You’re the only one who can see your reading history - it is only accessible with your library barcode number and PIN.
