Web Team Blog

The New Toronto Public Library Website

July 14, 2010 | TPL Staff | Comments (226)

Post a comment to provide feedback on the beta website

Starting July 14th, we began the process of migrating our website users to our new website – the latest step in a multi-year, multi-phase project of enhancements to the library's online services.

Not all users will see the new website at first. If you want to start using the new website you can visit this page for that.

Over the last several months, over 100,000 customers have tried out and tested the new site, and hundreds of you have provided feedback on the beta version. Today, we begin the task of moving you over to the new site permanently.

The new site has many improvements, including:

If you are used to browsing lists of author names, titles, or subjects or searching by call number, then rest assured – all those features are still available through the old catalogue and will remain available for your convenience.

 

 

Comments

226 thoughts on “The New Toronto Public Library Website”

  1. I was hoping the new site would handle dates better. Both the old and new sites display dates in dd/mm/yyyy format. With dd/mm/yyyy or mm/dd/yyyy formats, I always have to search around on the page to find a dd or mm that’s bigger than 12 before I know what the dates mean.
    My suggestion is to switch to use yyyy/mm/dd which is unambiguous and understandable to everyone even if their preference is for dd/mm/yyyy or mm/dd/yyyy.

  2. I was hoping the new site would handle dates better. Both the old and new sites display dates in dd/mm/yyyy format. With dd/mm/yyyy or mm/dd/yyyy formats, I always have to search around on the page to find a dd or mm that’s bigger than 12 before I know what the dates mean.
    My suggestion is to switch to use yyyy/mm/dd which is unambiguous and understandable to everyone even if their preference is for dd/mm/yyyy or mm/dd/yyyy.

  5. Howdy again,
    Great to see the beta site is going live. I like it a lot. I was wondering if it’d be possible to link to the books on say Amazon to show reviews of books. Revenue from the Amazon affiliate sales could also provide additional revenue to the TPL to buy more books or whatever.
    But the feature I’d most like to see is two and one day reminders before books are due.
    Thanks! Keep up the great work!

  6. Howdy again,
    Great to see the beta site is going live. I like it a lot. I was wondering if it’d be possible to link to the books on say Amazon to show reviews of books. Revenue from the Amazon affiliate sales could also provide additional revenue to the TPL to buy more books or whatever.
    But the feature I’d most like to see is two and one day reminders before books are due.
    Thanks! Keep up the great work!

  7. Hello, when you search for events at your local library is there any way the most current events could be displayed first? could it be sorted by most recent dates? I just did a search for “parkdale events” and got old ones from april first. also the link that comes up with that search for “parkdale.tv” is dead.
    thanks, Cathy.

  8. Hello, when you search for events at your local library is there any way the most current events could be displayed first? could it be sorted by most recent dates? I just did a search for “parkdale events” and got old ones from april first. also the link that comes up with that search for “parkdale.tv” is dead.
    thanks, Cathy.

  9. the new site looks good – I wonder if there is, or will be an option, to choose a user name (linked to your card #) to sign in with, rather than having to type that long library card # in each time.
    If not, please suggest it to the web team! I would to be able to put “heisenberg72” rather than “21234358374209208508323856782084” each time. I’m exaggerating, but you get the idea.

  10. the new site looks good – I wonder if there is, or will be an option, to choose a user name (linked to your card #) to sign in with, rather than having to type that long library card # in each time.
    If not, please suggest it to the web team! I would to be able to put “heisenberg72” rather than “21234358374209208508323856782084” each time. I’m exaggerating, but you get the idea.

  11. I’d like to have the ability to compile and save items found through the catalogue to a list on my online account. That way, if I find some books I might want to read in the future, I could save them simply by clicking a button if I’m logged in and then view my list at a later date.

  12. I’d like to have the ability to compile and save items found through the catalogue to a list on my online account. That way, if I find some books I might want to read in the future, I could save them simply by clicking a button if I’m logged in and then view my list at a later date.

  13. I agree with RT Wolf that it would be great to get 1 or 2 day reminders about books coming due. That might only make sense for accounts with an email address. Similarly, getting an overdue notice right away when the book goes overdue would be great, again maybe that only makes sense for email accounts.
    Waiting for a week does make sense for accounts that get notifications by mail, given the cost of paper, stamps, and handling. But when there’s an email account, notification could be automatic.

  14. I agree with RT Wolf that it would be great to get 1 or 2 day reminders about books coming due. That might only make sense for accounts with an email address. Similarly, getting an overdue notice right away when the book goes overdue would be great, again maybe that only makes sense for email accounts.
    Waiting for a week does make sense for accounts that get notifications by mail, given the cost of paper, stamps, and handling. But when there’s an email account, notification could be automatic.

  15. As far as I can’tell, there’s no way to see my current settings in “Account Settings”. I feel an urge to set my email address again since it shows as blank again after I just updated it. I’ve received snail mail overdue notifications a couple of times lately, and I don’t recall whether I’ve also received email notifications in the last few weeks.

  16. As far as I can’tell, there’s no way to see my current settings in “Account Settings”. I feel an urge to set my email address again since it shows as blank again after I just updated it. I’ve received snail mail overdue notifications a couple of times lately, and I don’t recall whether I’ve also received email notifications in the last few weeks.

  17. been waiting and waiting for a way to place a request for books not in the catalogue – when is this going to happen?

  18. been waiting and waiting for a way to place a request for books not in the catalogue – when is this going to happen?

  19. hi. usually google tpl to get the link instead of typing in the web address bar. that’s usally how i access the tpl website. i came online today and performed my usual routine and went to the old website as usual, and like usual since a couple months ago there’s the green beta tag for the new site at the top. i sign into my account on the old website and it reroutes to the welcome to the new beta version of the tpl site. i’m thinking, hmm what’s going on here? i go back to google, type in tpl, click on the search result and see if i can go back to the old website (which i had just used to search for hours and location at my local library. it’s actually better streamlined in the new beta site, but the map on the old one is invaluable), and lo and behold every single time reroutes to the new beta site. so i sign in to the new beta site (because i’ve been using it for a while but i like having the option to switch from either or), and i click the old catalogue link which takes me to the old site, but it really just means that i can’t access the old site at all, just the database, and that everything is being done through this new website.
    so i wasn’t aware that the new site was going to completely become the main destination for all library users. i thought that if it was finally going live and out of beta, then this (the reroute) is what would have happened. usually i would read about it on the tpl website itself. so i can’t access the old website at all…i want to know why, and where’s the blog post about that, or the information that updates me as a library user. the last time i signed on to my account on the old website was yesterday or on saturday. so inbetween that time the old site has become defunct and this new beta site is no longer an option but the usual.

  20. hi. usually google tpl to get the link instead of typing in the web address bar. that’s usally how i access the tpl website. i came online today and performed my usual routine and went to the old website as usual, and like usual since a couple months ago there’s the green beta tag for the new site at the top. i sign into my account on the old website and it reroutes to the welcome to the new beta version of the tpl site. i’m thinking, hmm what’s going on here? i go back to google, type in tpl, click on the search result and see if i can go back to the old website (which i had just used to search for hours and location at my local library. it’s actually better streamlined in the new beta site, but the map on the old one is invaluable), and lo and behold every single time reroutes to the new beta site. so i sign in to the new beta site (because i’ve been using it for a while but i like having the option to switch from either or), and i click the old catalogue link which takes me to the old site, but it really just means that i can’t access the old site at all, just the database, and that everything is being done through this new website.
    so i wasn’t aware that the new site was going to completely become the main destination for all library users. i thought that if it was finally going live and out of beta, then this (the reroute) is what would have happened. usually i would read about it on the tpl website itself. so i can’t access the old website at all…i want to know why, and where’s the blog post about that, or the information that updates me as a library user. the last time i signed on to my account on the old website was yesterday or on saturday. so inbetween that time the old site has become defunct and this new beta site is no longer an option but the usual.

  21. Would be great to have a “save for later” option so I could keep a list of books I’m interested in in my account.

  22. Would be great to have a “save for later” option so I could keep a list of books I’m interested in in my account.

  23. I wish we could use the browser “back” key, rather than having to use the site’s “go back” tab. Not being able to use the browser “back” key was one of the things I didn’t like about the original library Website.

  24. I wish we could use the browser “back” key, rather than having to use the site’s “go back” tab. Not being able to use the browser “back” key was one of the things I didn’t like about the original library Website.

  33. RT Wolf asked for email notices with 2 days and 1 day to go. This cannot be “up voted” enough. This is an *excellent* enhancement.

  34. RT Wolf asked for email notices with 2 days and 1 day to go. This cannot be “up voted” enough. This is an *excellent* enhancement.

  35. That’s a long-winded post, but the bottom line is that when you try to log in to your account on the old website and enter the library card and PIN, you are simply redirected to the ‘beta’ site.
    Very annoying.
    Either remove the log-in screen on the old site or cancel the redirect. When I enter my credentials I’d like to be in my account, not bounced over somewhere else where I have to re-enter them again.

  36. That’s a long-winded post, but the bottom line is that when you try to log in to your account on the old website and enter the library card and PIN, you are simply redirected to the ‘beta’ site.
    Very annoying.
    Either remove the log-in screen on the old site or cancel the redirect. When I enter my credentials I’d like to be in my account, not bounced over somewhere else where I have to re-enter them again.

  39. I find your web page to be confusing and I am not able to save my account log in number and password. Please just go back to the previous browser

  40. I find your web page to be confusing and I am not able to save my account log in number and password. Please just go back to the previous browser

  41. If I place an item on hold without previously logging in to My Account, the new site LOGS ME IN after placing the hold with my card number even though I do not want to log in.
    The site should not log into an account automatically as a result of a transaction.

  42. If I place an item on hold without previously logging in to My Account, the new site LOGS ME IN after placing the hold with my card number even though I do not want to log in.
    The site should not log into an account automatically as a result of a transaction.

  43. When I login remotely to see my account information with my library card number and PIN, I am automatically redirected to the beta site and must login again with the same information. I find this annoying.

  44. When I login remotely to see my account information with my library card number and PIN, I am automatically redirected to the beta site and must login again with the same information. I find this annoying.

  45. I was searching for The Tipping Point by Malcom Gladwell: The new catalogue shows the print copy but does not show the branch locations. Neither the old catalogue nor the staff module (sirsidynix) show the print copy. They only show alternative formats. Will this be fixed anytime soon? Obviously the print record is out there somewhere…

  46. I was searching for The Tipping Point by Malcom Gladwell: The new catalogue shows the print copy but does not show the branch locations. Neither the old catalogue nor the staff module (sirsidynix) show the print copy. They only show alternative formats. Will this be fixed anytime soon? Obviously the print record is out there somewhere…

  47. Hi John,
    There is currently an indexing problem that is affecting many recent titles resulting in the holdings not being displayed. We are currently working on it and hope to have it fixed soon.
    Thanks,
    Margot

  48. Hi John,
    There is currently an indexing problem that is affecting many recent titles resulting in the holdings not being displayed. We are currently working on it and hope to have it fixed soon.
    Thanks,
    Margot

  49. ‘Due to technical issues, we are currently unable to display the title of your hold.’
    Any idea when the title of my hold will once again appear in TPL e-mails? Thanks!

  50. ‘Due to technical issues, we are currently unable to display the title of your hold.’
    Any idea when the title of my hold will once again appear in TPL e-mails? Thanks!

  51. I MUCH preferred the previous system regarding your lists of new acquisitions. With the previous system, they were published on the 15th of every month, so I knew I had a full month to review them. With the new system, they are updated daily, with the previous month to that date. This makes it impossible to systematically review all the new acquisitions without repeating my work or missing some of the new stuff. For me, this is a really big problem, as it is the primary method I use to keep my own lists of what I want to request from the library, and it is the way I ensure that I cover everything that is of interest. PLEASE let us have the old system available, with a fixed date for updates.

  52. I MUCH preferred the previous system regarding your lists of new acquisitions. With the previous system, they were published on the 15th of every month, so I knew I had a full month to review them. With the new system, they are updated daily, with the previous month to that date. This makes it impossible to systematically review all the new acquisitions without repeating my work or missing some of the new stuff. For me, this is a really big problem, as it is the primary method I use to keep my own lists of what I want to request from the library, and it is the way I ensure that I cover everything that is of interest. PLEASE let us have the old system available, with a fixed date for updates.

  53. lae, the old website is going but you can still access the web catalogue (iBistro) if you prefer. Choose the link on the homepage of the beta to the right of the search box. I prefer having spell checking, limiting, usable browser back button, etc. so I’ll use the new search capabilities. As for the rest of the content that was on the old website, it would be a challenge to maintain the information on both old and new sites.

  54. lae, the old website is going but you can still access the web catalogue (iBistro) if you prefer. Choose the link on the homepage of the beta to the right of the search box. I prefer having spell checking, limiting, usable browser back button, etc. so I’ll use the new search capabilities. As for the rest of the content that was on the old website, it would be a challenge to maintain the information on both old and new sites.

  55. I’ve been experiencing a problem with renewing a book. I was not able to renew because it said “there are holds”. But when I look at the book information there are 91 copies and 12 holds (since Saturday July 24) and 54 copies available with “in library” status. I phoned the library today (july 26) and the librarian was able to renew the item even though I could not do it myself. This has happened previously with other books. The book in this situation is called “stumbling on happiness”

  56. I’ve been experiencing a problem with renewing a book. I was not able to renew because it said “there are holds”. But when I look at the book information there are 91 copies and 12 holds (since Saturday July 24) and 54 copies available with “in library” status. I phoned the library today (july 26) and the librarian was able to renew the item even though I could not do it myself. This has happened previously with other books. The book in this situation is called “stumbling on happiness”

  57. Hello all,
    I’ve used the new catalog a little bit and it’s great. I do have an idea for some additional functionality though:
    It would be great if you could filter on a search item’s status. This way you could be sure that all your results are “In Library”. I hate having to click on each search result only to find the status is “Missing” or “In transit”. On second thought, maybe you should filter out “Missing” statuses automatically as they are useless to the person doing a search.
    Just my two cents.
    Gilbert.

  58. Hello all,
    I’ve used the new catalog a little bit and it’s great. I do have an idea for some additional functionality though:
    It would be great if you could filter on a search item’s status. This way you could be sure that all your results are “In Library”. I hate having to click on each search result only to find the status is “Missing” or “In transit”. On second thought, maybe you should filter out “Missing” statuses automatically as they are useless to the person doing a search.
    Just my two cents.
    Gilbert.

  59. When I click the “OK” button on the Hold Confirmation page after completing a hold, I’m sent to a page notifying me that the “User already has a hold on this item” instead of back to the book page/my search/homepage/etc.
    This doesn’t seem to affect the hold being placed properly – all holds I’ve placed are showing up as expected in the Your Account view – and clicking “OK” on the “User already has a hold” page sends me back into the site just fine. But it did confuse me the first time it happened (on the old site, this only happened if I accidentally requested a book I’d already requested), and since this is a beta site, I thought I’d mention even such a minor issue.
    I’m running Safari 4.1 on a Mac, if that makes any difference…

  60. When I click the “OK” button on the Hold Confirmation page after completing a hold, I’m sent to a page notifying me that the “User already has a hold on this item” instead of back to the book page/my search/homepage/etc.
    This doesn’t seem to affect the hold being placed properly – all holds I’ve placed are showing up as expected in the Your Account view – and clicking “OK” on the “User already has a hold” page sends me back into the site just fine. But it did confuse me the first time it happened (on the old site, this only happened if I accidentally requested a book I’d already requested), and since this is a beta site, I thought I’d mention even such a minor issue.
    I’m running Safari 4.1 on a Mac, if that makes any difference…

  61. I would like a preview of my account holds / checkouts / fines etc. on the main page, like I did when I signed in on the old page.

  62. I would like a preview of my account holds / checkouts / fines etc. on the main page, like I did when I signed in on the old page.

  63. Hi Marco,
    We’ve posted some links to help you get your browser to remember your barcode and PIN. If these instructions don’t work for you, let us know what browser you’re using, and maybe we can help.

  65. Hi Marla,
    We made the site work this way based on feedback from many, many users who told us they did not want to have to re-enter their barcode and PIN for each hold they placed.
    Currently, our site does not have the standard “shopping cart” model you see on other sites, where you can add items to your cart and then only sign in once you are ready to “check out.” In the longer term, we may be able to develop a shopping cart function; in the meantime, we are trying to save users time and effort by logging them in the first time they place a hold.
    Thanks for your comment.

  66. Hi Marla,
    We made the site work this way based on feedback from many, many users who told us they did not want to have to re-enter their barcode and PIN for each hold they placed.
    Currently, our site does not have the standard “shopping cart” model you see on other sites, where you can add items to your cart and then only sign in once you are ready to “check out.” In the longer term, we may be able to develop a shopping cart function; in the meantime, we are trying to save users time and effort by logging them in the first time they place a hold.
    Thanks for your comment.

  67. Hi Sheila,
    Sorry for the annoyance. This is a temporary situation as we transition to the new website.

  69. The new approach is a bit different – we tried to incorporate some feedback from users, who told us that they wanted to be able to sort the lists, see past additions (not just the current month), and subscribe to updates via RSS. We welcome comments about the new lists and will look at making further changes based what we hear. Thanks for your response.

  70. The new approach is a bit different – we tried to incorporate some feedback from users, who told us that they wanted to be able to sort the lists, see past additions (not just the current month), and subscribe to updates via RSS. We welcome comments about the new lists and will look at making further changes based what we hear. Thanks for your response.

  71. Hi AK,
    We’ve heard about this problem from a handful of other users and will investigate. Thanks for the comment.

  73. Hi Naomi,
    This is library policy for books that have holds on them. Staff can override the system and renew the item for you once they have reviewed the record and confirmed that there are other copies available. Sorry for the inconvenience.

  74. Hi Naomi,
    This is library policy for books that have holds on them. Staff can override the system and renew the item for you once they have reviewed the record and confirmed that there are other copies available. Sorry for the inconvenience.

  75. Hi Gilbert,
    That’s a great suggestion and definitely something we’d like to be able to do in the future. Thanks for your comment.

  77. the website can place a hold on one try, and then it says oops it can’t to do so. There is a glitch in terms of placing holds that you need to work on.

  78. the website can place a hold on one try, and then it says oops it can’t to do so. There is a glitch in terms of placing holds that you need to work on.

  79. Guys, when I sign in (# and PIN) I also have to sign in my pickup branch (in this case, Runnymede). I never had to do that in the other catalogue — Runnymede has always been my default…
    Can I have my default back? Otherwise, everything is ok with me.

  80. Guys, when I sign in (# and PIN) I also have to sign in my pickup branch (in this case, Runnymede). I never had to do that in the other catalogue — Runnymede has always been my default…
    Can I have my default back? Otherwise, everything is ok with me.

  81. I cannot imagine a worse attempt at a system than this new beta.
    The previous system was not perfect, but it did work.
    You have fallen for the Password fetish and extreme complication.
    I just want to reserve a book to read, that’s all.
    Please keep in mind that you are only librarians, not Nobel candidates.
    Simplify, simplify, simplify.

  82. I cannot imagine a worse attempt at a system than this new beta.
    The previous system was not perfect, but it did work.
    You have fallen for the Password fetish and extreme complication.
    I just want to reserve a book to read, that’s all.
    Please keep in mind that you are only librarians, not Nobel candidates.
    Simplify, simplify, simplify.

  83. Just a little technical annoyance that wasn’t there before: when in my account, reading about the status of items, there is a back and forth shaking of the words when I get to about the third entry. The words are “jumpy” and will not be still until I remove the cursor. This sort of thing does not happen on any other site except the library’s new setup.
    Otherwise everything’s AOK.
    M.A.

  84. Just a little technical annoyance that wasn’t there before: when in my account, reading about the status of items, there is a back and forth shaking of the words when I get to about the third entry. The words are “jumpy” and will not be still until I remove the cursor. This sort of thing does not happen on any other site except the library’s new setup.
    Otherwise everything’s AOK.
    M.A.

  87. Everytime I try to sign in to see the status of some books I have on hold, Im told there is a server error

  88. Everytime I try to sign in to see the status of some books I have on hold, Im told there is a server error

  89. I’m having that server error, too – it happened in the middle of a session this morning, and now I can’t log in. I’m using Firefox 3.0.6 on Mac OS 10.5.8.

  90. I’m having that server error, too – it happened in the middle of a session this morning, and now I can’t log in. I’m using Firefox 3.0.6 on Mac OS 10.5.8.

  93. Now I sign-in first within your “original” page then I find I have to again sign-in on your new Beta page; both sites have my library card and password right there. Why the additional step?

  94. Now I sign-in first within your “original” page then I find I have to again sign-in on your new Beta page; both sites have my library card and password right there. Why the additional step?

  95. Root certificate (Wi-Fi) at Agincourt Library Location is invalid. You might want to look in to this issue…

  96. Root certificate (Wi-Fi) at Agincourt Library Location is invalid. You might want to look in to this issue…

  99. I am and have been having continuing issues (all of an annoying nature) when using the new “improved” website.
    -When attempting to log in to my account, have had several server timeouts
    -Have received various error messages when attempting to check status of books that I have reserved on hold
    -Also sometimes receive error messages when attempting to put a new item on hold
    -I am not impressed with ease of searching the catalog – it seemed more logical and efficient under the previous incarnation of this website
    -I hate to say a phrase that web developers must hate – “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”
    FYI, these issues have occurred both from my computer at work (5 months old, dual-core Intel processor, WIN XP Pro, about 3 gHZ clock speed, 2 gHz RAM, Internet Explorer).
    Similar problems at home – not browser dependent – I have and use the following browsers at home:
    Latest version of Firefox, latest version of Opera and Internet Explorer 8
    Home computer has WIN XP Pro SP3, Quad core Intel 2.8 mHz processor, 4 gHz RAM

  100. I am and have been having continuing issues (all of an annoying nature) when using the new “improved” website.
    -When attempting to log in to my account, have had several server timeouts
    -Have received various error messages when attempting to check status of books that I have reserved on hold
    -Also sometimes receive error messages when attempting to put a new item on hold
    -I am not impressed with ease of searching the catalog – it seemed more logical and efficient under the previous incarnation of this website
    -I hate to say a phrase that web developers must hate – “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”
    FYI, these issues have occurred both from my computer at work (5 months old, dual-core Intel processor, WIN XP Pro, about 3 gHZ clock speed, 2 gHz RAM, Internet Explorer).
    Similar problems at home – not browser dependent – I have and use the following browsers at home:
    Latest version of Firefox, latest version of Opera and Internet Explorer 8
    Home computer has WIN XP Pro SP3, Quad core Intel 2.8 mHz processor, 4 gHz RAM

  101. I’m startled by these aspects of the new website:
    1. Important real estate on the home page is given over to static pictures and librarians’ personal blogs at the expense of really important navigation tools. For instance, it’s difficult to navigate to subscription databases or digitized local history content.
    2. Why aren’t serials holdings listed in the new catalogue????
    3. Once one adds more than two or three search terms in the Search box, the search is broadened rather than narrowed – this is incredibly frustrating!

  102. I’m startled by these aspects of the new website:
    1. Important real estate on the home page is given over to static pictures and librarians’ personal blogs at the expense of really important navigation tools. For instance, it’s difficult to navigate to subscription databases or digitized local history content.
    2. Why aren’t serials holdings listed in the new catalogue????
    3. Once one adds more than two or three search terms in the Search box, the search is broadened rather than narrowed – this is incredibly frustrating!

  103. I had two problems this morning:
    – First, I renewed items on my husband’s library card, then signed out. When I tried to sign into my own library card, there was an error message. The signout link at the top of the page didn’t really work, and when I pressed the Your Account button I kept going back to the error message. I got out of it only when I found a page with the “You are signed in” and clicked there to sign out.
    – I am also having the problem mentioned earlier with setting up my email. When it is first requested, there is a Notice that says that TPL has not yet responded to the request, and a date. I’m not sure whether that notice was still there, but when I requested it again after 2 weeks, the notice now had the new date.
    – I’m using IE8 on XP.

  104. I had two problems this morning:
    – First, I renewed items on my husband’s library card, then signed out. When I tried to sign into my own library card, there was an error message. The signout link at the top of the page didn’t really work, and when I pressed the Your Account button I kept going back to the error message. I got out of it only when I found a page with the “You are signed in” and clicked there to sign out.
    – I am also having the problem mentioned earlier with setting up my email. When it is first requested, there is a Notice that says that TPL has not yet responded to the request, and a date. I’m not sure whether that notice was still there, but when I requested it again after 2 weeks, the notice now had the new date.
    – I’m using IE8 on XP.

  105. Advanced search on the new Beta version has one category for “Movies and Videos.” That means DVDs and VHS formats are lumped together. In the previous Catalogue version, we could request either DVDs or Videocassettes. I prefer this method since I’m only interested in DVDs. It is possible that the TPL intends to soon stop supplying VHS format. If so, I’ll patiently sift through the search selections until only DVDs are offered. Thank you.

  106. Advanced search on the new Beta version has one category for “Movies and Videos.” That means DVDs and VHS formats are lumped together. In the previous Catalogue version, we could request either DVDs or Videocassettes. I prefer this method since I’m only interested in DVDs. It is possible that the TPL intends to soon stop supplying VHS format. If so, I’ll patiently sift through the search selections until only DVDs are offered. Thank you.

  107. Hi,
    For the MyAccount section, I liked seeing the prior holds that were cancelled/that I missed picking up because then I knew what to re-request. The new version doesn’t have this any longer.
    Also, I saw the notation about saving screen capture login information & the fact that you are working on this feature too. While I’ve set it up on my browser, I did like this functionality on the old site.

  108. Hi,
    For the MyAccount section, I liked seeing the prior holds that were cancelled/that I missed picking up because then I knew what to re-request. The new version doesn’t have this any longer.
    Also, I saw the notation about saving screen capture login information & the fact that you are working on this feature too. While I’ve set it up on my browser, I did like this functionality on the old site.

  109. Hi Alan,
    I’m sorry to hear about the problems you’ve been having. We had some issues with account access timing out earlier this week, but they should be resolved now. If you encounter any error messages, please let us know – if you can provide details about the exact message you’re seeing, it would really help.
    Thanks for the feedback.

  110. Hi Alan,
    I’m sorry to hear about the problems you’ve been having. We had some issues with account access timing out earlier this week, but they should be resolved now. If you encounter any error messages, please let us know – if you can provide details about the exact message you’re seeing, it would really help.
    Thanks for the feedback.

  111. Hi James,
    We will be adding a link to the subscription databases from the homepage very soon.
    We have not been able to bring serials holdings into the new website due to performance problems when trying to retrieve the information for serials with large numbers of holdings (e.g., popular magazines). This is something we’re working on resolving as part of a broader investigation into the way the library provides serials information. In the meantime, serials holdings will continue to be available in the old catalogue.
    We’re still tweaking the new search engine based on feedback from customers. If you have specific examples of searches that aren’t working as expected, we would appreciate hearing about them.
    Thanks for your feedback.

  112. Hi James,
    We will be adding a link to the subscription databases from the homepage very soon.
    We have not been able to bring serials holdings into the new website due to performance problems when trying to retrieve the information for serials with large numbers of holdings (e.g., popular magazines). This is something we’re working on resolving as part of a broader investigation into the way the library provides serials information. In the meantime, serials holdings will continue to be available in the old catalogue.
    We’re still tweaking the new search engine based on feedback from customers. If you have specific examples of searches that aren’t working as expected, we would appreciate hearing about them.
    Thanks for your feedback.

  113. Hank, use the filters on the left side of the search results screen. See this search for Paris using the advanced search using Movies & Videos.
    http://beta.torontopubliclibrary.ca/search.jsp?Ntk=Keyword_Anywhere&N=37907&advancedSearch=true&Ntt=paris
    And here is a search for das boot. Notice that TPL has 1 DVD catalogue record and 2 VHS records.
    Some patrons don’t care which format they get – at least that’s my experience at the Ref desk. I *do* care though, just like you. BTW, you can continue your search from the results screen by ticking the box below the search box – this maintains your filter in place for the next search.
    Talking about DVDs – I love that I can see immediately whether or not I can place a hold on a movie. Love that feature!

  114. Hank, use the filters on the left side of the search results screen. See this search for Paris using the advanced search using Movies & Videos.
    http://beta.torontopubliclibrary.ca/search.jsp?Ntk=Keyword_Anywhere&N=37907&advancedSearch=true&Ntt=paris
    And here is a search for das boot. Notice that TPL has 1 DVD catalogue record and 2 VHS records.
    Some patrons don’t care which format they get – at least that’s my experience at the Ref desk. I *do* care though, just like you. BTW, you can continue your search from the results screen by ticking the box below the search box – this maintains your filter in place for the next search.
    Talking about DVDs – I love that I can see immediately whether or not I can place a hold on a movie. Love that feature!

  115. Hi O.L.,
    The missed holds are still in your account – we have just moved them to the “Notices” tab instead of displaying them on the main summary screen.

  117. Hi web team, love the new site.
    Was wondering if there was a plan to implement a default pick-up location? I’m guessing most people pick up their books at the same library every time. It might be worth saving people from the location drop-box since it’s rather long – especially if more people are accessing the site from their phones.
    thanks,
    dan

  118. Hi web team, love the new site.
    Was wondering if there was a plan to implement a default pick-up location? I’m guessing most people pick up their books at the same library every time. It might be worth saving people from the location drop-box since it’s rather long – especially if more people are accessing the site from their phones.
    thanks,
    dan

  119. Hi Dan,
    You do not have to select a pickup location unless you want to pick up an item somewhere other than your default branch. Sorry this wasn’t clear.

  120. Hi Dan,
    You do not have to select a pickup location unless you want to pick up an item somewhere other than your default branch. Sorry this wasn’t clear.

  121. Hi,
    I think the new Search facility is simple-minded, primitive and
    not very useful for adults – unlike the old Search facilities. Is there a way for me to use the various old Search facilities?
    Thanks. Steve Sham

  122. Hi,
    I think the new Search facility is simple-minded, primitive and
    not very useful for adults – unlike the old Search facilities. Is there a way for me to use the various old Search facilities?
    Thanks. Steve Sham

  123. Hello there,
    Wondering about when the “Exhibitions” listings will be up to date. It only lists for April, May,and June 2010 for all the library locations. It also seems to just show up on the old website.
    Thanks,
    Amita

  124. Hello there,
    Wondering about when the “Exhibitions” listings will be up to date. It only lists for April, May,and June 2010 for all the library locations. It also seems to just show up on the old website.
    Thanks,
    Amita

  125. Hi Steve,
    Yes, you can continue to use the old search interface by clicking the old catalogue link to the right of the search box on the homepage.
    I suggest giving the new search interface a chance – it can actually be quite powerful and sophisticated if you use the refinements on search results screens. We also continue to fine-tune the search behaviour and would be happy to hear about any specific examples of searches that have not worked well for you. That said, we understand that some users prefer to browse heading lists, so the old catalogue will continue to be available for that type of searching.

  126. Hi Steve,
    Yes, you can continue to use the old search interface by clicking the old catalogue link to the right of the search box on the homepage.
    I suggest giving the new search interface a chance – it can actually be quite powerful and sophisticated if you use the refinements on search results screens. We also continue to fine-tune the search behaviour and would be happy to hear about any specific examples of searches that have not worked well for you. That said, we understand that some users prefer to browse heading lists, so the old catalogue will continue to be available for that type of searching.

  129. I’m wondering about the login page. I continuously have to remove cookies and delete my borwsing history JUST TO SIGN IN. Otherwise, everytime I try to login I get re-directed to the sign in page, even though at the top it indicates that I am in fact signed in. this is VERY ANNOYING.

  130. I’m wondering about the login page. I continuously have to remove cookies and delete my borwsing history JUST TO SIGN IN. Otherwise, everytime I try to login I get re-directed to the sign in page, even though at the top it indicates that I am in fact signed in. this is VERY ANNOYING.

  131. Love the new site, just wished it worked with Opera. It’s a great browser on desktop and is also very popular as a mobile browser. I assume somewhere down the line you’ll want to allow mobile access to the TPL site, no? Surely the site would need to work well with Opera Mobile to be successful/useful.

  132. Love the new site, just wished it worked with Opera. It’s a great browser on desktop and is also very popular as a mobile browser. I assume somewhere down the line you’ll want to allow mobile access to the TPL site, no? Surely the site would need to work well with Opera Mobile to be successful/useful.

  133. Every time I log in I receive the message that my library card number or password is wrong. When I repeat the process exactly the same way I am able to access my account. What’s the problem?

  134. Every time I log in I receive the message that my library card number or password is wrong. When I repeat the process exactly the same way I am able to access my account. What’s the problem?

  135. The “ReCAPTCHA” mechanism to safeguard against spam is far too fuzzy and wavy to see the words. For e.g., when I try to forward book info via the Email mechanism, I can’t read the words to verify I’m human and not a spambot. I tried it many times and none of the words were close to being clear enough to understand. Thanks.

  136. The “ReCAPTCHA” mechanism to safeguard against spam is far too fuzzy and wavy to see the words. For e.g., when I try to forward book info via the Email mechanism, I can’t read the words to verify I’m human and not a spambot. I tried it many times and none of the words were close to being clear enough to understand. Thanks.

  137. Hi,
    A few days ago I tried to renew a book online on the day it was due. The site told me I couldn’t do that because my card had expired. So I had to go into the library that day to renew my card so I could renew the book on time. That could have been a problem if I was out of town or otherwise unable to show up in person that day. My suggestion is that on the Account Summary page the card expiry date be shown or that a warning shows up, say, a month before expiry. Also, when I went in, I asked about my wife’s and daughter’s cards (as I am the holder of the cards and the one who goes in to pick up holds) and it turned out that their cards had expired a while ago and none of us knew it. So, as I do not carry their ID around with me, just the library cards, if I had gone in to pick up a hold for them, I would not have been able to renew their cards and do the pickup. They would have had to get the cards from me and come in themselves another day. Very inefficient and a waste of time for me. If the site can’tell me my card has expired, I don’t see why it can’t also tell when it’s going to.
    Thanks

  138. Hi,
    A few days ago I tried to renew a book online on the day it was due. The site told me I couldn’t do that because my card had expired. So I had to go into the library that day to renew my card so I could renew the book on time. That could have been a problem if I was out of town or otherwise unable to show up in person that day. My suggestion is that on the Account Summary page the card expiry date be shown or that a warning shows up, say, a month before expiry. Also, when I went in, I asked about my wife’s and daughter’s cards (as I am the holder of the cards and the one who goes in to pick up holds) and it turned out that their cards had expired a while ago and none of us knew it. So, as I do not carry their ID around with me, just the library cards, if I had gone in to pick up a hold for them, I would not have been able to renew their cards and do the pickup. They would have had to get the cards from me and come in themselves another day. Very inefficient and a waste of time for me. If the site can’tell me my card has expired, I don’t see why it can’t also tell when it’s going to.
    Thanks

  139. For the past 3 days I’ve been trying to use/view the website and only the old site’s home page comes up. It doesn’t matter which link I click on I cannot get on to the new web site, nor login in.

  140. For the past 3 days I’ve been trying to use/view the website and only the old site’s home page comes up. It doesn’t matter which link I click on I cannot get on to the new web site, nor login in.

  141. Hi philcig,
    We agree – it would make a lot of sense to warn users before their cards expire, and this is something we’re hoping to be able to do soon. Thanks for your feedback.

  142. Hi philcig,
    We agree – it would make a lot of sense to warn users before their cards expire, and this is something we’re hoping to be able to do soon. Thanks for your feedback.

  143. Hi MJP,
    We agree – the CAPTCHA is too hard to use. We’re looking for an alternative. Thanks for your comment.

  145. Could there be a way to “advance renew” books, such as when one will be away, or otherwise unavailable? Now, you lose a few days on the time the item is out, since you need to renew before the actual due date, or risk a fine! If you could do “renew as of …”, that would be great.
    Please let me know if this is something that might be implemented, thanks.

  146. Could there be a way to “advance renew” books, such as when one will be away, or otherwise unavailable? Now, you lose a few days on the time the item is out, since you need to renew before the actual due date, or risk a fine! If you could do “renew as of …”, that would be great.
    Please let me know if this is something that might be implemented, thanks.

  147. The new site is a great improvement, congratulations.
    One suggestion: could you please add a toggle to view the branch holdings on a map as well as the list view? I don’t know where all the branches are, but seeing them in a map view would help me find the nearest one.

  148. The new site is a great improvement, congratulations.
    One suggestion: could you please add a toggle to view the branch holdings on a map as well as the list view? I don’t know where all the branches are, but seeing them in a map view would help me find the nearest one.

  149. I can’t access the cataloge or my accunt from my computer, and my browser (Internet Explorer 8) won’t display the new website. I have tried clearing my cache, of course, but don’t know what else to do. I have another friend who is having the same problem. Anyone have any suggestions? Thanks.

  150. I can’t access the cataloge or my accunt from my computer, and my browser (Internet Explorer 8) won’t display the new website. I have tried clearing my cache, of course, but don’t know what else to do. I have another friend who is having the same problem. Anyone have any suggestions? Thanks.

  151. On my Account page, on the Notices tab, it says “card expired or will expire soon”. I have never looked there before, so I don’t know if this is a new message or not (guess I’ll find out when I go in next!), but this is what philcig was talking about, I think.
    If so, this message should pop up somewhere more accessable, like on the Account Summary screen.

  152. On my Account page, on the Notices tab, it says “card expired or will expire soon”. I have never looked there before, so I don’t know if this is a new message or not (guess I’ll find out when I go in next!), but this is what philcig was talking about, I think.
    If so, this message should pop up somewhere more accessable, like on the Account Summary screen.

  153. Hi Lauren,
    Sorry to hear about the problems you’re having. What exactly happens when you try to access the website? Do you get an error message?

  155. Hi, I miss searching alphabetically for titles, as was done on the old system. I know I can use the old version, but then I have to re-log in, and lose everything I’ve been doing on the new. I use this kind of search the most, in looking up lists of books that I’m interested in reserving. Could you please find a way to put this kind of searching on the new system?
    Thanks!

  156. Hi, I miss searching alphabetically for titles, as was done on the old system. I know I can use the old version, but then I have to re-log in, and lose everything I’ve been doing on the new. I use this kind of search the most, in looking up lists of books that I’m interested in reserving. Could you please find a way to put this kind of searching on the new system?
    Thanks!

  157. Generally pleased about the new site and search functions. Although you may want to update the description of “The Black Stallion” videocassette which describes the film as: “An earthquake cuts off communication between an underwater lab & the surface, trapping the crew 10,000 feet below. The tremor also knocks over & breaks a glass jar containing a mysterious sample, which when spilled transforms itself into a strange creature that leads them into an alien colony beneath the sea.”
    Which I fear may be the description for another film altogethere

  158. Generally pleased about the new site and search functions. Although you may want to update the description of “The Black Stallion” videocassette which describes the film as: “An earthquake cuts off communication between an underwater lab & the surface, trapping the crew 10,000 feet below. The tremor also knocks over & breaks a glass jar containing a mysterious sample, which when spilled transforms itself into a strange creature that leads them into an alien colony beneath the sea.”
    Which I fear may be the description for another film altogethere

  159. I did mention this problem before, but I did not feel the problem was going to be solved, and I am getting desperate, so I will give an example this time (of which there are many).
    There continues to be a big problem with the new Search function. It is very very important that we retain the positive features of the old system, because at least with that one you could reliably find things, or find out if the library didn’t have them.
    I was trying to find out if the library has ordered a new book, entitled “Vij’s At Home”. If I use the new catalogue, even using the so-called “Advanced” search, I get over 10,000 hits, which is ludicrous and useless. If I use the old catalogue and simply search this as a title, I get a list of the titles before and after where this one should be, alphabetically, and it is immediately obvious that the library has not ordered this book. PLEASE, PLEASE, I don’t know how to say this so that you will appreciate the problem, but this new system is just a kind of hit-and-miss approach and does not do the job which the old system did quite well, and is it an essential feature. If you can’t make the new system as good as the old one, then please keep the new one available indefinitely, and please keep it updated.

  160. I did mention this problem before, but I did not feel the problem was going to be solved, and I am getting desperate, so I will give an example this time (of which there are many).
    There continues to be a big problem with the new Search function. It is very very important that we retain the positive features of the old system, because at least with that one you could reliably find things, or find out if the library didn’t have them.
    I was trying to find out if the library has ordered a new book, entitled “Vij’s At Home”. If I use the new catalogue, even using the so-called “Advanced” search, I get over 10,000 hits, which is ludicrous and useless. If I use the old catalogue and simply search this as a title, I get a list of the titles before and after where this one should be, alphabetically, and it is immediately obvious that the library has not ordered this book. PLEASE, PLEASE, I don’t know how to say this so that you will appreciate the problem, but this new system is just a kind of hit-and-miss approach and does not do the job which the old system did quite well, and is it an essential feature. If you can’t make the new system as good as the old one, then please keep the new one available indefinitely, and please keep it updated.

  161. The big problems with the new search engine remain, and I am very concerned that there are no signs that they are going to be fixed. Some day, maybe 10 years down the road, I don’t know, but someday there will be a “wake-up” and people who design such functions will come full circle and realize that trying to find information largely on an “intuit” basis is a very poor substitute for being systematic.
    Today’s example: I am trying to find out if the library has ordered the book, “Vij’s at home”. The new search engine, even with an
    “Advanced” title search with limits, gives me over 10,000 hits, which is both useless and ludicrous, as it is impossible that you would have this many titles with all these words. The search function assumes the searcher is ignorant and that we must have the words wrong in the title.
    Mercifully, it is still possible to search on the old search engine, which should be preserved and updated indefinitely, at least until you figure out how to replace it properly. The old search engine, when searching the same “Title”, without even using the “Advanced” function, IMMEDIATELY gives me a list of alphabetically arranged titles showing where this title would fit, if you had it, but you do not.
    PLEASE recognize that this is a serious shortcoming which needs to be rectified, because we are no longer allowed, under the new system, to search both author and title simultaneously – which is how you can get rid of all this clutter. It works especially well for people who actually know what they are looking for, and are not using the by-guess-and-by-golly method. With the new system, on many occasions there are long unsorted lists that are returned, and they are impenetrable.

  162. The big problems with the new search engine remain, and I am very concerned that there are no signs that they are going to be fixed. Some day, maybe 10 years down the road, I don’t know, but someday there will be a “wake-up” and people who design such functions will come full circle and realize that trying to find information largely on an “intuit” basis is a very poor substitute for being systematic.
    Today’s example: I am trying to find out if the library has ordered the book, “Vij’s at home”. The new search engine, even with an
    “Advanced” title search with limits, gives me over 10,000 hits, which is both useless and ludicrous, as it is impossible that you would have this many titles with all these words. The search function assumes the searcher is ignorant and that we must have the words wrong in the title.
    Mercifully, it is still possible to search on the old search engine, which should be preserved and updated indefinitely, at least until you figure out how to replace it properly. The old search engine, when searching the same “Title”, without even using the “Advanced” function, IMMEDIATELY gives me a list of alphabetically arranged titles showing where this title would fit, if you had it, but you do not.
    PLEASE recognize that this is a serious shortcoming which needs to be rectified, because we are no longer allowed, under the new system, to search both author and title simultaneously – which is how you can get rid of all this clutter. It works especially well for people who actually know what they are looking for, and are not using the by-guess-and-by-golly method. With the new system, on many occasions there are long unsorted lists that are returned, and they are impenetrable.

  163. Ditto!
    The new searching is only (barely) useful if you have only a vague idea what you are searching for. I am not sure how the “relevance” of an item is decided, but they do not seem very relevent to me. Thanks.

  164. Ditto!
    The new searching is only (barely) useful if you have only a vague idea what you are searching for. I am not sure how the “relevance” of an item is decided, but they do not seem very relevent to me. Thanks.

  165. I have found another issue with placing holds. I logged in when placing my first hold, which appropriately was sent to my home branch (Lillian Smith).
    However, both my subsequent holds were directed to Agincourt instead of my home branch.
    This is a bug & needs to be fixed before Agincourt is once again deluged with misdirected holds.

  166. I have found another issue with placing holds. I logged in when placing my first hold, which appropriately was sent to my home branch (Lillian Smith).
    However, both my subsequent holds were directed to Agincourt instead of my home branch.
    This is a bug & needs to be fixed before Agincourt is once again deluged with misdirected holds.

  167. some time ago (around the time of the last catalogue upgrade) I wrote the yubnub tpl command, which lets you search the tpl catalogue directly from the firefox or chrome search bar:
    http://yubnub.org/kernel/man?args=tpl
    Of course this is broken now, and I just wondered if you could offer some advice on how best to fix it. Happy to do the upload & stuff myself but the new search URL’s look pretty different and I’d like to get things right this time…
    Thanks,
    Matt

  168. some time ago (around the time of the last catalogue upgrade) I wrote the yubnub tpl command, which lets you search the tpl catalogue directly from the firefox or chrome search bar:
    http://yubnub.org/kernel/man?args=tpl
    Of course this is broken now, and I just wondered if you could offer some advice on how best to fix it. Happy to do the upload & stuff myself but the new search URL’s look pretty different and I’d like to get things right this time…
    Thanks,
    Matt

  169. Hi Helena,
    This is a problem that we are aware of and we are working on it now. Hopefully it will be fixed soon!

  171. Hi Matt,
    I’m unfamiliar with YubNub, but from how it appears to be working I recommend looking at the boolean search interface of the new website to achieve similar results.
    (some of the URLs below are being rendered oddly by the automatic linking–I apologize, but I can’t get it to stop doing this)
    The basic URL structure for accessing the boolean search is:
    [ http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/search.jsp?Ntt={boolean search here}&Ntx=mode+matchBoolean ]
    Here’s an example URL finding all English-language Robert Heinlein books at North York Central Library:
    [ http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/search.jsp?Ntt=Author: “Heinlein, Robert” AND Format:Book AND “Library Branch”:”North York Central Library” AND Language:English&Ntx=mode+matchBoolean ]
    Here’s another one getting all Russian-language Heinlein books in the system:
    [ http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/search.jsp?Ntt=Author: “Heinlein, Robert” AND Format:Book AND Language:Russian&Ntx=mode+matchBoolean ]
    We’ve got a little documentation about the boolean features at http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/boolean-search.jsp
    -you should be able to access most fields associated with items using their names, and search them using natural language. No need for special field codes, etc.
    -Enclose anything multiword (field names or search values) in quotation marks
    -Exclude entirely any fields you don’t want to limit the search by
    Depending on how YubNub works you may need to be doing some encoding of values in the URL–I’m not sure about this myself.
    I hope that helps get you started.

  172. Hi Matt,
    I’m unfamiliar with YubNub, but from how it appears to be working I recommend looking at the boolean search interface of the new website to achieve similar results.
    (some of the URLs below are being rendered oddly by the automatic linking–I apologize, but I can’t get it to stop doing this)
    The basic URL structure for accessing the boolean search is:
    [ http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/search.jsp?Ntt={boolean search here}&Ntx=mode+matchBoolean ]
    Here’s an example URL finding all English-language Robert Heinlein books at North York Central Library:
    [ http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/search.jsp?Ntt=Author: “Heinlein, Robert” AND Format:Book AND “Library Branch”:”North York Central Library” AND Language:English&Ntx=mode+matchBoolean ]
    Here’s another one getting all Russian-language Heinlein books in the system:
    [ http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/search.jsp?Ntt=Author: “Heinlein, Robert” AND Format:Book AND Language:Russian&Ntx=mode+matchBoolean ]
    We’ve got a little documentation about the boolean features at http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/boolean-search.jsp
    -you should be able to access most fields associated with items using their names, and search them using natural language. No need for special field codes, etc.
    -Enclose anything multiword (field names or search values) in quotation marks
    -Exclude entirely any fields you don’t want to limit the search by
    Depending on how YubNub works you may need to be doing some encoding of values in the URL–I’m not sure about this myself.
    I hope that helps get you started.

  173. I sent an email to TPL through the website form, then tried to sign out, I got something went wrong page. Hope this helps. Best regards.

  174. I sent an email to TPL through the website form, then tried to sign out, I got something went wrong page. Hope this helps. Best regards.

  175. Just reporting a bug:
    If I log in, do a search and want to place a hold, then choose a branch (my branch is closed for construction, so I am choosing the next-closest: Deer park) that all works great, BUT, if I do another search and try to place a hold and then bring up the list of available branches where I can have my hold delivered, Deer Park is missing! I have to sign out and sign in again to place the hold and have it sent to Deer park. Not very convenient.
    Thanks!
    Chris

  176. Just reporting a bug:
    If I log in, do a search and want to place a hold, then choose a branch (my branch is closed for construction, so I am choosing the next-closest: Deer park) that all works great, BUT, if I do another search and try to place a hold and then bring up the list of available branches where I can have my hold delivered, Deer Park is missing! I have to sign out and sign in again to place the hold and have it sent to Deer park. Not very convenient.
    Thanks!
    Chris

  177. the advance search feature does not include the number of hits per page feature . When you do get the page and try to increase the number of hits to 50 from 10 you get ” oops , something went wrong ” or ” Please enter a search criterion . As the site is incredibly slow increasing the number of hits per page would save time . Doing so is a crap shoot as it seldom works .

  178. the advance search feature does not include the number of hits per page feature . When you do get the page and try to increase the number of hits to 50 from 10 you get ” oops , something went wrong ” or ” Please enter a search criterion . As the site is incredibly slow increasing the number of hits per page would save time . Doing so is a crap shoot as it seldom works .

  179. I was looking at a list of holdings, and noticed that one of them was in Cedarbrae, which was shown as “temporarily closed for renovations”. I clicked on the link to the branch, and was landed at a page that said “Oops, we had a glitch. If refreshing this page doesn’t help let us know.” I refreshed the page, and got the same thing, so I clicked on the “let us know” link.
    Uselessly, it took me to the blog page. After scrolling up and down for a while, and reading irrelevant information from months ago, I finally noticed the “post a message” link a ‘page down’ below the top of the page, and out of the way off on the right side.
    So I clicked on that… this time, I was taken to (this, where I’m typing now) comment entry box – for about 3 seconds. Then the page was scrolled back to the top for some reason or other. However, having noticed that there was some scrolling going on, I paged down (and down and down and down) to the bottom, where I finally found somewhere to LET YOU KNOW.
    If you’re going to have a “LET US KNOW” link, it should take you to somewhere useful, where someone CAN actually let you know, without having to spend minutes looking for how to enter a message.

  180. I was looking at a list of holdings, and noticed that one of them was in Cedarbrae, which was shown as “temporarily closed for renovations”. I clicked on the link to the branch, and was landed at a page that said “Oops, we had a glitch. If refreshing this page doesn’t help let us know.” I refreshed the page, and got the same thing, so I clicked on the “let us know” link.
    Uselessly, it took me to the blog page. After scrolling up and down for a while, and reading irrelevant information from months ago, I finally noticed the “post a message” link a ‘page down’ below the top of the page, and out of the way off on the right side.
    So I clicked on that… this time, I was taken to (this, where I’m typing now) comment entry box – for about 3 seconds. Then the page was scrolled back to the top for some reason or other. However, having noticed that there was some scrolling going on, I paged down (and down and down and down) to the bottom, where I finally found somewhere to LET YOU KNOW.
    If you’re going to have a “LET US KNOW” link, it should take you to somewhere useful, where someone CAN actually let you know, without having to spend minutes looking for how to enter a message.

  181. Hello there,
    Good job revamping the website! I hope there are more “social” aspects like on the Oakville Public Library in future, but I’m sure you guys are working on it. 🙂
    Wanted to report that the change in the TPL architecture was not communicated to third-party service that provide enhancements to your existing offerings.
    Library Elf (http://www.libraryelf.com/) is a service I’ve used for some time to get email, RSS or text message reminders of upcoming due dates, alerts on overdues and holds, and consolidated lists of my family’s loans on multiple library cards.
    Since the TPL’s recent overhaul of the website, the links that Library Elf provides in their emails are no longer working properly, as they point to the old account information. Clicking on them if you are not already logged in to the site results in “Message: Error, Please click sign in again.” Then, if you actually click the “Sign In” link at the top of the page, you get “404 Error – Page Not Found / Sorry–the page you’ve requested isn’t here. / This could be because:
    * The page existed on our old site but not on our new one.
    * There’s a typo in your URL.
    We apologize for the inconvenience.”
    Can you please contact the nice people at Library Elf and help them out with navigating your site changes, so that they can give the correct referring URL for users like me who want email/RSS/text alerts of holds and overdues?
    Cheers, thanks again for your wonderful service,
    Moira

  182. Hello there,
    Good job revamping the website! I hope there are more “social” aspects like on the Oakville Public Library in future, but I’m sure you guys are working on it. 🙂
    Wanted to report that the change in the TPL architecture was not communicated to third-party service that provide enhancements to your existing offerings.
    Library Elf (http://www.libraryelf.com/) is a service I’ve used for some time to get email, RSS or text message reminders of upcoming due dates, alerts on overdues and holds, and consolidated lists of my family’s loans on multiple library cards.
    Since the TPL’s recent overhaul of the website, the links that Library Elf provides in their emails are no longer working properly, as they point to the old account information. Clicking on them if you are not already logged in to the site results in “Message: Error, Please click sign in again.” Then, if you actually click the “Sign In” link at the top of the page, you get “404 Error – Page Not Found / Sorry–the page you’ve requested isn’t here. / This could be because:
    * The page existed on our old site but not on our new one.
    * There’s a typo in your URL.
    We apologize for the inconvenience.”
    Can you please contact the nice people at Library Elf and help them out with navigating your site changes, so that they can give the correct referring URL for users like me who want email/RSS/text alerts of holds and overdues?
    Cheers, thanks again for your wonderful service,
    Moira

  185. Apparen’tly there is some kind of server problem, which is not allowing me to log-in and see my account. The message I received said I should let you know here if the problem was not fixed by refreshing the page, which it was not. I went to the old site, and was able to make changes to my account there, but hoping the new beta site will be back soon. Thanks.

  186. Apparen’tly there is some kind of server problem, which is not allowing me to log-in and see my account. The message I received said I should let you know here if the problem was not fixed by refreshing the page, which it was not. I went to the old site, and was able to make changes to my account there, but hoping the new beta site will be back soon. Thanks.

  187. Why all this big deal about the new website? There are serious issues with the entire computer network! Why has it been so slow? It started to be a nuisance in February 2010! What a pain to login! Many,many times I spent up to 50 minutes just to login in! For a person having one hour,that’s a little ridiculous! Then there was the story about firefox mozilla! Why can’t that be put into the entire system at one time? What happened to the dedication of the people working in your “IT” department? I’m beginning to think no one there cares anymore! Maybe you’re on “work to rule” or something? Is your contract about to expire or what? In eight years using library computers,I’ve never seen anything even close to what’s been happening lately!I’m on CPP for the next year,but when I turn 65 next August,I’ll get my own computer! Can’t rely on the library any more!

  188. Why all this big deal about the new website? There are serious issues with the entire computer network! Why has it been so slow? It started to be a nuisance in February 2010! What a pain to login! Many,many times I spent up to 50 minutes just to login in! For a person having one hour,that’s a little ridiculous! Then there was the story about firefox mozilla! Why can’t that be put into the entire system at one time? What happened to the dedication of the people working in your “IT” department? I’m beginning to think no one there cares anymore! Maybe you’re on “work to rule” or something? Is your contract about to expire or what? In eight years using library computers,I’ve never seen anything even close to what’s been happening lately!I’m on CPP for the next year,but when I turn 65 next August,I’ll get my own computer! Can’t rely on the library any more!

  189. Hi there,
    I have to comment about the fact that the new TPL website does nothing at all to address the diversity of the city. Where are the translated pages for other languages? where is the accessible content in a language that a newcomer can understand? where is the search capabilities in these other languages?
    Why does this website ignore the multicultural demographics of the city that it serves? It upsets me that this website is catering to the English speakers of the city, even though almost 50% of this city’s population is from another country!

  190. Hi there,
    I have to comment about the fact that the new TPL website does nothing at all to address the diversity of the city. Where are the translated pages for other languages? where is the accessible content in a language that a newcomer can understand? where is the search capabilities in these other languages?
    Why does this website ignore the multicultural demographics of the city that it serves? It upsets me that this website is catering to the English speakers of the city, even though almost 50% of this city’s population is from another country!

  191. Hi nvb,
    The website does have pages aimed at speakers of a number of different languages. The Material in Your Language section of the site includes translated instructions on how to get a library card and how to use the library in multiple languages, as well as maps showing which libraries have materials in each language and an interface for searching within that language.
    We’re working right now on adding some new menus that should make it easier for users to find this and other sections right off the homepage.

  192. Hi Ron,
    We’re aware of the issues with network capacity at many branches, and we can assure you that the library is working to address them through network upgrades and new equipment. If you would like more information, please feel free to submit a comment through the official customer feedback form on our website.

  193. Hi nvb,
    The website does have pages aimed at speakers of a number of different languages. The Material in Your Language section of the site includes translated instructions on how to get a library card and how to use the library in multiple languages, as well as maps showing which libraries have materials in each language and an interface for searching within that language.
    We’re working right now on adding some new menus that should make it easier for users to find this and other sections right off the homepage.

  194. Hi Ron,
    We’re aware of the issues with network capacity at many branches, and we can assure you that the library is working to address them through network upgrades and new equipment. If you would like more information, please feel free to submit a comment through the official customer feedback form on our website.

  195. Hi,
    When arranging a hold the system defaults to the Agincourt branch instead of staying with my own branch.
    This is irritating. If I do not catch it, my book finishes being delivered to Agincourt where I can’t get it.
    Joe

  196. Hi,
    When arranging a hold the system defaults to the Agincourt branch instead of staying with my own branch.
    This is irritating. If I do not catch it, my book finishes being delivered to Agincourt where I can’t get it.
    Joe

  197. Just wanted to show some feedback after using the online site to place holds and everything else almost daily for a couple months now.
    Previous Holds – Why can’t I see what I’ve taken out in the past? I think there should be a tab of previously taken out books.
    Top 100 Books – I’d really like to see a list of the most 100 requested books (by holds) of the last day/week/month. Even better would be a top 100 list for each category of books.
    Books in Transit – It would be great to know more about when my book will be arriving from another library. Sometimes books are “In Transit” for a day or two, other times it can be two weeks.
    I think it would be also cool to use all the data of the 31 million holds every year and calculate some stats like the average hold length. Then with that you can provide and estimate as to how long your book will be arriving based on how many people are on the queue.
    I’m also always looking for new stuff to read, so I’d like to see something like a related books carousel in each page of description of book. Final thing, a page of 25 random books from each category would be nice as well to help you find new things.
    Great job overall on the new design! I am really liking, keep up the great work,
    Nicholas Montgomery

  198. Just wanted to show some feedback after using the online site to place holds and everything else almost daily for a couple months now.
    Previous Holds – Why can’t I see what I’ve taken out in the past? I think there should be a tab of previously taken out books.
    Top 100 Books – I’d really like to see a list of the most 100 requested books (by holds) of the last day/week/month. Even better would be a top 100 list for each category of books.
    Books in Transit – It would be great to know more about when my book will be arriving from another library. Sometimes books are “In Transit” for a day or two, other times it can be two weeks.
    I think it would be also cool to use all the data of the 31 million holds every year and calculate some stats like the average hold length. Then with that you can provide and estimate as to how long your book will be arriving based on how many people are on the queue.
    I’m also always looking for new stuff to read, so I’d like to see something like a related books carousel in each page of description of book. Final thing, a page of 25 random books from each category would be nice as well to help you find new things.
    Great job overall on the new design! I am really liking, keep up the great work,
    Nicholas Montgomery

  199. I was trying to access my account online this morning and it said that it is down for maintenance before 6:30am. It is already 9:30am and I am still getting the same message and not able to get into my account to renew and check books past due.

  200. I was trying to access my account online this morning and it said that it is down for maintenance before 6:30am. It is already 9:30am and I am still getting the same message and not able to get into my account to renew and check books past due.

  201. Hi Marianne,
    We were experiencing some problems with account access and item information yesterday morning but everything is up and running now. Sorry for the inconvenience.

  202. Hi Marianne,
    We were experiencing some problems with account access and item information yesterday morning but everything is up and running now. Sorry for the inconvenience.

  204. The website isn’t working again today. Tried to login to my account but it will not go through. Have been trying all morning and into this afternoon.

  206. The website isn’t working again today. Tried to login to my account but it will not go through. Have been trying all morning and into this afternoon.

  207. The message commuinicating card blockage is too vague. I was just prevented from downloading an ebook with a note that there was a problem with my card. I went back to the main library site and found a message saying something like user wis blocked ue to a “Circulation Limit”. Since I only had one paper book out and a handful of ebooks, and nothing was overdue, although I had a $4.80 overdue fine owing, I had to phone in to find out what was going on. I was informed of the six-week debt policy (you can’t carry a fine debt for more than six weeks). The message on the site should say what the specific problem is.

  208. The message commuinicating card blockage is too vague. I was just prevented from downloading an ebook with a note that there was a problem with my card. I went back to the main library site and found a message saying something like user wis blocked ue to a “Circulation Limit”. Since I only had one paper book out and a handful of ebooks, and nothing was overdue, although I had a $4.80 overdue fine owing, I had to phone in to find out what was going on. I was informed of the six-week debt policy (you can’t carry a fine debt for more than six weeks). The message on the site should say what the specific problem is.

  209. Hello,
    I hope this is the right place to post this.
    I’m experiencing problems signing up on the “Sign Up for E-mail Updates from the Library” page.
    Submitting my information navigates me to a page that says (I use Mozilla Firefox):
    “Server not found
    Firefox can’t find the server at track.torontopubliclibrary.ca.
    * Check the address for typing errors such as
    ww.example.com instead of
    http://www.example.com
    * If you are unable to load any pages, check your computer’s network
    connection.
    * If your computer or network is protected by a firewall or proxy, make sure
    that Firefox is permitted to access the Web.”
    Hopefully this is a problem with the web page and not something I haven’t set properly on my browser. Sorry if it is the latter.
    Thanks in advance for your help,
    Jenni

  210. Hello,
    I hope this is the right place to post this.
    I’m experiencing problems signing up on the “Sign Up for E-mail Updates from the Library” page.
    Submitting my information navigates me to a page that says (I use Mozilla Firefox):
    “Server not found
    Firefox can’t find the server at track.torontopubliclibrary.ca.
    * Check the address for typing errors such as
    ww.example.com instead of
    http://www.example.com
    * If you are unable to load any pages, check your computer’s network
    connection.
    * If your computer or network is protected by a firewall or proxy, make sure
    that Firefox is permitted to access the Web.”
    Hopefully this is a problem with the web page and not something I haven’t set properly on my browser. Sorry if it is the latter.
    Thanks in advance for your help,
    Jenni

  213. Hi Kaidian,
    The site isn’t down, although it is a bit slow from time to time. Are you having a specific problem?

  215. This is one of the hardest websites to use. It is confusing with way too much “stuff” on the site. It is hard to find things and once you do you need to be a brain surgeon to figure out the next steps.
    Your old site was much easier to use

  216. This is one of the hardest websites to use. It is confusing with way too much “stuff” on the site. It is hard to find things and once you do you need to be a brain surgeon to figure out the next steps.
    Your old site was much easier to use

  217. I’m sorry to hear you’re finding the new website hard to use. It would help us to know some more details about what is causing you difficulties. Please feel free to use our feedback form to send us more information.
    If you prefer the old catalogue, it is still available at http://oldcatalogue.torontopubliclibrary.ca.

  219. Bug: If you click “My Account”, and then click “Contact Us” you get a 404 not found. You may have to be signed in first to see this bug, I didn’t check.
    Feature Request: Would be nice to have an official issue tracker instead of a long page of comments =).

  220. Bug: If you click “My Account”, and then click “Contact Us” you get a 404 not found. You may have to be signed in first to see this bug, I didn’t check.
    Feature Request: Would be nice to have an official issue tracker instead of a long page of comments =).

  221. Hi Bongo,
    Thanks for pointing out the broken link – we’ve fixed it.
    I agree that an official issue tracker would be helpful. We’ll see what we can do.

  223. Dear Madam/Sir,
    First of all congratulations on maintaining a great website for the Toronto Public Library.
    I just recently moved to Toronto from another city in Canada and got my library card yesterday. I visted the Fairview branch and I am impressed with the collection. The staff were very helpful in giving me an orientation of the library and answering my questions.
    I have a few comments at this point for better user exprience of the library ‘Your Account’ website:
    1) Please provide the option of logging in using a Username or the Library card. The series of numbers in the card is hard to remember.
    2) When an item is placed on ‘Hold’, please provide an indication symbol next to the item saying ‘item on hold’ to let the user know that the item was successfully put on hold and avoids repeating the process. I checked, its only after 2-3 clicks that I was brought to the page saying “Item was already put on hold”.
    3) I realize that the website is relatively new and future improvements are planned. Food for thought along that line; User profile showing ‘items recently returned’, rating options on items read/heard/seen, a virtual ‘shelf’ to store items which I would like borrow/read in future.
    Thats all for now.
    Warm regards,
    Saurav

  224. Dear Madam/Sir,
    First of all congratulations on maintaining a great website for the Toronto Public Library.
    I just recently moved to Toronto from another city in Canada and got my library card yesterday. I visted the Fairview branch and I am impressed with the collection. The staff were very helpful in giving me an orientation of the library and answering my questions.
    I have a few comments at this point for better user exprience of the library ‘Your Account’ website:
    1) Please provide the option of logging in using a Username or the Library card. The series of numbers in the card is hard to remember.
    2) When an item is placed on ‘Hold’, please provide an indication symbol next to the item saying ‘item on hold’ to let the user know that the item was successfully put on hold and avoids repeating the process. I checked, its only after 2-3 clicks that I was brought to the page saying “Item was already put on hold”.
    3) I realize that the website is relatively new and future improvements are planned. Food for thought along that line; User profile showing ‘items recently returned’, rating options on items read/heard/seen, a virtual ‘shelf’ to store items which I would like borrow/read in future.
    Thats all for now.
    Warm regards,
    Saurav

  225. Hi Saurav,
    Thank you for your kind words about the website; your feedback is greatly appreciated. You have made some excellent suggestions for new features and we hope to be able to implement some of them in the future. One tip I can offer in the meantime is to follow the instructions included on this FAQ page http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/using-the-library/help/troubleshooting-technical.jsp so you can set your browser to remember your card number and PIN. This way you won’t have to enter it every time as I agree that it is long and hard to remember! Thanks again for your interest in TPL and we hope you continue to explore all the great services we have to offer.

  226. Hi Saurav,
    Thank you for your kind words about the website; your feedback is greatly appreciated. You have made some excellent suggestions for new features and we hope to be able to implement some of them in the future. One tip I can offer in the meantime is to follow the instructions included on this FAQ page http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/using-the-library/help/troubleshooting-technical.jsp so you can set your browser to remember your card number and PIN. This way you won’t have to enter it every time as I agree that it is long and hard to remember! Thanks again for your interest in TPL and we hope you continue to explore all the great services we have to offer.

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