• Why will links or buttons not function? The screen seems to do nothing after I click on anything.

Searching and Library Materials

• How do the relevancy rankings work with keyword searching?
• How can I request materials for library purchase?
• How come the text size in my browser is so small?
• What happened to the old keyword searching?

• How do I create a PIN for my record?
• The system is telling me my PIN is "not complex enough." What does this mean?
• What happens if I forget my PIN?
• How do I renew my library card?
• How do I renew items?
• Every time I make a request, I keep getting prompted for my barcode and PIN. Why?
• I would like to request items only from a specific library. How can I do this?
• How do I view my Reading History?
• What are Preferred Searches?
• How do I email, print or download information about library materials?
• How long do my items stay within my cart?

• Whenever I try to enter my library record, the system brings me back to the same page.
• I have a Hotmail account and I don't seem to be getting email notices. What's going on?
• I have Internet Explorer 7. Why can I not use the telnet link on the main page?
• What browsers and platforms work with CountyCat?
• Is CountyCat compliant with W3C standards?

Other Questions

• I am not a Milwaukee County resident. How can I get access to library materials?

Why will links or buttons not function? The screen seems to do nothing after I click on anything.

Open ZoneAlarm/EZ Firewall:

1. Under Program Control
   a. Right click on IE or Firefox (depends on which browser you use)
   b. Select “Options” from the mini menu that appears
   c. Uncheck the box for “Enable Privacy for this program”
   d. Click “OK”
   
   
2. You may not be able to see an "Options" area under Program Control depending on your version of the software; in this case, shutting off Cookie Control and Ad Blocking completely under the Privacy area and using the Cache Cleaner may work for you. By shutting off these functions, you are relying on the browser for your cookie settings and not ZoneAlarm or EZ Firewall.
   
   
3. Under Privacy (if available)
   a. Go to Cache Cleaner tab
   b. Click on “Clean now”
   
   
4. In your browser (Firefox or IE, for example) clear your cache or Temporary Internet Files
   a. Firefox
   - Tools > Clear Private Data
   - Make sure “Cache” is checked
   - Click on “Clear Private Data Now”
   - Exit and restart Firefox
   
   b. Internet Explorer
   - Tools > Internet Options
   - Under “Temporary Internet Files” on first tab
   - Click on Delete Files.
   - Exit and restart Internet Explorer
   
   
5. After this is done, close your browser, reopen it and try to see if you can perform the normal functions in the catalog. If after performing these steps you still see the problem or you do not have these applications at all, please contact your local library with this information:
   
   a. Your name
   b. Your contact information
   c. Your browser version (for example, Internet Explorer 6)
   d. Your internet service provider (AOL, Roadrunner)
   e. Name of any firewall software or application on your computer that restricts internet data
   

How can I request materials for library purchase?

Library patrons interested in suggesting materials for purchase are asked to please contact your local library directly. In this way the libraries can keep track and provide feedback to your requests in a more timely fashion. You can find a list of libraries and contact information on this page.

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How come the text size in my browser is so small?

The CountyCat pages have been designed with variable fonts to aid those who need to increase or decrease the text size to read the screen. For some users, this may cause the text to be smaller.

To increase the text size in Internet Explorer, go to View > Text Size and choose the appropriate size to work with your browser.

In Firefox, go to View > Text Size and choose the appropriate size to work with your browser.

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What happened to the old keyword searching?

How do I create a PIN for my record?

The system is telling me my PIN is "not complex enough." What does this mean?

• A character that is repeated three or more times(for example, aaaa, ababa, bbbb).
• A set of up to four characters is that is repeated two or more times (for example, abab, abcabc, abcdabcd).

Any PIN not considered complex enough will generate this message: "Your PIN is not complex enough to be secure. Please select another one."

If you feel that you are receiving this message in error, contact your local library.

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What happens if I forget my PIN?

Every time I make a request, I keep getting prompted for my barcode and PIN. Why?

I would like to request items only from a specific library. How can I do this?

• Regional Holds.

  At the point at which you place your request in CountyCat, the system tries to find an available item that is owned by your pickup location. If no available items are owned by the pickup location, the system will look next for available items at your own municipality's library to fulfill your request. If neither of these first two criteria are met, it will look for any available copy to fulfill your request. If no copies are available at all, it will place what is called a "title level" hold on the material. There may be several holds on the material you want including your own; all of these holds are kept in a sequential order based on the date the hold was created.

• Priority of Local Holds.

  The Priority of Local Holds affects the order in which the queue of "title level" holds are filled. When an item is returned and checked in, the system will scan the list of holds and attempt to fulfill a hold where the pickup location matches the ownership location. For example, if a Greendale item is returned to Oak Creek, the system will check the holds queue and match it with the first hold in the queue that has Greendale as a pickup location. The idea is to send materials back to the home library to fulfill requests there first. If there is no hold in the queue that matches the ownership of the item and the user pickup location, the copy then goes to the first user in the queue.

How long do my items stay within my cart?

Whenever I try to enter my library record, the system brings me back to the same page.

If CountyCat does not allow you to enter your record once you've entered your barcode and PIN correctly, check the Content Advisor settings on your Internet Explorer browser. CountyCat does not work with Content Advisor and you will need to turn off that function if you want to view your library record. To do this, open Internet Explorer and using the text menu above select Tools > Internet Options and then select the Content tab. The area at the top of this tab should look like this if you have Content Advisor disabled and want to be able to view your record:



If you continue to have problems, contact your local library.

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I have a Hotmail account and I don't seem to be getting email notices. What's going on?

If you have a Hotmail account and would like to receive email notices from the library, you may need to adjust one of your Hotmail settings to prevent our notices from being viewed as junkmail:

1. Click on "Options" in the upper right hand corner of your hotmail screen.
   
2. Go to "Junk E-Mail Protection" and then "Safe List"
   
3. Add "circadm@mcfls.org" and hit the "Add" button.

That should prevent your Hotmail account from viewing library email notices as junk mail.

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I have Internet Explorer 7. Why can I not use the telnet link on the main page?

Internet Explorer version 7 no longer supports links to telnet clients from within web pages. To get around this on Windows, you can go Start > Run and type in "telnet countycat.mcfls.org". Press the Enter key, and telnet should open a connection to the catalog.

To set up a shortcut to CountyCat on your desktop at home, do the following:

(These instructions assume you have a typical Windows 9x/ME/2000/XP installation with telnet)

On your desktop, right click on an open spot and choose New > Shortcut:

On the next window, type in "telnet countycat.mcfls.org" and hit Next.

In the last window, name your shortcut "CountyCat" and hit Finish.

Your shortcut is created; doubleclick on this shortcut to connect to the telnet version of CountyCat.

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What browsers and platforms work with CountyCat?

Is CountyCat compliant with W3C standards?

We've done our best to make sure CountyCat is as compliant as possible with W3C standards for web design, but have been forced to make concessions in some areas, particularly in the positioning of content and use of tables. As changes to our software become available, we will continue to make improvements in this area.

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I am not a Milwaukee County resident. How can I get access to library materials?

If you are not a Milwaukee County resident, but would like access to library materials, many libraries in the system offer what is called a "fee card" for out-of-county residents. The cost of these fee cards vary in price based on the municipality offering the service, but fee cards are good for one year and offer access to that library's collection. Please note that fee card users do not have access to materials from other libraries across Milwaukee County and access is limited solely to the library where the fee card was purchased. You can find a list of libraries and contact information on this page.

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