You can Save a Search and have it run automatically once a week or once a month. You can also run a saved search manually, any time. Each time a Saved Search is run, the search looks for results that are new since the last time the search was run. You might want to save a search even if the search produced no current results, so you will be notified of new materials that have arrived since the last time the search ran. Your Saved Searches can be viewed and edited at any time in your library account.
The results of Saved Searches are automatically emailed to the email address you specify. The email message includes the name and description of the search, the number of new titles found, and the call number, author, and title of each new item. You can select a link for any item on the list, and it should search for the new item in the library catalog. You may have multiple saved searches scheduled to run at different frequencies. In this case, you receive an e-mail message listing the results for the weekly searches, and a separate message listing the results for the monthly searches. For automatic search runs, the library limits the number of titles in saved search results to 500. When your saved search runs automatically, the results include titles from the local library catalog only.
To set up and save a search
Note: If this is the first time you have saved a search, a consent message will be displayed. Read the message, and if you want to continue, select "Yes".
- You will need your library account number and password handy to save searches.
- Log into your library account using this link > https://catalog.bcpl.lib.md.us/polaris/logon.aspx <.
- Now set up and run a search for an author by going to our catalog page at > https://catalog.bcpl.lib.md.us/polaris/ <.
- Enter an author's name. For example, I entered the author's name "Harper Lee" in the search field.
- The Search Results page should display. Look in the left panel for the green SAVE SEARCH button (as shown below) and select it.
- If the log-in to your account screen page appears again, log in again by typing in your library account barcode number (or user name) and password.
- If the SAVE SEARCH button does not appear at the top of your screen, scroll down until the very end of the left panel and the button should be there (as shown below).
- Click the SAVE SEARCH button and a screen with a box where you can name your search appears. Also in that same box will be the Search command line. Don't try to change or edit anything it the search command field.
- Enter the following information for your saved search:
- Search name - Type a name to identify the search in your list of saved searches. For example the name of the author
- Note - (optional) Type a brief phrase to help you remember details about the search.
- Email results to - Type the email address that should receive the results.
- Email format - HTML or plain text. Select the format you prefer for email. Your selection applies to all your saved searches.
- Email if no results - Check the box if you want to receive an email message even when an automatic search returns no new results.
- Search frequency - Specifies how often the saved search is automatically run (Weekly, Monthly, or Suspend). Select Suspend if you want to save the search to use later, but do not want regular results at this time. You can edit the setting to a different frequency later, or run the search manually when you choose.
- Number of times to run - Type the number of times that the saved search should be run automatically.
- Click/select the SAVE SEARCH button again.
