Administration Office
P.O. Box 119, 7527 Library Drive, Hanover, VA 23069
804-365-6211 (phone), 804-537-6389 (fax),
ask@pamunkeylibrary.org
Frequently Asked Questions
If you have a question you think should appear on this page,
please let us know at
ask@pamunkeylibrary.org. Your questions and comments are
greatly appreciated!
General Questions -
PamCat - Library Services -
Technical Issues
General Questions
Questions about PamCat, our online Library Catalog
Questions About Library Services
Questions about Technical Issues
Answers
Q. How do I get a library card?
A. Present your personal identification (driver's license, utility bill,
etc.) at any branch library for your free library card. Registration is free to all residents of Goochland,
Hanover, King and Queen and King William Counties, persons who own
property, attend an educational institution or are employed within the
region and to any person over 65 years of age. All other
Virginians may qualify for a free card by presenting a public library card from
their place of residence. All others may register for a library card upon
payment of an annual fee equivalent to the Pamunkey Regional Library average per
capita local expenditure (more information is available by calling (804) 365-6211 or by e-mailing
information@pamunkeylibrary.org). A parent's or guardian's written permission is
required for children under the age of 18 to register for a library card.
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Q. How do I search for books and other library materials?
A. A link to the library's online catalog, PamCat, appears in a drop-down
menu under the "Library Catalog" heading on the menu bar near the top of each
web page. This menu also links to helpful guides, a magazine and newspaper
list, and other information about the catalog.
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Q. Can I reserve or put a hold on a book by
e-mail?
A. Currently we don't place books on hold when patrons send the library
e-mails to do so. However, you can put holds on library materials by logging in to
your account on PamCat or by calling or visiting any of our branch libraries.
For more information on how to place holds, please see our
PamCat Guide on Holds.
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Q. How do I renew books and other library materials online?
A. Go to PamCat, our online library
catalog and log in to your account at the top of the screen.
Click on "My Account," which you'll find on the menu
bar. Now click on "Renew My Materials." You'll now see
the box "Select Items to Renew" which tells you how many items you currently
have checked out. Click in the box in front of the title (or titles) you
wish to renew or re-check out, which puts a "check mark" in the box, and then click on
"Renew Selected Items." If you mistakenly click the wrong items you could click
on "Clear Selections" to get rid of the check marks. After you click on "Renew Selected
Items" you should see a yellow
box that says, "item was renewed." Then click the "OK" button to return to PamCat. More information about other PamCat features can be found in our
PamCat Quick Guides, available in printed form in your local branch library or
electronically on our web site under "Library Catalog." You may
also call or visit any of our branch libraries and a staff member will be
happy to renew your book for you. Generally, most materials circulate
for 4 weeks, while high demand materials circulate for 2 weeks.
Materials may be renewed up to 2 times and then must be returned.
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Q. Are there any fines or fees if I return my books late?
The library charges $.05 a day per item, with a maximum charge of
$5.00 per item. There is a four day grace period before fines accrue
on your account. Your library card will be blocked if either 5 items are overdue or $5.00 is owed to the library. The
library accepts cash or checks with valid ID for payment of fines.
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Q. What happens if I lose or damage a book?
A. The library's policy is to charge patrons according to the the
prices found on its Lost Library Materials
list. The library will accept a new or gently used copy of
the same item, with the same ISBN, plus a $5.00 processing fee for books and a
$10.00 processing fee for audio-visual items. For classic titles (for example,
A Tale of Two Cities) newer ISBNs are OK. The new 13-digit ISBNs should
include the 10 digits from the original ISBN. If possible, a staff member can renew your book or
other item to give you time to find it if it is lost. The library does
not charge for everyday wear and tear. If you have any questions about
lost or damaged items, please ask a staff member or e-mail
information@pamunkeylibrary.org.
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Q. Why do I get lots of session timeout
messages whenever I use PamCat?
A. These session timeouts happen to patrons using Internet Service Providers
(ISPs) that use cache proxy servers to speed up download times by storing the
pages their customers use.
See more information here.
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Q. I forgot my password for PamCat. Can you
reset it for me?
A. Certainly. Please call or visit any branch library and a staff member
will reset your password back to "CHANGEME," which you can customize to make it
easier to remember.
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Q. What can I do about personal information that appears when I try to
place a hold on a book in PamCat?
A. If you are concerned about the type of information that appears when
you try to place a hold on library materials in PamCat, please send an e-mail to
information@pamunkeylibrary.org,
and we will adjust you library card record to no longer show that personal
information.
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Q. Do you have an archivist or historian to
help me research my family tree?
A. Our Hanover Branch Library has a small selection of genealogical materials in its
Virginiana reference collection available for research. While we have no archivists or
historians on staff, we do have a volunteer who comes in during the week to assist
patrons who are involved in genealogy and we can help you get in touch with
several local historical societies. Our other branches also have general books
on genealogy and local families, which can be found in our
catalog. The
Library of Virginia and the Page Memorial Library (17193 Mountain Road, 804-883-5355)
have more extensive collections of local area family histories that also may be of interest to you.
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Q. How can I tell which libraries in my area (other than Pamunkey) have a book that I want?
A. If you've checked PamCat and
its "Other Library Catalogs" feature, and
you do not see that title, you can go to a search engine like Google or Yahoo!.
Enter the title and the phrase "worldcat," and you will see search results that
include a link to the Open WorldCat (more information) project with the heading
"Find in a Library." Here you can enter geographic information that helps
you locate the item at a library in your city, region or country.
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Q. How can I donate new or gently used books
and other materials to your library?
A. Because of limited storage space, not all of our branches accept donations at this time.
It is best to call or visit your local branch library beforehand. If you would like to donate a book or other materials in memory of or in honor of a loved one, please visit your local branch library for a
"Gifts to the Library" form.
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Q. How do I apply for a job at the library?
A. You can fill out an application at any branch library and the Bookmobile. If no
positions are currently open, we will keep your application on file for one year. We
occasionally place ads in local papers and the Richmond Times-Dispatch for full and
part time benefited positions, but check at your local branch library for part time
positions, such as Library Aide and Library Page. Volunteers are always welcome!
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Q. How do I suggest books or other materials
for the library to own?
A. Our patrons are encouraged to suggest books and other materials for the library by
filling out a "Materials Request Card," available at any branch library and the
Bookmobile.
If you are a local author, you may forward titles of your newest releases or reprints to us, but they must be accompanied with two (2) citations of or copies of reviews from major sources, i.e. Publisher's Weekly, Kirkus, Library Journal, etc.
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Q. I've tried to email the library, but I never receive a reply. What's going
on?
A. When you have a question, comment, or complaint, we try to respond as quickly
as possible. If you haven't received reply in a week's time, you can call
the library at (804) 365-6211 to find out why. As of this writing,
sometimes when we
answer mail from AOL or Earthlink accounts, we have received "undeliverable" or
"delayed" messages from these two companies. Also, if you can,
put the library on your e-mail's list of safe senders.
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Q. Does the library have
test proctors?
A. Yes, we do. Our Reference Librarians at the
Ashland, Atlee, and
Mechanicsville Branch Libraries proctor
tests for our patrons. Please call or visit these branch libraries to
get more information about test proctoring.
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Q. Does the library have 16 mm microfilm readers available for its patrons
to use?
A. Yes, there is a microfilm reader at the Richard S. Gillis, Jr./
Ashland Branch Library. It is used primarily with a collection of past
editions of the Herald-Progress newspaper.
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Q. How do I log in to PamCat?
A. Once you receive your library card, you can log in to PamCat at
www.pamcat.org using your library card
number and the default password "changeme." More information about
changing your password and your account can be found on the
Introduction to PamCat and
PamCat Quick Guides pages.
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Q. Are you open during the holidays?
A. The library is closed on the following holidays: New Year's
Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day,
Christmas Day, and one other day in December. The library is also closed during inclement weather
when County offices are also closed. For individual branch library
hours, please see that branch's page or select a library from the
Branch Libraries page.
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Q. Do you have information online about antiques, genealogy, or
auto repair?
A. Yes, the library subscribes to the p4a Antiques Database,
Ancestry Library Edition, and the Auto Repair Reference Center, featuring
content from Chilton's series of automotive manuals. More useful
databases can be found on our Electronic Resources pages at the
library or from
home, work, or school.
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Q. Can I join the Friends of the Library?
A. Absolutely! Call or visit your local branch library to find
out more about its Friends group. The
Ashland and Atlee Friends of the Library groups are also online.
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Q. What does "Privilege expired" mean?
A. Don't worry, this just means it's been a year or more since your
card was last renewed. You can call or visit any branch library and
let the staff know of any information that may have changed on your account.
The staff can then renew your card for another year.
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Q. Can the library help me to identify a book's Lexile value?
A. Sure! All branches of the Pamunkey Regional Library have
access to NoveList, a fiction database that provides subject heading access,
reviews, annotations, and much more for over 135,000 fiction titles. When
you look up a title, the Lexile value will be displayed to the far right in
the search results list. You can access NoveList in the
library or at
home, work, or school. Have your
library card handy when you log in away from the library.
NoveList has more information about using Lexile values.
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Q. How can I volunteer at the library?
A. Volunteer applications are available at each of our ten branch libraries, just fill
one out the next time you visit your local branch library. We need
volunteers year-round, but especially during the library's Summer
Reading Program.
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Q. Does the library rent video/sound equipment or computers?
A. No, the library does not rent any of its equipment to our patrons.
There are a number of local companies who do rent audio-visual equipment.
Our staff will be happy to help you find out more about these companies or
e-mail
information@pamunkeylibrary.org.
Q. Why can't I log in to PamCat from the library's web site?
A.
The library's web site (www.pamunkeylibrary.org)
and PamCat (www.pamcat.org) are two
different web sites. To keep your account information secure, there can be
only one entry point to your account, which is at
www.pamcat.org.
Q. How do I burn CDs on the library computers?
Please see our page on "How to Burn CDs on Library
Computers" for step-by-step instructions.
Q. How often can I renew a book, DVD, CD, etc.?
Library materials may be renewed up to 2 times and then must be returned for
shelving. Renewals can be done by using PamCat,
or by calling or visiting your local library.
Q. How many
items (books, DVDs, CDs, etc.) can I check out?
No more than 75 items may be checked out at any time, per card.
Q. Why is my card blocked?
Cards are blocked when either 5 items are overdue or $5.00 is owed to the
library.
Q. How do I get books that I need from another branch library?
Except for reference materials, available items can be delivered from one
library to another in usually 2-3 days.
Q. Do you have meeting rooms or a quiet study room I can use?
Meeting rooms are available with a valid library card at many of our
branches. A copy of our Meeting Room rules and
registration form are available. Quiet study rooms are
available for individual or small group use. Please check at your local library
branch for availability or more information.
Q. Who can I ask to find answers to questions or help with research?
Reference services are available at all our branches. Our
circulation staff will be happy to answer your questions. Reference librarians
are scheduled at the Ashland, Atlee and Mechanicsville branches.
Q. Can you recommend a good book for me to read?
Our circulation staff will be happy to make recommendations
to fit your needs. You may also be interested in our
Web Sites for Book Lovers page, our
Dear Reader online
book club, or our two Reader's Advisory databases,
NoveList and What Do
I Read Next.
Q. Does the library have any programs or events for my family to attend?
Programs for children, teens, adults and the whole family, are ongoing and are
listed on our web site and flyers available at your
local branch.
