Q.) Why are you asking me to Sign In and what is the difference between my username and my user id (barcode)?
A.) Your username is created by you when you sign up on the Altoona Library Website. This is used for extra features that are on the Altoona Library Website and in Webcat (the Card Catalog). You do not need to register/sign-in to the Altoona Library Website to use the basic features of Website or to renew your items, place items on hold or see items that you have checked out through Webcat.

Registering on the Altoona Library Website allows you to take advantage of new website features we have implemented.
Registering a Username on the Altoona Library will allow you to bypass having to enter your barcode and PIN number each time you use a feature of Webcat. These are features such as renew, place hold or view checkouts. If you get a new Library card or have a new barcode placed on your account, these quick-access shortcuts will no longer work until the staff updates your account on the Website.

Q.) What are the new Website features?
A.) My Borrowed List
Keep a list of items that you have borrowed from the Library. Adding an item to this list requires a few simple steps. First, look that item up in Webcat. On the right you should see a blue box that allows you to add this item to your Borrowed List. (You must be signed in to use this feature). Click the "Borrowed List" link to complete this process. This link will appear after you sign in if you are not currently signed in. Once you add this item to your Borrowed List, you can click the Library Home link and then click on the "Items I've Borrowed" link in the blue box on the right to view your list. Items you checkout from the Library are not added to this list, you must create this list yourself.

A.) My Want List
Keep a list of items that you want to borrow from the Library. Adding an item to this list requires a few simple steps. First, look that item up in Webcat. On the right you should see a blue box that allows you to add this item to your Want List. (You must be signed in to use this feature). Click the "Want List" link to complete this process. This link will appear after you sign in if you are not currently signed in. Once you add this item to your Want List, you can click the Library Home link and then click on the "Items I Want" link in the blue box on the right to view your list. This does not place a hold on an item. It simply adds the item to a list to allow you to do any of the following actions.

* Print off your Want List to bring to the Library and avoid looking up items once you are here.
* Send the item details (author, call number, title) to your cell phone via text message to help you find an item in the Library more quickly.

A.) Library Friends
You can add up to 10 Library users to your Friends List. People on your Friend's List can view items that you have added to your "Borrowed List." You can also notify a friend of an item you think they would like simply by choosing "send to friend" from any item in your Want or Borrowed List.

Q.) How do I renew Items?
A.) Previously, you could access Webcat, where you renew items, through the Webcat icon on the old Website. Now you can access Webcat a few different ways. A direct link to Renew Items is located under the red "Find It Fast" link. Renew and User Services is also available under the "Library Catalog" link at the top of every page.

Q.) Where is the automatic check-out history?
A.) Due to Pennsylvania Legislature we cannot implement the checkout history feature (automatically adding your checkouts to the borrowed list) that some of you have asked for. In June of 1984 the legislature of Pennsylvania passed PS 4428 declaring all records related to the circulation of library materials to be confidential. It further states that no agency shall make those records available to anyone except by court order in a criminal proceeding. For that reason and because of the Patriot Act public libraries do not retain record of what is borrowed by any individual. Library automation systems are designed to purge all transactions completed successfully in order to comply with that law. For these reasons we can not offer the automatic addition of your borrowings to a list housed by the Library. A list which you create for your own use is not subject to the same restrictions and we encourage you to use that feature of the new Website.

Q.) Why am I being automatically signed out?
A.) You will be automatically signed out of the Altoona Area Public Library Web site if you close your web browser or have no activity on the Web site for 7 minutes. No activity consists of staying on the same page for more than 7 minutes.