Here are some frequently asked questions about Bowker's "Hooks to Holdings" feature, available for use on Childrensbooksinprint.comT:

- What is Hooks to Holdings™?
- How does Hooks to Holdings™ work?
- How do I know if Hooks to Holdings™ is active on my account?
- How do I activate Hooks to Holdings™ on my account?
- How do I confirm that Hooks to Holdings™ is functioning?
- What do I do if Hooks to Holdings™ is NOT working correctly?
- Who is our License Administrator?

What is Hooks to Holdings™?

"Hooks to Holdings" is a feature that allows users of Childrensbooksinprint.comT to identify titles that your library has on the shelves.

If you have a Z39.50 compliant catalog with ISBN, ISSN, LCCN, or "fuzzy" title searching, you can offer this capability to your users. Up to 5 separate library catalogs can be made available for searching (one at a time), as long each of those catalogs is Z39.50 compliant.

How does Hooks to Holdings™ work?

Once a user on performs a search, they will find "Search My Library's Catalog" links at various locations on the Search Results screen, List screens, or any Full Description page. Using these links, your library's catalog can be searched for up to 5 titles at one time.

After selecting a title, a user arrives either at a drop down menu that lets them choose a catalog or at a screen that lists the library's holdings. Users can view search results in a List, in the Full Description format, or in MARC21 format -- simply by clicking a tab. "Hooks to Holdings" benefits to everyone who uses your Childrensbooksinprint.comT subscription.

How do I know if Hooks to Holdings™ is active on my account?

Your license administrator will need to do the following:
(Who is our License Administrator?)

Choose "My Account" from the top navigation bar.

Select the "Detailed Account Information" link, and if prompted, log in using the license administrator user name and password. (Will be required if different from your logon username and password.)

Scroll down, and follow the "For Libraries, click here to create or modify your Z39.50 Catalog Profile for Hooks to Holdings" link.

If there are any libary catalog profiles active on your account, you will see one displayed here. If there is nothing but empty blanks on this page, then you will need to activate "Hooks to Holdings" on your account.

How do I activate Hooks to Holdings™ on my account?

Your license administrator will need to do the following:
(Who is our License Administrator?)

From the Z39.50 profile page (see previous question), simply complete all blanks, then click the "SAVE" button. If you are unfamiliar with the settings of your Z39.50 compliant catalog, please check with your technical services manager. For consortium accounts with multiple catalogs, select the "NEW PROFILE" button to create additional profiles (up to 5).

Keep in mind that "Hooks to Holdings" searches on ISBN or ISSN only. For this reason, if your Z39.50 compliant catalog does not support remote searching of ISBN or ISSN, "Hooks to Holdings" will not function.

For additional technical help with this or any Bowker product:
e-mail us at TechSupport@bowker.com
or call us toll-free at 1-888-269-5372, Option 2
(in NJ, call 908-286-1090, Option 2)

How do I confirm that Hooks to Holdings™ is functioning?

From one of your library's computers, perform a search of any title that you know currently exists in your Z39.50-compliant catalog.

From the Search Results screen, look in the area just above the first item on the list. You should see a "Search My Library's Catalog" link. Choose at least one title, the click this link. When prompted, Select a Catalog from the drop-down menu (if you have only one catalog, this step will be skipped). This should then bring you to a pop-up window displaying your library's holdings for the title(s) you chose from the search results.

If these any of these links or the popup window do not display correctly, then please refer to the instructions in the next question.

What do I do if Hooks to Holdings™ is NOT working correctly?

First, contact your account’s License Administrator.
(Who is our License Administrator?)

If a "Hooks to Holdings" profile was created, the License Administrator should verify that the profile information was filled out completely and correctly.We strongly suggest that License Administrators review this profile information with their Z39.50 staff expert or library automation vendor.

If the profile information is correct, there may be several reasons why the search does not work:

- The local server at the library could be down, busy, or experiencing heavy use.

- The local catalog may not support ISBN remote database searching.

- Records chosen to search do not contain ISBN numbers.

- The port number in the profile is not an accessible port number.

- The site is experiencing heavy use, creating response time delays.

For additional technical help with this or any Bowker product:
e-mail us at TechSupport@bowker.com
or call us toll-free at 1-888-269-5372, Option 2
(in NJ, call 1-908-286-1090, Option 2)

Who is our License Administrator?

To find out who your License Administrator is, simply select the "My Account" button on the main navigation bar.