Search and filter the catalog

Tips for searching by author, genre, tag, and availability.

Find books in the catalogue quickly with the search bar and filter sidebar.

Search

Type any words from the title, subtitle, author name, or description into the search bar. The search is case-insensitive and matches partial words ("hist" finds "historical").

What gets searched

  • Book title (highest weight)
  • Subtitle
  • Author name
  • Series name
  • Description
  • Topics

Searching for an ISBN also works — paste any 10 or 13 digit ISBN to find the book directly.

Filters

The sidebar has filters to narrow results:

  • Availability — Available now, on waitlist, or all
  • Genre — Pick one to limit to that section
  • Sub-genre — Narrows further within a genre
  • Topic — Cross-cutting themes
  • Item type — Book, audiobook, DVD, etc.
  • Tags — Whatever the library tagged things with
  • Newest — Sort by date added

Filters combine. Selecting "Genre: Fiction" + "Topic: Historical" finds only historical fiction.

Clearing filters

A "Clear all" button appears in the sidebar when filters are active. Or click an individual filter pill to remove just that one.

Sorting

Default sort is by relevance for searches, alphabetical for browsing. Other options:

  • Date added (newest first)
  • Title (A-Z)
  • Author last name
  • Most checked out (popular)

Saved searches

Want to come back to a search? Bookmark the page in your browser — the URL contains all your filters and search terms.

Search tips

  • Be brief — "narnia" works better than "the lion the witch and the wardrobe"
  • For exact phrases, put quotes: "of mice and men"
  • Author search: try last name only if a full name doesn't match
Still stuck? Email hello@tryshelfwise.comand we'll get back within one business day.