How To Be A CloudLibrary Power User

From the Mandel Public Library of West Palm Beach:

July 5, 2020

by Tina and Emily

How do you use cloudLibrary? I suspect that most people search for an author or title that they like, which is a fine way to use it. But there's more to mastering cloudLibrary, and we want to share those tips and tricks.

Finding great reads

Featured shelves: If you would like some recommendations, check out our Featured shelves. Yes, there are quite a few of them. But take a few minutes to do a little reconnaissance. Right now, we are featuring #Libraries Respond: Understanding and Fighting Racism. If you scroll down, there are a variety of great shelves, many of them curated by individual librarians. Staff Picks, anyone?

Browsing: Love to browse? Just choose the Browse option, and you can discover great titles in the genre or subject area of your choice. You can even choose your favorite genres, and they will show up first the next time you check in.

Filters: Something you definitely need to know about is the Filters option. You probably already know that you can filter for ebooks or audiobooks. My favorite filter is “Available Now” because I can find a great read without having to scroll through unavailable titles. Instant gratification!

Can't Find What You Want? Did know you can make suggestions in cloudLibrary? This is also under Filters. Choose “Suggestions for Library” and search for the title you want. We can’t always purchase suggested titles because of budget limitations, but we definitely want to know about them.

Don't forget to enter your email address into your account settings to receive emails when your holds are ready.

Mobile app tips and tricks

Digital library card: If you have the cloudLibrary mobile app, you will never lose your library card since your card number and barcode are built right into the app. You can even manage multiple library cards under your account (and color code them!) if you are a patron of several libraries.

Too many holds? If you use cloudLibrary (or the physical library!) a lot, you've probably experienced the problem of all your holds arriving at the same time. In the cloudLibrary app, you have the option to "Save for Later" the titles that you aren't ready to put on hold yet but would like to add to your to-be-read list. Your saved titles list is a great way to organize your digital shelves.

Reading on your phone? Make sure to turn off your device lock while your reading so your phone doesn't go to sleep in the middle of the best part! Find this in your "Reader eBook Settings" in your account.

Happy reading with cloudLibrary! We appreciate your using the Mandel Public Library. If you have any questions about setting up or using cloudLibrary, we’d love to help. Call us at 561-868-7701, email us at MPL@WPBCityLibrary.org, or visit our digital library FAQs page.

This press release was produced by the Mandel Public Library of West Palm Beach. The views expressed are the author's own.