Library card magic with NoveList

In previous weeks, we have described how you can use your library card to get access via the internet to World Book encyclopedia online and other great e-resources. This week, we’ll tell you how to get to another useful e-resource called NoveList.

To get there, first go to the library catalogue website (http://nwls.spydus.com). Click on “Databases” in the top menu bar, and you will see a drop-down menu. Click on “NSW NET.” The first time you go into NSW.net from your computer, you may see a screen that says “Please select your library”. Click on the arrow next to this and from the drop down menu, select “North Western”. Click on “Go”. This gives you a list of e-resources you can access from home, beginning with ANZ Reference Centre. Click on the At Home “Connect” button and you will see a log in page. Type in your library card number and click “Login”. Then click on “NoveList”.

NoveList is all about fiction books and finding something good to read next. There is a search box at the top of the screen, where you can type the name of an author, book or series. Try typing “Tom Clancy” into this box, then click on Search. You’ll see a list of his books, with plot summaries and star ratings. Click on the “Author Read-alikes” tab at the top of the page. You will see two articles. Click on the first one by Joyce Saricks. You will see that she suggests Stephen Coonts and Dale Brown as other authors whose writing you might enjoy, if you like Tom Clancy.

Perhaps there is a kind of book that you particularly enjoy- for example; forensic detective stories set in the United States. Type “forensic detective United States” into the search box, select the radio button below the search box for “Describe a plot”, then click Search. This brings up a list of 23 books you might like to try. Not all of these will be available locally, as NoveList is an American database, but some of them will be.

Using the same kind of search, you can look for a book you’ve heard about, but can’t remember the title of. Perhaps you remember that it was a medieval mystery story, about a monk. Try typing in “Medieval mystery monk”, selecting “Describe a plot” and clicking Search. This yields a long list of similar books, one of which may be your mystery book. NoveList is a great tool for readers of all kinds of fiction, and a wonderful way to find some new authors to track down. We hope you enjoy exploring NoveList.

Next week, the Library will be closed for five days for our biannual stocktake, from Monday 4th May to Friday 8th May. This is necessary as every item in the library must be scanned; all 17,000 of them! We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause you. Items may be returned while we are closed via the book return chute. Please do not hesitate to contact us on 6817 8877 if you have any questions.