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How to Find Audiovisual Materials on Pratt’s Online Catalog

You can search the library catalog to look up CDs, tapes, and records. If you ever need any assistance on searching the catalog for audiovisual materials, please feel free to call the Sights & Sounds Department at (410) 396-4616, and we will be happy to help you.

Finding Audio Materials 

Finding Visual Materials

Finding Audio Materials

Audio Materials include Audio-Cassettes, Compact Discs, and Phonograph Records. All audio materials circulate for three weeks.  To find audio materials regardless of format - audiobooks-on-tape, audiobooks-on-CD (which include some MP3-CD format titles), music CDs, music audiocassettes, and/or phonograph records:

  1. Access the Enoch Pratt Free Library home page (www.prattlibrary.org).
  2. Go to the Catalog. This brings up the library catalog search screen.
  3. In the lower right of the search box, click the Power Search link, and a new screen will come up with more options.
  4. Scroll down the screen until you see the item type field. Click the down arrow and select "Audio" from the displayed list of options.
  5. Scroll back up the screen and enter your search terms in the desired search field (words or phrase, author, title, subject, series).
  6. To submit your search request, click the Search button.
  7. Your results will display musical CDs and Books-on-CD. The catalog will tell you which branches have the items you searched.
    • Books-on-CD are identified as COMPACT DISC followed in bold lettering by either FICT for fiction titles, or the call number (e.g., RC567.G75 1996) for non-fiction titles.
    • Children's CDs are identified as COMPACT-DISC J.
    • Records are identified as MP followed by a call number (e.g., MP.A2F47).
    • The letters MPCD followed by a call number identify musical CDs.
    • The letters MPAC followed by a call number identify musical audiocassettes.
    • Books-on-CD circulate for three weeks and there is no charge to borrow them.

Finding Audio-Cassettes and Books-on-Tape

To find audiobooks on the catalog, follow the directions below.

Our Audio-Cassette collection includes both music and Books-on-Tape. Currently there is not a way to perform separate searches for each format. For example, if you wanted to create a list of only Books-on-Tape available at the Central Library, you would not be able to, since the catalog only searches under the general heading of “Audio-Cassette.”

 

  1. Access the Enoch Pratt Free Library home page (www.prattlibrary.org).
  2. Go to the Catalog. This brings up the library catalog search screen.
  3. In the lower right of the search box, click the Power Search link, and a new screen will come up with more options.
  4. Scroll down the screen until you see the item type field. Click the down arrow and select “Audio-Cassette” from the displayed list of options.
  5. Scroll back up the screen and enter in your search terms in the desired search field (words or phrase, author, title, subject, series).
  6. To submit your search request, click the Search button.
  7. Your results will display musical Audio-Cassettes and Books-on-Tape. The catalog will tell you which branches have the items you searched.

Finding Compact Discs and Books-on-CD

To find audiobooks on the catalog, follow the directions below.

Our Compact Disc collection includes both music and Books-on-CD. Currently there is not a way to perform separate searches for each format. For example, if you wanted to create a list of only Books-on-CD available at the Central Library, you would not be able to since the catalog only searches under the general heading of “Compact Disc.”

 

  1. Access the Enoch Pratt Free Library home page(www.prattlibrary.org).
  2. Go to the Catalog. This brings up the library catalog search screen.
  3. On the upper-right of the search box, click the Power Search link, and a new screen will come up with more options.
  4. Scroll down the screen until you see the item type field. Click the down arrow and under "Audio" select “CD” from the displayed list of options. Or, select "Children's CD" to find just children's CDs. (Selecting "Children's Audio" will display children's audiobooks in both cassette and CD formats.)
  5. Scroll back up the screen and enter in your search terms in the desired search field (words or phrase, author, title, subject, series).
  6. To submit your search request, click the Search button.
  7. Your results will display musical CDs and Books-on-CD. The catalog will tell you which branches have the items you searched.

Finding Phonograph Records

We maintain a collection of both musical and spoken 33 1/3 rpm Phonographs records. This collection is not actively added to.

 

  1. Access the Enoch Pratt Free Library home page(www.prattlibrary.org).
  2. Go to the Catalog. This brings up the library catalog search screen.
  3. In the lower right of the search box, click the Power Search link, and a new screen will come up with more options.
  4. Scroll down the screen until you see the item type field. Click the down arrow and, under "Audio," select “Record” from the displayed list of options. Or, to display only children's records, select "Children's Records."
  5. Scroll back up the screen and enter in your search terms in the desired search field (words or phrase, author, title, subject, series).
  6. To submit your search request, click the Search button.
  7. Your results will be limited to Phonographs records. The catalog identifies which branches have the items you searched.

Finding Visual Materials

“Visual Materials” include Videos (which include both the free, 7-day loan “Video Reserves” and the 2-day home entertainment “Rental Videos,” which cost $1.50 per tape), 16mm Films and Slides. You can search for a specific visual format (just Video Reserves, just Rental Videos, just 16mm Films, or just Slides) or all visual formats.

Finding DVDs, Videos, 16mm Films or Slides:

Use the following instructions to find any “Visual Materials,” which include videos, 16mm Films, and slides.

  1. Access the Enoch Pratt Free Library home page(www.prattlibrary.org).
  2. Go to the Catalog. This brings up the library catalog search screen.
  3. In the lower right of the search box, click the Power Search link, and a new screen will come up with more options.
  4. Scroll down the screen until you see the format field. Click the down arrow and select “VM” (for “Visual Material,” which include films, DVDs, videos and slides) from the displayed list of options.
  5. Scroll back up the screen and enter your search terms in the search fields (words or phrase, author, title, subject, series)
  6. Click the Search button to submit your search. Your results will display videocassettes, 16mm Films, and slides. The catalog will tell you which branches have the items you searched.

You can also refine your search to look for a specific type of Visual Material:

Finding Only Free DVD or Video Reserves

The “Video Reserve” collection is open to all residents, organizations, and institutions within the State of Maryland. These videos are free of charge and may be checked out for one week. Videos can be picked up at and returned to designated libraries all over Maryland.

 

  1. Access the Enoch Pratt Free Library home page(www.prattlibrary.org).
  2. Go to the Catalog. This brings up the library catalog search screen.
  3. In the lower right of the search box, click the Power Search link, and a new screen will come up with more options.
  4. Scroll down the screen until you see the item type field. Click the down arrow and, under "VIDEOS,"  select “VIDEO RESERVED” ; or, under "DVDs," select "DVD RESERVED."
  5. Scroll back up the screen and enter your search terms in the search fields (words or phrase, author, title, subject, series).
  6. Click the Search button to submit your search. Your results will display only free video reserve videocassettes, which will appears as either VIDEORSV, VIDEO RESERVE COLLECTION or VIDEOFREE for videos, or DVDRSV, DVD RESERVE COLLECTION or DVDFREE for DVDs. The catalog will also tell you which branches have the items you searched.

Finding Only Rental DVDs or Videos

The Rental Video Collection works like a video rental store. It consists of about 2,000 popular home entertainment titles, which are organized into the following categories:

When using this collection, it is important to remember:

  1. These videos may be rented for one week. 
  2. It costs $1.50 to rent each title.
  3. Rental videos can only be picked up and returned at the Central Library; they cannot be sent to or returned to a branch library.
To Find Only Rental DVDs or Videos:
  1. Access the Enoch Pratt Free Library home page (www.prattlibrary.org).
  2. Go to the Catalog. This brings up the library catalog search screen.
  3. In the lower right of the search box, click the Power Search link, and a new screen will come up with more options.
  4. Scroll down the screen to until you see the item type field. Click the down arrow and, under "VIDEOS," select “VIDEO RENT”; or, under "DVDs," select "DVD RENT."
  5. Scroll back up the screen and enter your search terms in the search fields (words or phrase, author, title, subject, series).
  6. Click the Searchbutton to submit your search. Your results will display only 2-day rental videocassettes, which will appear as VIDEO-RENTAL or DVD RENT. There may also be a genre description, such as VIDEO-DRAMA. The catalog will also tell you which branches have the items you searched.

Finding Only 16mm Films

We maintain a collection of approximately 2,400 16mm film titles; however, we are not actively adding to this collection. 16mm Films are identified in the catalog by XX (number) or AUDIO-VISUALMP. You may check out up to 10 films, at no charge, for seven days.

  1. Access the Enoch Pratt Free Library home page (www.prattlibrary.org).
  2. Go to the Catalog. This brings up the library catalog search screen.
  3. In the lower right of the search box, click the Power Search link, and a new screen will come up with more options.
  4. Scroll down the screen until you see the item type field. Click on the down-arrow and select “FILM 16MM” from the displayed list of options.
  5. Scroll back up the screen and enter your search terms in the search fields (words or phrase, author, title, subject, series).
  6. Click the Search button to submit your search. Your results will display only 16mm Films. 16mm Films are identified in the catalog by XX (number) or AUDIO-VISUALMP.

When requesting films from us, it is important to note the running time (for example, “30 minutes”). This is because the films are organized by reel size, which is determined by running length.

If you need more help

This guide should enable you to find the audio-visual materials that the Pratt Library holds. If you live outside the Baltimore area, please contact your local library about finding these materials. If you have questions about our audio-visual materials, please call the Sights and Sounds Department at (410) 396-4616 or e-mail us through our Ask A Question service.

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