Catalogue guide
The online catalogue enables you to search for books, music and audio-visual items held in the RNCM Library. It shows you what an item is, where it is held in the Library and if it is available for loan. You can also access and manage your own library account, renew items, reserve books and CDs and view new stock.
Access the catalogue from the dedicated computers in the Library or online at https://catalogue.rncm.ac.uk
How to search
Type in specific keywords for the item you are looking for, for example Beethoven symphony score op.55, or Chopin sonata c minor piano. The more words you enter the more relevant the results.
Click on Search the Catalogue, then Advanced search if you want to be even more specific and enter not just keywords but other terms such as the publisher or shelfmark that you want, e.g. Beethoven symphony score op.55 AND Barenreiter. Use the drop down menus to search for these specific things.
Refine by type of item
To specify what type of material you want choose from the Database dropdown menu. For example select Audio-Visual if you want to find a CD recording of a particular piece, or Books to find literature on a particular composer or subject. RNCM Catalogue will search all material.
Can I browse by a particular composer?
Yes. Use the Browse sarch to view all the results for a particular author or title.
What if I don’t know how to spell a composer’s name?
If you spell a word wrong the catalogue will present you with possible alternatives. You can also use truncation if you know how to spell part of the word, just put an asterisk before or after the letters you do know e.g. Tchaik* or *orgsky.
Results
By clicking on any of the results in the list you will see further information about the piece and the book that it is in. Sometimes you may need to click one further to get this information. Scrolling down will display information about where the item is held in the Library, what type of item it is (e.g. CD, Music, 7 day book) and if it is in the Library or out on loan (in which case a due date would be displayed).
You should now have enough information to locate the item in the Library.
My Account
Enter your barcode number and 4-digit PIN to log into your library account. Your PIN is usually your date of birth in the format DDMM, but ask at the Library counter if you are unsure. From here you can view all the items you have out on loan and renew them where possible (items that have reached maximum renewals or have been reserved for another borrower are not renewable and will display as such). You can also make and view reservations, change your password and view your account history.
Items not included on the Library catalogue
Some Library material is not on the Library catalogue. This includes LPs, journals and some of our special collections. For more information on these resources please ask a member of staff.
Also available: a PowerPoint presentation explaining the catalogue in more detail.