Is there a secret search method for Japanese(s)?

I learned how to use computers in English, and I’ve been having problems searching easily in Japanese in one particular database. Here’s the situation:

The local library has a convenient Web site that allows searching for book and the like and reserving them on line. They’re then delivered to the branch of my choice. Sometimes, however, I’ll see a physical book at the library that interests me but that, for one reason or another, I don’t want to borrow at the moment. (For example, I’ll think my spouse might like a book but don’t know if she’s read it or not.)

When I get home and search for the book, often I cannot find the damned thing: sometimes the author’s name is in the database in kanji, sometimes in hiragana, and sometimes in katakana. To find the thing, I sometimes have to search three times before it shows up. (I presume because the encodings are different.)

Am I missing something? Is there some trick to searching in Japanese I’m not privy to?