My Account (OPAC)
Users can log into their user accounts to place and manage holds, create lists, and set
preferences for search, delivery, and more. Users can access information about their
accounts from any page in the public OPAC by selecting the My Account Login link at
the top right of any catalog page. The account information includes contact information,
items they have checked out or on hold, fines, account preferences, notes left by the
library (if any) and lists—a place to keep reading lists or other lists of items.
The My Account Login appears on any OPAC page. After clicking on it, enter library
card number and PIN or password, then click Log in button. There is also a link if the
user forgets their password, which goes to a screen to enter their barcode and
username, and they are sent an email to reset the password. The user can also come
to a staff person, who can reset the password within the staff client.
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Account Summary
The default user account page is Account Summary, at which users can see when their
account expires and how many items are checked out, on hold, or ready for pickup.
Clicking “View All” next to one of these items navigates to the tab for that subject, so
the user can see specifics.
On the top right of the My Account is another summary of number of items checked
out, on hold, and ready for pickup, as well as total of current fines. There are also
buttons that link to Messages and My Lists.
At the bottom of the page are tabs for fines and payments, which show details of those
items.
The tabs for Messages, Items Checked Out, Holds, Account Preferences, and My Lists
give details for each of those areas.
Messages show the Patron Message Center, in which patrons can see any notifications
sent by the system through an action trigger (overdue notices, hold pickup notices,
etc.) or through staff-applied patron-visible Notes (see Circ 1 – Searching and Viewing
Patron Records). Patrons can mark messages as read or unread and delete messages
they no longer want to see.
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Items Checked Out shows current items checked out, and a tab with check out
history, if the patron opts to keep that history (which could be a security concern).
Holds shows all items on hold and their status. Users can choose to activate, cancel or
suspend holds here, or they can come to a staff workstation for staff to perform these
functions in the staff client.
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Account Preferences shows the patron’s account information.
The Personal Information tab shows contact info, barcode, home library, and date of
the account’s creation. Patrons can change their password and/or email address here,
but can change no other information without talking to a staff member.
Notification Preferences allows patrons to choose their preferred method of contact
about holds (email, phone, text message), to enter in the default phone number and/or
mobile number. They can also choose to have their checkout receipts emailed instead
of printed (this option must be chosen before checking items out).
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Search and History Preferences allows a patron to choose a preferred search location,
preferred pickup location, and whether or not to keep a history of checked out items
and/or holds.
My Lists Preferences allows patrons to choose how many lists appear per page and how
many items appear per page in each list.
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My Lists
My Lists are reading lists that patrons can create. These lists can be books to read,
books already read, class reading lists, etc.
There are two ways to create a list: from the tab in My Account area and from the
catalog search results (list or detail views).
My Account
From the My Lists tab, enter the name for a new list in the Create new list area. The
patron can choose whether or not to Share the list. My Lists are private (not shared) by
default. If a user chooses to share a list, it is public, and anyone can subscribe to the
RSS feed of the list or see the HTML version. If the patron chooses to create a
description of the list, that goes in the appropriate box. Click Submit to create the list.
Existing Lists will appear at the bottom of the My Lists page, and the user has the
choice to click on the name of the list to see what is there, to Share, Delete the List,
Download CSV, or Make Default List.
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If the user clicks on the name of their list, the Title, Author(s), Publication Date,
Format, and Notes appear in a list. From this list, patrons can check the boxes next to
particular titles (or all titles), and choose Place hold or Remove from list from the dropdown menu. They can also edit the name and/or description of the list, and sort the
items by Title, Author, or Publication Date.
From Catalog Search Results
From the search results screen, click on the Add to my list link. If the patron has
multiple lists, hovering over the link will show a list of lists, so the patron can choose
the correct list. They also have the option to Add to new list, and can create a new list
in that way. Clicking on Add to new list takes the patron to the Create new list page in
their My Account.
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Placing Holds
Title level holds are the most common type of holds patrons will place in the OPAC.
Title level holds can be placed from multiple screens in the public OPAC.
Search Results Browse Screen
In the list of search results, a green Place Hold button will place a hold for the patron.
If the patron is already logged into his or her account, clicking the hold link will go to
the patron’s contact information confirmation screen, which they should review for
accuracy and/or completeness, then click the Submit button.
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If the patron is not logged in, a page prompting the patron to enter his or her
username and password will appear, and once the login is complete, the patron’s
contact information screen appears, and they continue the process of submitting the
hold.
Detailed Record Display
When the patron clicks on a particular title from the Browse screen to see the full,
detailed record, the green checkmark and Place hold link also appear. Once the patron
clicks on the Place hold link, the procedure is the same as described above.
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Group Format and Editions (Metarecord) Display
If the patron places a hold with the Group Formats and Editions option (metarecords),
choosing the Place hold link on a metarecord display will show the available formats
and languages, allowing the user to limit the scope of the hold.
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If no option is chosen, any available format may fill the hold.
If the patron has chosen the Group Formats and Editions option (metarecords) and
clicks the Place Hold button on a record with only one format, or from the metarecord
detailed results screen, the regular hold confirmation screen will appear, but with an
“Advanced Holds Options” link. Clicking on this link brings the patron to the screen (see
above) to choose a different format.
Holds with Parts
If an item has multiple parts (issues of a magazine, discs in a DVD set, etc.), the
system prompts the patron to choose a part before completing the hold.
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