This documentation details how to link accounts in the library catalog and how to perform actions in the catalog for linked accounts.
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Table of Contents
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Why would I link accounts?
Linking accounts allows patrons to see all the items they have checked out or have on hold for all their patron accounts. When accounts are linked, you can also place and cancel holds, view fines, and checkout history for the accounts that are linked. This feature is useful for student patrons who have a school account and a public library account, patrons who have multiple library accounts from different libraries, or families linking accounts between several accounts at the same library (e.g. parent and child).
How to link accounts
Click
the Login button to login to your library account and access the account information.
The Login box will appear. Sign in using your name and your library card number.
Once logged in, click on Account Settings option in the My Account menu.
Linked Accounts is located at the bottom of the Account Settings page. Click Add an Account to start linking accounts.
The Account to Manage box will appear. Enter the login credentials (usually the library card number and
password or PIN) of the account you wish to link. Click Add Account.
If done correctly, the message “Successfully linked accounts” will appear in the Account to Manage box. Click Close.
The account that has just been linked will be listed under “Additional accounts to manage.”
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Linking is not reciprocal on default. For example, if you link from Account A to Account B, then when logging in to Account A you will see all holds and checkouts for both Account A and Account B. But, when you login to Account B you will not see any information from Account A, unless you also link Account B to Account A. |
Linked account relationships
Below are some examples of the relationships between linked accounts and where to find the information about linked accounts in your Account Settings.
Account B (Summit) is going to link it with Account A (Basalt)
The Summit Account (Account B) is now Linked with the Basalt Account (Account A)
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Many accounts can be linked to a single account, so long as the libraries where you hold your accounts participate in account linking. All the additional accounts will be listed under “Additional accounts to manage.” |
Basic navigation for linked accounts
Once the accounts are linked, the “Checked Out Titles” and “Titles On Hold” are also linked. The original account did not have any items checked out. If If any items are checked out to or on hold from for a linked account, that information will now show updisplay in the account information for the managing account. The Checked Out Titles page allows sorting by user account, if the user has linked accounts.
When viewing an item, the patron’s name and library will be listed under Checked Out To. This will allow staff and patrons to see from where each item was borrowed.
When viewing a hold on an item for an account with linked accounts, the name and library of the patron the hold belongs to and the patron’s library will be listed under Pickup Status. This will allow patrons to see where each item can be picked up once the hold is filled.
in the hold information.
Titles You Rated, Recommended For You and Search History are not combined when linking accounts.
Placing Holds with Linked Accounts
When you have two or more linked accounts, the catalog will apply special logic to determine which account to place holdshold for.
In this example, the patron has 1 Summit account that is linked with 2 Garfield County accounts.
Find the title to place the hold. Click the Place Hold button.
You will see a choice of available libraries from the dropdown menu. Pick the location where the hold should be placedpicked up from once fulfilled. You can pick the library that has multiple linked accounts for the same pick-up location. In this example, the patron has access to 2 accounts in Garfield County.
Once the library with multiple linked accounts is chosen, this will bring up the “Place hold for the chosen location using account:” box field. This will display the choice of accounts to place a hold. This only works when a patron has two or more linked accounts at the same library. You would pick Choose the account to place the hold for.
Click Submit Hold Request, when you are ready to place the hold.
You will get return the Hold Placed Successfully box message. This will list the notification method that you will receive information about the hold pick-up. In this example, the patron will be notified by email.
You can look at their hold(s) to see You can view the Titles on Hold page to determine which account and pickup library was were chosen for any active holds.
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If none of the linked accounts have overlapping pick-up locations, the second dropdown is not needed and not shown. The catalog knows what account to use based on the chosen pick-up location. |
Reading History
Patrons can see all their items when in their main account. They can also renew items regardless of which library those items were originally checked out from.
Reading History
You can view activated reading histories for linked accounts from the managing account. The reading history can be accessed from the left sidebar. Activated reading history can only be viewed from each individual library account.
The activated reading history for each linked managed account can be accessed from My Reading History located at the top of the screen. Clicking on the account and Change Account will bring up each library account.
Once an item is checked out on a library account, that item will show up in the reading history.
Recording the reading history must be turned on for each linked account. Click on Start Recording My Reading History to begin tracking all the items that will be checked out under each account.
Reading history is recorded until the Stop Recording My Reading History is selected.
Choose the managed patron you want to view the reading history for from the dropdown menu and click the Change Account button to view the reading history for the chosen patron.
To view the reading history for a managed linked account, the individual account has to be opted in to recording the reading history.
Fines and Messages
If a patron has multiple fines from different libraries, the total for all accounts will be displayed as one single amount. Fines must be paid to each library system where they are owed.
Click on Fines and Messages to see the different fines for each Library.
Each fine will be listed for each library.
Changing Between Linked Accounts
Click on the Account Settings to see a list of all the linked accounts.
At the top of the page will be the Account Settings drop down dropdown menu that lists all the linked accounts. The Account Settings will list all the libraries that are linked to the main account.
To To see information from another linked library account, choose this library the desired account from the dropdown . Click menu and click Change Account.
The linked accounts section will display the information for any accounts that are managing the current account in the Other accounts that can view this account . Since this is not the main account, the other linked libraries will not be listed under Additional accounts to manage.
This will show all the information for that library such as checkouts, holds, account information. The fines for that library will be listed.
section.
Removing
aLinked
AccountAccounts
To Remove any linked account, patrons must be on their main account page. Click on the Account Setting. Go to the bottom of the page to see all the Linked Accounts. Click on the word RemoveRemove managed accounts
Navigate to the Linked Accounts section in the Account Settings page. Under the Additional accounts to manage section, click on the Remove button next to the linked account .you’d like to stop managing
The pop-up confirmation message “Are you sure you want to stop managing this account?” will appear at the top of the page. Click Okay to complete the action.
The message “Successfully removed linked account.” will appear next. Click Close.
Only the remaining linked accounts will show up under Additional accounts to manage.
Remove managing account
Navigate to the Linked Accounts section in the Account Settings page. Under the Other accounts that can view this account section, click on the Remove button next to the linked account you’d like to remove management access for.
The confirmation message “Are you sure you want to remove the viewing account?” will appear at the top of the page. Click Okay to complete the action.
The message “Successfully removed linked account.” will appear next. Click Close.
Related Documentation
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