Linked Accounts in the Catalog
- Ashley Sneesby
This documentation details how to link accounts in the library catalog and how to perform actions in the catalog for linked accounts.
Table of Contents
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.
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.”
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)
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. If any items are checked out to or on hold for a linked account, that information will display 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 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 hold 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 picked 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:” 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. Choose the account to place the hold for.
Click Submit Hold Request, when you are ready to place the hold.
You will return the Hold Placed Successfully 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 view the Titles on Hold page to determine which account and pickup library were chosen for any active holds.
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.
The activated reading history for each managed account can be accessed from My Reading History located at the top of the screen. 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.
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 dropdown menu that lists all the linked accounts. The Account Settings will list all the libraries that are linked to the main account. To see information from another linked library account, choose the desired account from the dropdown 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 section.
Removing Linked Accounts
Remove 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 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.
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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User Lists Guide (Marmot Knowledge Base)
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Using Materials Request in the Catalog (Marmot Knowledge Base)
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Linked Accounts in the Catalog (Marmot Knowledge Base)
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Freezing Holds - Patron Instructions (Marmot Knowledge Base)
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Service/Topic and Roles Label Key (Marmot Knowledge Base)