ILS/Account Intergration -- Self-Registration

Configuration options for the ‘ILS/Account Integration – self registration' section of the Library System.

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ILS/Account Integration

Go to Pika Configuration and Library Systems from the left sidebar.  

Open

Click the Library Id number or the Edit link to gain access to the Library Systems page.

Open

Click on ILS/Account Integration to get to the Self Registration information.

Self Registration

Self registration via Pika (which writes to the ILS via API processes to create new users) is currently available for Sierra systems only. Click on the Self Registration tab.

URL for external Self Registration

If your library uses an external self registration option e.g. Patron Point, enter the URL for your system’s self registration page here. The Register for New Library Card link in the login popup will direct to your library’s external self registration.

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Enable Self Registration

Enable Self Registration enables the self registration option via Pika, which writes to Sierra using the patron APIs and creates new patron records directly in Sierra. Self registration via Pika is only available for libraries using the Sierra ILS.

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Agency Code

Agency Code (Sierra Only) is the agency code used for each Sierra library. This field is relative to Sierra only. This field gets set in Sierra when a self registered user creates a new account. Sierra libraries who do not use Agency can set this field to -1 to not have the code included.

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Self Registration Patron Type

Self Registration Patron Type (Sierra Only) is for the default patron type that will be assigned to self registered patrons. This field gets set in Sierra when a self registered user fills out the form to create a new account.

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Barcode Length

Barcode length (Sierra Only) is a randomized barcode that is generated in Pika.  Pika will check for duplicate barcodes, so it will not create a duplicate barcode. The default length value is 7, but you can edit the value to the appropriate value for your library. 

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Days Until Expiration

Days Until Expiration (Sierra Only) is the number of days the self registered account will be valid. After the account reaches the threshold, it will become expired.

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Prompt for Birthdate

Prompt For Birth Date is an optional feature. If enabled, the self registration form will include a field where the patron enters their birthdate.

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Self Registration Form and Success Messages

The Self Registration Form Message allows you to customize the message text that your patrons will see when registering. This messaging displays above the self registration form. 

Many libraries use this option to inform patrons about library policies for self registration in the Form Message.

The Self Registration Success Message displays after a patron successfully creates a self-registered account.

Many libraries use this option to inform patrons about the next steps after successfully creating their account.

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Self Registration Form

The default form includes the following fields:

• first name

• last name

• middle initial

• home library

• street address

• city

• state

• zipcode

• email

• phone number

Here is an example self registration form from Vail Public Library, which includes the Password field.

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Accessing the Self Registration Form

Patrons can access the self registration form from your library’s login page. There is a link to the form in the login pop-up dialog. When a patron clicks on the Register for a new Library Card text, they will be directed to a Pika webpage with your library’s self registration form.

The URL for the self registration form/page is your library’s Pika domain followed by /MyAccount/SelfReg. For example: https://vail.marmot.org/MyAccount/SelfReg.

You can use the URL for your library’s self registration page on your library’s website. You can also use the self registration page as a sidebar link in your Pika interface. Here is an example from Vail Public Library’s Pika interface.

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Related Documentation