SCPL Online Catalog — Resources
Library Automation System - Resources
Using the online catalog's "My Account" feature
My Account | Renew Items | Holds | Account Preferences | My Bookbags | Troubleshooting
My Account
There are a couple ways to login to My Account. From the main SCPL website, www.santacruzpl.org, select the orange My Account button in the upper right corner of the page.
If you are already in the library catalog, select the blue My Account link in the lower right corner of the page.
Once you are at the My Account Log In page, enter your Card Number or User Name, and password in the appropriate fields.
Once you have logged in you may review your account information, place holds, renew items, create lists, and much more.
Renew Items
Once you are logged in to your account, Click on Items Checked Out.
To renew items, select items you’d like to renew and then click Renew Selected Items.
You will be asked to confirm your renewals. Click OK. You should now see your items checked out with new due dates.
Items can be renewed four times for 21 days each time unless there is a request on the item or it is a non-renewable item. Non-renewable items include special interest holiday materials, interlibrary loan items, and Read to Me and Book Discussion Kits.
Items checked out on Homebound cards are allowed 2 renewals (28 days).
Holds
View Holds
Step 1. Log in to My Account with your library card number/username and PIN.
Step 2. Click on the Items on Hold tab to view your holds list.
Actions for Selected Holds
Items on hold can be canceled or suspended while you are logged in to My Account.
Actions you may select from the drop down menu are:
Suspend – This action will prevent the hold from being filled, while other holds will continue to fill until the person with the suspended hold reaches as high as second in line.
Activate – This action will activate any holds you have previously suspended, allowing your hold to move up the hold line again and be filled.
Set Active Date – This action allows you to set the date for your item to automatically activate.
Cancel – This action will cancel your hold.
Account Preferences
In Account Preferences, you can change the number of search hits per page, the default font size, default hold notification (email only), default search location, and default search range.
My Bookbags
The My Bookbags section allows you to create, edit, share, and remove bookbags. Bookbags can be used for a number of purposes. For example, to keep track of what books you have read or books you would like to read.
Create a Bookbag
Step 1. Log in to My Account with your library card number/username and PIN, and click on the My Bookbags tab.
Step 2. Enter the name of a new Bookbag in the space provided.
Sharing Your Bookbag
By choosing to share your Bookbag, the address of your Bookbag will be provided for you to share with anyone you want to.
Step 1: Click on “Share this Bookbag”.
Step 2: In the “Shared” column you will now see “Yes (View)"
Step 3: Click on View or the RSS feed icon. You will now see your list in a new tab in your browser. Copy and paste the web address from this page to share your list.
Add Items to Your Bookbag
When you are logged in to the My Account feature, you can search the catalog for items you’d like to add to a Bookbag.
In the More Actions menu, you can add the item to one of your Bookbags. You will get a confirmation message that the item was successfully added to your Bookbag. You can also create a new Bookbag from this menu.
Troubleshooting
We are aware that since the new library software has been installed, the "My Account" feature from the library's website is no longer loading for some people trying to access their accounts from home. We have identified a number of reasons that contribute to this problem. Unfortunately, any one of these identified reasons or a combination of any number of them may be the actual cause for any one individual user.
Identified reasons for this problem include:
- Slow connection speeds-- People who have dial-up internet or satellite or situations where the DSL service is too far away from the switching station to provide reliable service. In some cases even those with internet through cable may experience problems at certain times of day when their cable providers' internet is saturated or overloaded by use.
- Type and age of browser-- In some cases Mozilla Firefox seems to work better than Internet Explorer or Safari. Opera or Google Chrome may also work better. Older browser versions may also be a problem. Try updating your browser to the newest version possible.
- Processing speed and computer memory-- With the old library software, most of the computer processing work required to access "My Account" happened on our servers. With the new software, all that computer processing work happens on the individual user's computer. This means that older computers with slower processing speed and less memory may have problems.
- Type of computer-- More problems of this type have been reported by people using Macs.
A solution to this problem involves complex development and/or rewriting of the new open source library software. Unfortunately, we cannot offer an estimated timeline for the resolution of this problem through software development. We understand how important the ability to manage your account is. If you continue to have problems accessing "My Account", please do not hesitate to call Telephone Reference or any branch during open hours. A staff person will be happy to assist you. Here is a list of hours and phone numbers.
