Joining online
- The self-registration form didn't work. What do I do?
My Info and logging in
- Do I still need to add “2000100“ at the beginning of the barcode on my library card?
- When I log into My Info I get an error message “not in scope” and to “log into my library system's website“.
- Can a 'save password' option be added to the online catalogue?
- When I attempt to login, all that happens is the screen flickers and the password gets cleared.
Renewals
- How do I renew my books?
- How do I renew my Audiobooks, CDs, DVDs or other rental items?
Requests / reserves (holds)
- How to I place a request (hold)?
- Are my requests are ready to pick up when the status says 'Available'?
- Is it still possible to request items that are on order?
- When I place a reserve I get an error message “No items are requestable, request denied“. Why?
- Why didn't I get a notice that my request was ready to pick up?
- For some reason I have been moved backward in the holds queue. Why?
- Why do I have to select a pickup library when requesting an item?
- Do I have to choose a cancellation date when I make a request?
My Preferences: Ratings, History and reading lists
- What do I have to do to see my Reading history?
- Am I able to keep a list of books I want to read?
- What's with the Rateing stars? How can I change what I have Rated?
Do you have a different question? Use our online Customer Help form to ask the Library Customer Helpdesk.
Joining online
1. The self-registration form didn't work. What do I do?
If you have problems with the self-registration form, note the following:
Common names:
If you have a common name (e.g. John Smith) or already belong to a library in the Auckland region, your registration might not work. If this happens open the form again and put '22' as a middle name. A librarian will be able to remove this when you verify your membership.
Phone number and date of birth:
You have to enter this information exactly:
- Phone number format: 1234567
- Date of birth format: 09121986 (day month year)
If you get any error messages at all, the best thing to do is start over again. Click on the link that says 'Join the library' and open a new version of the form. If you have tried the above and had no success, please visit your local library where a librarian will be able help create your record. Remember to bring some proof of address and photo id as explained here.
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My Info and logging in
1. Do I still need to add “2000100“ to the beginning of the barcode on my library card?
If you have a library card with a short 7 digit barcode you should no longer have to add “2000100“ to the front of the barcode number on your library card. Just type in the number that's there.
However, if do find you are unable to log in with the shortened barcode, try adding the “2000100” prefix to the beginning of the number printed on your card.
Note also that there are no spaces in the barcodes; it's all one number.
2. When I attempt to log in to My Info from home, I get an error message that says “Not in scope” and to “log into my library system's website“. What am I doing wrong?
You may need to change the privacy settings on your web browser to enable cookies. For more information on cookie settings, have a look at our Digital Library help page.
3. Can a 'save password' option be added to the online catalogue so we don't have to retype our password every time?
We prefer not to provide a save password option for logging in, as this may create privacy issues for customers using public computers at the library.
Also note that if you use a web browser at home that is able to remember and enter your password automatically, if you change your password you will need to update the password that your browser is remembering.
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Renewals
1. How do I renew my books?
Renewing books, magazines or other non-rental items on loan can be done for free by phoning our automated telephone service on 3077795 or by renewing online as follows:
1. Log in to My Info
2. Scroll down to see the list of your checked out items.
3. To the left of the titles are check boxes; check the box beside each title you wish to renew
4. Click the Renew Selected button at the top of the list.
Alternatively, if you wish to renew all the renewable items on your record, click the Renew All button at the top of your list.
Renewals are worked out from the day you do it so if you renew early you will miss out on time, and if you renew late you will get overdue charges – see how much the charges increase per day on our list of overdue charges. If an item is overdue you will be able to see the current overdue charge listed under the due date.
An item will not renew if:
- it is on reserve, or
- you have already renewed it once, or
- you have more than $10 in charges on your record.
As each item renews any overdue charge will be added to your account, so if you are renewing several overdue items and your total charges go over the $10 limit, the 'my info' system will automatically stop renewing items. If this happens you can contact a librarian to renew the rest of your items by telephoning 3077795 and selecting ‘0’, or by visiting your local library and talking to a staff member.
Charges: Unless there is a problem with your account, you will be charged $1 for each non-rental item if you ask for a librarian to renew your books instead of using our automated renewals systems (My Info or the automated telephone system).
Note for 'pay-as-you-go’ members: If you have joined our system under the out of zone ‘pay-as-you-go’ membership, while you are able to access your booklist through My Info, unfortunately due to system constraints you are unable to actually renew items (this applies to automated telephone renewals as well). As a ‘pay-as-you-go’ member if you wish to renew your books, you can contact a librarian by telephoning 3077795 and selecting ‘0’ to talk to a librarian who will renew your books for free.
2. How do I renew my Audiobooks, CDs, DVDs or other rental items?
To renew a rental item either visit or phone your local library and the staff will be happy to do this for you. Rental items renew for the same charge as the initial rental, and for the same rental period. View a summary of all loan periods and charges.
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Requests and reserves (holds)
1. How do I place a request (hold)?
1. Complete a search
2. Find the item you would like to request, select the 'request' button.
3. You will be prompted to enter a pick up location, your barcode and PIN (if you are not already logged into "My Info").
4. Select the 'Go' button.
5. A message "Request successful" will be displayed.
The library will notify you when the title you requested is ready to be picked up at the location you have selected. You can check and change how the library will contact you through My Info (click on Modify Personal Information).
As long as you are logged into "My Info" you may continue to request items without re-entering your Library card number or PIN.
For information about requesting multiple items and freezing requests click here.
2. Are my holds ready to pick up when the status says 'Available'?
The status of your holds in My Info shows you the current situation of the item you have requested. Some common status messages and their meanings are:
- Available: the item is not on loan and is able to be borrowed. This does not mean that it is ready for you to pick up - if you have placed the item on hold, you need to wait for a librarian to pluck the item from the shelf.
- Missing: the item your request was first assigned to could not be found. When this happens your request will be moved to the next available copy.
- In Transit: the item is moving from one library to another.
- Ready. Pick up by... [date]: the item has been plucked from the shelf and is ready for you to pick up!
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3. Requesting items on order
You are certainly able to request items that are on order, provided Auckland City Library has some on order (you can tell from the item record which libraries we have ordered copies for). We are however experiencing some problems requesting items such items through our website. Contact us if you would like library staff to place a request for you.
4. When I attempt to place a reserve on an item I get the message “No items are requestable, request denied“. Why?
The basic reason for this is that we basically don't have any actual items that can be borrowed for example, we may only have reference copies or we may have copies on order/being processed. Contact us if you would like library staff to attempt to place a hold for you.
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5. Why didn't I get a notice that my requested item was ready for me to pick up?
Our email notices are sent from this address: circadm@elgar.govt.nz. Some Spam filters block this address, identifying our messages as spam, so have a look in your email Spam folder. You can add the circadm@elgar.govt.nz to your contacts or friends list to ensure our emails get through in future.
You may also want to check and update your email address by logging into My Info and click on 'Modify Personal Information'
6. For some reason I have been moved backward in the holds queue. Why?
Sometimes you may notice that your position in the queue for a book has been altered - say you were 10th but then you checked again and you were suddenly 40th! This is because we are now sharing a database with Manukau, Waitakere, North Shore and Rodney libraries, so when patrons place holds on items in the other library systems, it can affect your position in the queue for Auckland Library items. Rest assured that you will be getting the item in the correct order.
We are working on a way to show the holds list more accurately. Contact us to find out where you are in the list.
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7. Why do I have to choose a
pickup location for my requests? Shouldn't it default to my home library?
Choosing a pickup location when you make a request helps us to send your requests to the right place. We'd rather ask you than make a guess.
8. Do I have to choose a cancellation dates for my requests?
You do not have to choose a 'Cancel if not filled by' date when requesting. This feature is useful if you are certain that you will not need the item after a particular date, such as students requesting books for assignments, but it's not compulsory. All requests have a default 270 day expiry period.
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My history, booklists and preferred searches
1. What do I need to do to see my Reading history
To keep track of all the items you have borrowed, you can opt in to your Reading history through My Info. This feature is turned off by default, so to opt in:
- Log in to My Info
- Click on the ‘My Reading History’ link (Under My Preferences in the middle of the page)
- Click on the ‘Opt In’ button.
From now on any items that you take out should be listed each time you click on the My Reading History. It won't show you items that you borrowed before you opted in.
You can remove items from your list ticking the box to the left of the title, then clicking on the ‘Delete Marked’ button, or you can clear the entire list using the Delete All button.
If you change your mind about having a Reading history you can use the button 'Opt out' button to clear your history and stop tracking the items you get issued.
One use of tracking your reading history is the ability to remove items that you have previously borrowed when you perform a search. When you perform a search, and you get to the list of records found by that search, there is an option to ‘Limit to titles which aren't in my Reading History’. This will remove any records that are in your reading history.
2. Am I able to keep a list of books I want to read?
Unfortunately we are not able to store lists of titles you wish to read. Using the ‘My Cart’ feature when searching allows you create a temporary list of titles, which you can then email to yourself, print or save to disk (this list will not be kept after you have left our site).
To add titles to your cart you need to be logged in to My Info, then you can add items from a search list by clicking on the 'Add to Cart' button. You can retreive the list of items by clicking the 'View Cart' button at the top of the list.
An alternative feature is the ability to save Preferred Searches; when you search the catalogue while logged into My Info you can save your search, so it will appear in your My Info page, ready for the next time you want to use the search. To perform the search again, log in to My Info, select 'Preferred Searches' (under 'My Preferences'), then click on the search you want to perform.
3. Whats with the Rating stars? How can I change what I have Rated?
When you look up an item you'll notice 5 stars next to the title. This is where you can rate how much (or little) you liked the book if you have read it. When the stars are blue, this is the average rating of all the patrons who have rated this item - you can hover your mouse over the stars to see how many people have rated the item.
To rate a title, you need to be logged in to My Info, then look up the book. Click on the number of stars you think the item warrented (1 star is absolutely atrocious, not even so-bad-it's-good, while 5 stars is a completely outstanding, must read).
Once you have rated an item the stars will turn gold and show your rateing, then you can hover the mouse over the stars again to discover what the average rateing is.
If you want to see a list of titles you have rated, or alter your rating, you can log in to My Info, then click on My Ratings. Here you can see a complete list of all the items you have rated, delete and change your ratings.
To change your ratings
-
Log into “My Info”
- Access the ratings area in your record
- Find the item you want to change the rating on
- Click on the number of stars you would like to change the rating too, e.g. click on star number four if you would like to change your rating from three to four etc.
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