Tuesday, January 14, 2003
Users also can sign up for e-mail notices about book due dates and other topics.
YOUNGSTOWN -- Beginning Monday, patrons of the Public Library of Youngstown & amp; Mahoning County will have access to their library records through any computer with an Internet connection.
The new Online Library Account service is made possible by the library's new Millennium catalog. The account will show a complete list of the materials people have checked out and allow them to renew those materials if permissible.
It also will show when those materials are due, if fines are owed and how much, which titles they have on reserve and the status of their reserves. The Online Library Account service is free and will be available starting Monday through the library's Web site: www.LibraryVisit.org. A link on the home page will take visitors to more information about using this service.
Information needed
The account site is secure and requires a patron's name, library-card bar-code number, and personal identification number of the patron's choosing as a password. The library does not release the personal information or e-mail addresses of its patrons. Library staff do not have access to the patron's PIN or password. Only patrons will know what PIN they have selected and will have the ability to change it.
Patrons without access to a computer at home or work can use computers in the library to look up their accounts. New services are also available through e-mail. Patrons may provide their e-mail addresses through the Online Library Account site.
Millennium will then e-mail patrons immediately when the materials they reserved are ready to be picked up, when a new book by their favorite author or topic has been added to the collection, or as a reminder that the materials they borrowed are due.
The online service also saves on first-class postage and staff time, which helps with budget concerns during this period of reduced funding. Additionally, because the library is now using printed receipts in place of stamped due dates, patrons who have misplaced their receipts can find a complete listing of their borrowed materials.