Using My Account
Access your Library Account online or in the app to place holds, renew materials that are due soon, register for programs, and lots of other things.
Logging In
Enter your library card number beginning with 06279XXXXXXXXX with no spaces and then your PIN.
When you first get your library card, your PIN is set to the last 4 digits of your phone number. You can change your PIN, but if you can’t remember your PIN, try that first!
- Go to the online catalogue;
- Click “My Library Account”;
- Enter your full 14-digit library card number, followed by your PIN;
- Click your name in the upper right hand corner of the screen
- Click “Edit PIN”
- Enter your current PIN in the first bar
- Enter New PIN in the second bar
- Re-enter new PIN in the third bar
- Click “Submit”
Your PIN will be changed to the value that you enter in the 2nd and 3rd lines.
If you forget your PIN and the last 4 digits of your phone number isn’t working, please contact your local ECL branch and staff can help you reset it.
Placing Holds
- Search the catalogue
- Click Place Hold
- Choose a pick up location and confirm
When you first sign up for a library card you get assigned a Home Library, and this is your default pick up library. You can change your preferred pick up location under Your Account.
Managing Holds
Sometimes you know that you won’t have time to finish with a library item just yet or you know you will be away when the item is likely to be ready for you. There is a feature that allows you to temporarily suspend your hold so that you don’t lose your place in line, but it skips you and goes to the next person waiting for the item until you unfreeze the hold.
- In your account, click the Holds tab
- Check the box in the FREEZE column next to the item you want to temporarily suspend
- Click Update List
- Click Yes to verify that you wish to freeze the hold
- In your account, click the Holds tab
- Uncheck the box in the FREEZE column
- Click Update List
- Click Yes to verify the update
Renewing Materials
- In your account, click the Checkouts tab
- Select the item(s) you want to renew
- Click Renew Marked (if the item is on hold for someone else, you won’t be able to renew it and will need to return it at your earliest convenience)
- Confirm and close
Using the Library Bag
You can place multiple items on hold at once by adding them to your Library Bag first. Make sure to click Save to List if you want your Library Bag to be there the next time you log in to your account.
Searching the Catalogue
If you know exactly what you’re looking for, great! Make sure to spell everything correctly. A spelling mistake will likely mean that you don’t see the item you’re looking for in the search results. We’ve gathered together some tips on searching the catalogue that will help make you a pro!
Use the filters on the left of the search results (on a mobile device there a button that looks like four squares that reveals the filters).
Selecting At the library will show you items that are available to borrow now.
You can filter by format (e.g. Book, eBooks, EAudios, DVD, etc.)
Filtering by Collection helps you narrow down what is currently available at your local branch
Choose Relevance to get search results closest to your search at the top of the list.
Choose Date to get the most recently published books at the top.
Title and author sort the search results alphabetically by those two parameters.
To explore a topic, you can use AND to include items that cover multiple areas. Use OR to include multiple terms. Use NOT to exclude results that might show up in a wider search that you know you are not interested in.
For example if you typed ‘kittens AND puppies’ into the search bar, the results would be items that included both kittens and puppies, not items that only included only kittens or only puppies.
Try using the Advanced Search feature, found just under the search bar. This is laid out like a visual boolean search builder. You can also then filter right there before you click Search.
Get Email Reminders
If you provide us with your email address to associate with your Library Card, you can be sent email notices when your items are due back at the library. Contact Us to get your email added to your library account.
Register for a Library Program Online
To register for library programs, you have 3 options:
- In person at your library branch
- Calling the library
- Online
Below is an introduction to the online calendar and some steps to get you started:
- Visit catalogue.elgin.ca and click the Library Calendar link listed at the bottom of the page, or access the Program Calendar on the home page of our website on in the menu at the top of each page under Programs & Services
- Set the Limit by Location to the library branch you are interested in, and click the check mark to view the results
- Set the Limit to Type if you are interested in a specific type of program (for example: adult programming)
- Click on a program name to view program details
- Program details will display on the right side of your screen. If the program has open registration, you will be able to click on the Number of Seats Remaining to register. (This will prompt you to log in to your Library Account so have your library card number and PIN ready.)
- When registering, update the Number of Seats to match the total number of people attending the program with you (for example: if you are bringing a friend who does not have a library card or a child)
- Enter the Names of those who are attending if you are registering for friends or family. If you are just registering for yourself, skip this step as you are already logged into your Account so the system knows it is you.
- Click Continue to finish registering online.
- Now that you have finished registering, click the Return to Programs to return to the library calendar, or close the internet tab to return to the library catalogue.
- After registering for a program online, if you wish to cancel your attendance at a future time, follow these steps:
- login to your library account
- click your name to view your Checkout page
- click the Program tab
- click the box beside the program you cannot attend
- click Cancel Selected
- Or, if you are canceling all program attendance, click Cancel All
- Branch staff are available to guide you through these steps should you need any assistance or have questions.
Did you know there’s an app for that?
MyLibrary! App
Bring the library to your fingertips. Search our catalogue, or use the app to scan the ISBN barcode of a book to see if we have a copy! Manage your holds and your account, and scroll through our Twitter feed, all with the MyLibrary! App. Carry the library around in your pocket!
