How does account linking work in the catalog?
Answer
The Kansas City Public Library (KCPL) has partnered with the Mid-Continent Public Library and the Johnson County Library systems to allow our patrons to use only one username when logging into the online catalog.
For example, a patron named Joe Schmoe logs into the KCPL catalog with their KCPL card number and PIN and creates the username “JoeSchmoe”. They can then visit the Library Accounts page, and link their JoCo card and/or MCPL card to that username. When they visit the catalogs of the other library systems, they would use the username “JoeSchmoe” and the PIN for that library system (note: the PIN might be different for each library).
However, say Joe previously logged into the Johnson County Library catalog creating the username “TheLibraryRocks.” Because their Johnson County card is already tied to a username, they will not be able to link it to their KCPL “JoeSchmoe” username, but instead will receive an error message stating that “the card is already registered to another username and cannot be linked.”
Because both their KCPL and Johnson County library cards have been tied to individual usernames, Joe will need to choose one username to remain active and deactivate the other account(s). Deactivating a catalog username does not do anything to the library card account, all of Joe’s checkouts and holds remain intact. However, deactivating a username does remove the username's catalog activity, such as lists, shelf items, ratings, or comments.
Joe decides to keep the username “JoeSchmoe” with their KCPL card, and to deactivate their Johnson County username. They first signs into the Johnson County “TheLibraryRocks” account and makes a note of the titles in their List "Books I Read This Year"; later, they will log into their “JoeSchmoe” account and recreate the list. They then call their preferred Johnson County library branch and asks them to deactivate their “TheLibraryRocks” username. Once that is done, they will be able to link the Johnson County card number to their KCPL username.
If the user already has a BiblioCommons username with Johnson County or Mid-Continent they will need to log into their catalog and then follow these steps to link their Kansas City Card:
- Go to My Settings.
- Select Manage Cards.
- Select Link a library card.
- Enter your Kansas City library card information and Link the Card to confirm.
If you have any questions about your Kansas City Public Library catalog account, please contact us.