MyLibrary! App Interface
The MyLibrary! app interface consists of the following elements:
- Home Screen
- Navigation Menu
- Find Screen
- Quick Search
- Scan Book
- Search Results
- Patron Account
- Social Media
- Search Catalog
The user taps the MyLibrary! app icon shown above on his or her device to start the MyLibrary! app.
A Select Library screen appears when patrons first use MyLibrary! Users must select a library before using the app. This is done by typing the first few letters of the library name, then tapping the full library name as it appears. The library’s Home screen appears.
Home Screen
The Home screen contains an image specific to your library, navigation links to social media, the patron account, search options, and the latest entries from your library's Twitter stream or Facebook feed. The image on this screen is hosted on your Sierra server. Note that the image must be exactly 2400 pixels wide by 795 pixels tall, and all critical text and design elements must be at least 75 pixels inside the outer edge.
Navigation Menu
The Navigation menu offers each of the main patron functions available from the Home screen, including Quick Search, Scan Book, Search Catalog, Social Media, and My Account. In addition to these features, the following elements are available on the Navigation menu:
- Info: The Info screen displays links to the FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) screen for MyLibrary!, license information for technology used by MyLibrary!, the current version, and a link to the Innovative privacy policy. The FAQ screen displays the contact information for your library, including phone and email links, as well as answers to questions your patrons might have while using the app. Please contact Innovative support to change the library contact information. The FAQ entries are not configurable.
- Library website: This option opens your library’s website.
- Switch library: This option enables users to switch to another library system. (The patron can only scan an ISBN barcode or search the catalog on the new library system, unless the patron also has a library card and password with the new library system.) The Switch Library screen offers the same method of selecting a library as when the user initially started the app.
- Sign in: This option enables patrons to sign in to the app by scanning or tapping in their library card number and password. The keyboard used to enter library card number also offers a microphone icon for voice input. Patrons can tap the Call or Email button to contact the library if they have problems signing in. If your patron does not have an assigned password, you must assign one to allow the patron to place holds, check out titles, or use the patron account features of MyLibrary! For details, see:
MyLibrary! also supports unique identifier authentication and LDAP authentication for libraries using Sierra 3.2 or later. Note that your library must first configure LDAP in Sierra and in use by the institution.) See Using Alternate IDs in the WebPAC and Verifying Patrons By Using an External LDAP Server. If you offer either of these features, patrons can choose to sign in by the alternate method on the Sign in screen.
If you customize labels for authentication fields, the MyLibrary! app uses your custom labels. See User Messages Configuration File. If you do not customize the fields, or if the labels cannot be passed to the app, the default labels are Barcode and Password.
Find Screen
The Find screen appears when the user taps Find on Home screen. The Find screen offers these search options:
Quick Search
Quick Search is a native keyword search available on the Find screen and the Navigation menu. When the user types a search term, MyLibrary! searches the Sierra library catalog for materials that include the user's search term. Quick search results do not include events.
Scan Book
When the user taps the Scan Book link on the Find screen or the Navigation menu, the app activates the device's camera to scan a book's ISBN barcode. MyLibrary! supports 10-digit and 13-digit ISBNs. The user holds the device in front of the book and centers the scanning area over the ISBN barcode of the book. When the barcode is in focus, MyLibrary! automatically searches the library catalog for the title and author of the book.
The user can also search for an ISBN by tapping the keyboard icon to type in the barcode. The keyboard also offers a microphone icon for voice input.
Note that the Scan Book feature supports searching by ISBN only.
Search Results
When the user does a Quick Search (keyword search), the Results screen displays titles in the library catalog that include the search term. The user can also launch another Quick Search from the results screen.
When a search is launched by scanning or entering an ISBN, the Results screen displays the results of a search for the title and author associated with the ISBN in SkyRiver. The search looks for the highest quality record in SkyRiver, takes the relevant metadata, and executes the search against Sierra. The returned results include all of the formats of that work that the library has in its collection. Each entry on the Results screen represents a bibliographic record in Sierra.
From the results list, you can:
- Tap one of the format names above the results list to filter the results by that format type. For Quick Search results, formats are defined as the library's material types. For Scan Book search results, all material formats are categorized as Books, eBooks, eAudio, or Audio.
- Slide left on the arrow icon next to each title to reveal a function link appropriate for the title. Depending on circulation rules, this feature might let patrons place a hold, check out an electronic title, or view details for each item.
- Tap a title to view the Title Description screen, which displays information about the selected title. Each subsequent entry on this screen represents an item record. The action toolbar at the bottom of the screen provides links where a patron can place a hold, check out an electronic title, or read a sample of an OverDrive title.
Placing Holds in MyLibrary!
MyLibrary! supports title-level holds only; item-level and volume-level holds are not supported.
Holds in MyLibrary! follow the same circulation rules used in Sierra. Patrons can place holds by sliding left on the arrow icon next to each entry on the Results screen, which will reveal a Place a Hold link when appropriate, or by tapping the Place a Hold link at the bottom of the Title Description screen.
Checking Out eBooks or eAudiobooks in MyLibrary!
Patrons can check out cloudLibrary or OverDrive titles directly from the MyLibrary! app, but they must download the eBook or eAudiobook into their chosen eBook reading program or eAudiobook listening program to access the title. OverDrive requires the patron to enter an email address when checking out a title.
Libraries with Encore 4.4 or later who have enabled seamless integration with OverDrive do not need to do any additional setup to provide this feature in MyLibrary! to their patrons. Earlier versions of Encore or WebPAC require the library to set up MARC 037 fields for eBook integration, establish and set up an OverDrive account, and work with OverDrive to set up patron records. For details, see:
Patron Account
Patrons can access information about their accounts with the library from the Patron Account screen. This screen also displays library contact information with phone and email links. The patron must be signed in to view the patron account. The Patron Account screen provides links to the following screens:
- Checked Out - Displays the electronic and physical items currently checked out to the patron, ordered by due date. From this screen, the patron can renew items per the circulation rules your library has configured in Sierra. The patron can also check in OverDrive and cloudLibrary titles from this screen.
- Requests - Displays the patron’s requests, ordered by date they were placed. Patrons can tap on the modify link to Cancel, Freeze, Unfreeze, and/or change the pickup locations of requests according to your library's circulation rules.
- Owed - Displays fines and fees associated with a patron's library account.
- My Profile - Displays the patron's name, card number (barcode), account expiration date, and email address. If your library allows this feature, the patron can tap the change link to update the email address. MyLibrary! requires the patron address to be in a valid format before the updated email address can be saved. If your library allows patrons to change passwords in the app, the patron can also tap the change link to change the password. The new password must meet system and library requirements. For details, see Using PINs in the WebPAC.
- Scannable Patron Barcode - If your library enables this feature, the patron can tap show card on the My Profile screen to display a scannable patron barcode image of the ID number stored in the patron account. MyLibrary! supports a display of up to 16 alphanumeric characters. Symbols and diacritic characters are not allowed. The app displays the show card link only for patron barcodes that meet these criteria.
Testing the Patron Barcode Display
Although modern optical barcode scanners and some laser scanners can scan barcodes in the MyLibrary! interface, libraries should test their scanners when they first implement MyLibrary! If the library's scanners cannot read the barcode on any device screen, the library can contact Innovative to turn off this feature. However, if only a few patrons have trouble scanning the barcode image, the patrons might need to increase the brightness settings on their devices.
Social Media
The Social Media screen displays links to your library's presence on social media sites. Depending on the device settings, tapping a link opens the native application for that social media site or a web view from which the patron can tap the back button (in iOS9 and above or Android 4.0.3 and above) to return to MyLibrary! Contact Innovative to update the Social Media links.
Search Catalog
The Search Catalog option is available on the Find screen and the Navigation menu. The Search Catalog link opens a web browser and brings the patron to the full-featured web interface for your library's catalog (Sierra WebPAC, Encore Mobile, or AirPAC for Smartphones). The web interface provides full access to all the materials available.