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Me Card / Metro cards (EPL-METRO)

The Me Card, which is available at melibraries.ca, is a web service that automates the registration procedures for reciprocal borrowers between participating libraries. Customers using this service use a single card to access collections at any of the Me libraries, though their accounts at each library are not connected through Biblicommons or Workflows (much like our reciprocal borrower accounts). Users may place holds at any library system, but must pick up the hold from that system (ie. if an EPL user places a hold on an item in the St. Albert library system, that hold must be picked up at the St. Albert library. It will not be transported to an EPL branch for pickup.)

In essence, the Me Card is a reciprocal borrower card. What is different about this card is that, by using the webform on melibraries.ca, both the verification of the customer’s good standing and the data entry involved in adding the new user to our system are automated rather than staff-mediated. As well, the customer uses a single card for each of the Metro libraries she joins, and all Me Cards are free! This means that customers can sign up on their own for this new type of reciprocal borrower card and staff at each library can use this process to help qualifying customers sign up for cards without having to call the home library to verify the borrower’s information. Even better, we can help our own customers sign up for cards with the other partner libraries without having to send the customer to the physical library.

Note the following regarding the Me Card:

  • Just like reciprocal borrower cards, there is no link between a user’s account in one library’s ILS (ie. Sirsi Symphony) and the other libraries that user has joined.
  • Users may place holds at any library system, but must pick up the hold from that system
  • L-Pass users from the U of A or MacEwan are eligible for the Me Card
  • Many libraries share ILSs, just like all EPL branches share the same instance of Sirsi Symphony. Thus, a user may join one system like Parkland Regional library, and gain access to over 20 libraries.
  • Me Card holders can only use the electronic resources/databases of their home library system due to licensing restrictions.
  • An email address is required to register using this service. If the customer's account does not have an email address listed, this process won’t work.
  • Depending on which libraries users join, their PIN may be shortened. They will be notified at the time of registration if this occurs. This may affect our EPL users who join the other systems.
  • The Me Card web interface cannot currently handle lost cards. If the card number of a user at the home library is changed, the customer needs to manually update each other library with the new card number.
  • Juveniles cannot register for Me Cards through the web interface, as parental consent is required to create accounts for these users. However, juveniles can be registered for a Me Card manually using their home library card and your local reciprocal borrower procedures.

The Me Card Process

The Me Card web service automates the data entry process for reciprocal borrowers from participating libraries. The below procedures can be used either when helping a non-EPL Metro user register for an EPL card, or when aiding an EPL customer register for a card with any or all of the other Metro partners.

To register a user for a Me Card:

  1. Navigate to melibraries.ca
  2. Enter the home library card number and PIN. If the user is not an EPL user and does not know their PIN, you may wish to help the customer call the home library to get this information.
  3. Once logged in, select the library/libraries the user wishes to register for.
  4. If the registration is successful, the customer can immediately use their home library card at any other library they have registered with.
  5. If the registration is not successful, and the user is an EPL user, ensure they have an email address on file. If not, add it, and try the registration process over again. If the registration is unsuccessful again, or if the user’s home library is not EPL, follow the manual instructions below to register the customer.

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