Your Account - access your account to see what's on your card, renewals, holds, etc.

Holds - Information about problems placing holds, holds for on order items, local holds only, specific issue or volume holds, and no postage fees.

Problems Accesing Your Account

If you are having problems accessing "Your Account", the following suggestions may help to access this feature:

• Make sure you are using a current browser.
• Internet Explorer 5.5 or highe
• Netscape 7 or higher
• Mozilla 1.5 or higher
• To determine which version you have, click on the Menu option "Help" at the very top of your browser (not the Help next to Community Info in the Catalog). Then click on "About."
• Make sure you have javascript enabled.
• In IE, click on Tools, Internet Options, Advanced tab, scroll down to Microsoft VM, box next to "JT compiler for virtual machine enabled" should be checked.
• In Netscape, click on Edit, Preferences, Advanced, box next to "Java enabled" should be checked.
• In Mozilla, click on Edit, Preferences, Advanced, box next to "Enable Java" should be checked
• Make sure you clear your cache
• In IE, click on Tools, Internet Optoins, at General tab and Temporary Internet Files box, click on delete files.
• In Netscape, click on Edit, Preferences, Advanced, Cache, Clear Cache.
• In Mozilla, click on Edit, Preferences, Advanced, Cache, Clear Cache.
• Make sure you are not using old bookmarks or shortcuts Link to "Your Account" has changed with the new software
• Pop-up blocker software might cause a problem accessing "Your Account"
• Pin numbers should be the last four digits of your current phone number. Stop at the Circulation Desk or Information Desk or call 236-5202 to have a pin number changed.

If none of these suggestions help, please contact the Reference Desk, 236 - 5205 or send us an email via our AskAway form (email will be sent to OPL Reference Desk).

Holds

Problems Placing a Hold

After trying to place a hold, if you receive an error message or the hold doesn't show on your account, this may due to several reasons:

• The pin number you are entering may be different than what is currently on your patron record or needs to be reactivated.
• Your card could be expired. Library cards expire once a year. No date appears on the cards. Staff needs to verify address information and telephone number to renew the card. An expired card may keep a borrower from placing holds or renewing items. This must be done at the Circulation Desk. If your card is about to expire and you try to renew items online, they will only be renewed until the card's expiration date.
• Your account is blocked due to fines and overdue items in excess of $5.00.
• If you have placed a hold on a specific issue or volume/part, your hold will not appear immediately on Your Account information.

Local Holds Only

If other libraries have set their new items to accept only holds from their residents and Oshkosh does not own it or have a copy on order, an Oshkosh attempt to place a hold will fail. Call 236-5202 to request that we purchase it.

Specific Issue or Volume

Generally use the "Place Hold" button at the left of the item record, rather than "Place Hold on a Specific Issue or Volume". Save the "Specific Issue" link for multipart things like Part 2 of a 3-part series or a specific volume (ex. Volume 2 of an Encyclopedia), or a specific issue (ex. The January issue of a magazine). Issue specific holds will not appear immediately on the "Your Account" list. If the list is missing things you did place on hold, before or after the switch, please call 236-5202 for assistance.

No Postage Fees
The Oshkosh Public Library Board has eliminated the postage fee for printed mailed hold notices.

Continue to Report Problems
We appreciate your willingness to let us know when things are not working for you. The information you provide is what we need to diagnose and fix problems. Sometimes the first solutions create new difficulties, so let us know if your problem continues or changes. Call 236-5202 or 236-5205 to report a problem and give us the opportunity to get you what you need another way. Thank you.