My Account in WorldCat Discovery
Enable end-user sign in
Allow users to manage personal lists and save searches by enabling end-user sign in.
All WorldCat Discovery libraries can provide sign-in capability for their users. This enables users to save searches and personal lists. Refer to:
To enable non-WMS logon options, register your library for end user logon capability. The OCLC implementation team will respond to the request and assist with configuration.
Institutions can select from the following implementation options:
- Create new accounts with an OCLC method that supports self-creation of authenticated accounts.
- Use existing accounts with an OCLC link to your institution's existing authentication service, if it is compatible.
- Authentication requirements
Note: These logon options are not available to Group Catalogs using WorldCat Discovery.
Navigate My Account
Access the available sections by using the main tab headings on the page. You can also access the areas of My Account using the Profile drop-down menu in the banner.
To search WorldCat Discovery, enter search terms in the main search bar or use the Advanced Search link.
Course Reserves are accessible from My Account as are any custom links configured by the library. Custom links appear under the Resources drop-down menu.
Navigate My Account by keyboard
Navigate My Account more quickly by screen reader or using your keyboard.
When the browser focus is at the top of the page, press the Tab button once to expose the Skip to Main Content option or press the Tab button twice to expose the Skip to Footer option. Pressing Return moves the browser focus to the corresponding section of the page.
Note: FireFox and Safari users may need to enable additional settings in their browser configuration to use this feature.
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Inactivity timeout
My Account alerts library users when their session is about to end due to inactivity. After 25 minutes, a message with a 5-minute timer is displayed. The user can choose to continue working or sign out. After 30 minutes of inactivity, the user will be automatically signed out.
Customize My Account
You can customize the look of the My Account interface by navigating to the WorldCat Discovery and WorldCat Local User Interface Options in the Service Configuration. See User Interface Options for more information. Use this screen to update your banner and custom links.
Caution: Altering these settings will change the appearance across your WorldCat Discovery interface.
Search activity
The Search activity tab of My Account displays saved searches from WorldCat Discovery. WorldCat Discovery users can review and save previous searches. Searches can be re-run, shared, deleted, and saved.
For more information about this functionality in WorldCat Discovery, please see Search history and save searches.
View Profile
Select View Profile under the your account name or navigate to the Profile tab of My Account to view notification preferences.
The listed information for Email and Phone Number comes from the Library Record section of the patron's account. Library users cannot change this information and must contact the library for any necessary corrections.
Account management
Password
Select Change Password to be taken to a change password screen.
PIN
When your library has enabled PIN management, the Change PIN option will appear under the Profile tab. See Patron PIN Settings to enable the Change PIN option.
WorldShare PINs allow patrons to access self-service kiosks, digital content platforms, your library's wifi network, consortial borrowing services, and any other service that you need to secure but cannot integrate with your library's modern authentication flows and single sign-on (SSO) experiences. A user's circulation barcode and WorldShare PIN can be used to verify the user's identity against your library's WMS user records.
- PIN values can also be set or updated using the XML patron data loading process.
- A user's barcode and PIN can be used to control access to WMS SIP2 and NCIP services. See SIP2 Configuration for more information.
- When patron verification is configured to be required, WMS will send back an error response if the connection is not encrypted, user credentials are not provided, or invalid credentials are provided.
Clicking the Change PIN button will open a new screen where the user will be asked to specify and confirm their new PIN.
- Users will not be able to see or recover their current PIN.
Notifications for Tipasa users
Library users can select to receive email or text message notifications about their requested items.
When users add or edit the Alternate Email or Phone Number information, they are updating the Delivery Notification section of their account. They are not changing the phone or email that your library has on file for the user and the user will still receive reset password emails to the email on file.
- By default, users will receive email messages.
- Text message notifications are turned off by default.
- To enable the ability to send SMS notifications for library users, turn on Send SMS for automated notifications in the Notifications module of the OCLC Service Configuration. Enabling this setting displays the Phone Number field to library users allowing them to enter their contact information to receive text message notifications. See Notifications for more information.
- It is recommended that libraries outside the United States and Canada do not enable SMS notifications.
- Add the Phone field to your Patron Request Workforms to allow library users to receive SMS notifications for their requests. See Patron Request Workform fields for more information.
- To enable the ability to send SMS notifications for library users, turn on Send SMS for automated notifications in the Notifications module of the OCLC Service Configuration. Enabling this setting displays the Phone Number field to library users allowing them to enter their contact information to receive text message notifications. See Notifications for more information.
Note: Tipasa notifications must be set up by your library in order for your users to receive them. Your can set up notifications in OCLC Service Configuration. For more information on setting up notifications, see Set up notifications. Within View Profile, the library user must also ensure texting is on and must provide a phone number. The phone number in the patron record in the Tipasa interface will not be used for texting.
Note: Notifications related to library transactions will be emailed to the library user even if the Send library account updates by email setting is disabled.
Use Alternate Email
The email address(es) from the patron record will appear under Email. Library users must contact the library to update the email address(es) in their patron record. Email notifications about their account will be sent to the primary email in the patron record. If the user would like to receive email notifications at a different email address, they can enter an alternate email in the Use Alternate Email field.
Email notifications are enabled by default, but the user may disable them by turning off Send library account updates by email.
Click on SAVE CONTACT INFORMATION to save the alternate email address.
Phone Number
The Phone Number option only displays if the library has enabled Send SMS for automated notifications in the OCLC Service Configuration. See Notifications for more information.
- If Send SMS for automated notifications is not enabled, text message options will not display to library users in My Account.
Text notifications are disabled by default. If the user would like to receive text message notifications about their account, they must enter a phone number in the Phone Number field and enable Send library account updates by text message.
Note: Only phone numbers with a country code of +1 (United States and Canada) can receive SMS notifications. It is recommended that libraries outside the United States and Canada do not enable SMS notifications.
- Add the Phone field to your Patron Request Workforms to allow library users to receive SMS notifications for their requests. See Patron Request Workform fields for more information.
Click on Save Contact Information.
Notifications
Custom usage message
To describe for your library's users why certain information is shown or how to get more information related to your library's policies, include a custom usage message within the Notifications section on the Profile tab. To set a custom usage message, navigate to the OCLC Service Configuration and select My Account > Profile Settings. Select Notification usage message and toggle on the Display a custom message about how user contact information is used and managed setting. Refer to Profile Settings for more information.
Email notifications
The listed information for Email comes from the Library Record section of the patron's account. Library users cannot change this information and must contact the library for any necessary corrections.
Notifications for items on loan through WorldShare Circulation will be sent to the listed Email Address.
Email notifications about requests submitted through Tipasa will be sent to the primary email in the Library Record section of the user's account. If the user would like to receive email notifications about their requests submitted to Tipasa at a different email address, they can enter an alternate email in the Use Alternate Email field. See Use Alternate Email.
Alternate email
The email address(es) from the Library Record section of the user's account will appear under Email. Library users must contact the library to update the email address(es) in their Library Record section of the user's account. Email notifications about their account will be sent to the primary email in the Library Record section of the user's account. If the user would like to receive email notifications at a different email address, they can enter an alternate email in the Alternate email field.
Click on Save Changes to save the alternate email address.
SMS/Text notifications
Mobile number
Text notifications are disabled by default. If the user would like to receive text message notifications about their account, they must enter a phone number in the Mobile number field and enable Send library account updates by text message.
Note: Only phone numbers with a country code of +1 (United States and Canada) can receive SMS notifications. It is recommended that libraries outside the United States and Canada do not enable SMS notifications.
- Add the Phone field to your Request Forms to allow library users to receive SMS notifications for their requests. See Request Form fields for more information.
Click on Save changes.
Search history
Authenticated users can opt out of search history tracking through the My Account profile page. This feature is available when search history tracking is enabled via the Display Settings, Search history module of the OCLC Service Configuration.
- The toggle is on by default, meaning search history is enabled and will be saved.
- Users can switch the toggle off at any time to opt out of search history tracking.
- Disabling Search history tracking immediately deletes existing search history and prevents future searches from being recorded.
- When tracking is disabled, a message appears under the Search Activity tab, including a link to the Profile page where users can re-enable tracking if desired.
This feature is only available when search history tracking is enabled by the institution in Service Configuration > WorldCat Discovery and WorldCat Local > Display Settings > Search history. No additional configuration is needed to display the user opt-out option once search history is active.
Borrowing history
When enabled, the Borrowing history tab will appear in My Account and users will have the choice to enable retention of their history from the Profile tab. See History for more information about enabling the Borrowing history tab.
Each user controls the retention and display of their WorldShare Circulation borrowing history. By default, all users are opted out of borrowing history and will be shown an invitation to enable retention when viewing the Borrowing history tab for the first time.
To enable borrowing history for their account, library users must toggle the Enable my borrowing history option to on. Your library's retention period will display in the explanatory text.
My Account for WorldShare Management Services libraries
If you are a WorldShare Management Services library, additional features are available to library users in My Account. See WorldShare Circulation, My Account for more information.
My Account for Tipasa libraries
If you are a Tipasa library that uses WorldCat Discovery, but not WorldShare Management Services, see My Account for Tipasa.