As some of you may know, we've been promoting Library Elf, a library material organization tool, to patrons at the Ames Free Library. That's why I decided to focus my most recent class assignment, a technology tutorial related to libraries (in wiki format, nonetheless!) on Library Elf so I could learn more about it and pass it on to you. Here's my tutorial (not in it's original wiki format because only Simmons password holders have access to it-I'm disappointed about that....it looks awesome and it took a lot of hard work but there's no way to import it here).
What is Library Elf?
Library Elf is a tool that provides personal reminders for when library items are due in order to avoid late fees and to help card holders keep their library items organized. It provides email and text message alerts and can even be linked to Google Calendar, Outlook Calendar and Apple iCal. It is especially helpful for families because it links multiple library cards together so that families can view all the items checked out on multiple cards on one screen, eliminating the time it would take to log in to their separate accounts from the library’s site. One of the best features is that a cardholder at more than one library consortia can link cards from different consortia to their Library Elf account to view all checkouts, holds, overdues, etc.
Is Library Elf Free?
If your library is a subscriber, then Library Elf is free. The consortium subscribes to the service for a fee, allowing all member libraries to benefit. See below to find out if your library network subscribes.
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Basic Vs. Premium Service
An important element to note is that if your library consortium is not a subscriber, there are two levels of service that are offered for individuals, a basic service that is free and a premium service that is not.
Basic Service
The basic service provides email reminders similar to those found in existing library email reminders: single card with pre-dues and over dues notice only (holds ready and holds requested are not included). This free service is useful for users whose libraries do not have a pre-due or overdue email reminder service. If your library does provide such a service then you may want to sign up for your library's reminder service.
Premium Service
The premium service provides multiple ways of monitoring your library cards. The premium subscription makes things more convenient for users who frequent different libraries, have families with young children as well as users who frequent the library a lot.The premium, or subscription service, provides features including pre-due and overdue library material notices, holds available and requested, RSS feeds, text message alerts, account support services and even allows users to see their items in any iCal based calendar like Google Calendar, Outlook Calendar and Apple iCal to help stay super organized! Another cool feature is that the patron can customize their account to set up features like how often to alert (every day, every other day, etc.), how to alert (email, text messaging, etc.) and who in the family to alert (the most responsible one!). The downside to this service for individuals whose libraries don’t subscribe is that it costs twelve dollars a year for a single card and twenty dollars a year for multiple cards. For some, this price may be worth it if the family has multiple library cards to keep track of.
Basic and Premium Comparison
Basic | Premium | |
Library cards allowed | One | One or more |
Customizable settings | Partial | All |
Type of alerts | Pre-due and overdue | Pre-due, overdue, not due, holds ready and holds requested |
Email format | HTML | HTML |
RSS | No | Yes |
Text message alerts 1 | No | Yes2 |
Items summarized in Elf calendar | No | Yes |
iCal calendar | No | Yes |
Private daily snapshot web page | No | Yes |
Real-time checking by browser | No | Yes |
Ads | Yes | Optional |
Support | FAQ | 24-48 hour email response |
Cost (single card) | Free | $12.00 USD/year |
Cost (multiple cards) | Not available | $20.00 USD/year |
How To Sign Up
If you've decided Library Elf is for you, it's easy to sign up. There are four steps to follow.
Step 1: Create Your Account
Enter your name, email and create an Elf password.
Sign Up
Create Your Account
Sign up and receive a free trial period at the premium service level. The trial period is for three weeks or after six notices have been sent (whichever is longer). To continue the premium service, you can subscribe to Library Elf anytime you want. If you decide not subscribe, the free service will continue at the basic service level.
If your library has subscribed to Library Elf, you will continue to receive the premium service at no cost.
Step 2: Add A Library Card
Sign Up
Add Library Card
The following card(s) have been entered.
- to add another card, click Add Another Card
- to delete an existing card, click the Delete icon
- to continue, click Next
This is what it looks like when you register more than one library card from different library consortia:
After you add all cards, click continue to step 3.
Step 3: Set Up Preferences
This is where you can subscribe to email and text alerts, RSS feeds and calendar features. You decide how often you want the notifications.
I signed up for text, email and RSS feeds and linked my Google Calendar to my Library Elf account. I started getting the alerts immediately. I really liked the text messaging feature to remind me when something was due and when I had a hold available. I use Google Calendar to keep track of when my items are due as well. I think families would especially benefit from these alerts since there can be many cards involved.
After you select your preferences click finish.
Step 4: Verification/Confirmation
Step 4 will ask you to confirm the information you've entered, including library cards, personal information and preferences. An email will be then be sent to you to verify your email address. In order to complete registration, you must sign in to the email you provided and follow the link from Library Elf to confirm registration.
After you click on the link you will see this message:
Confirmed
Your Elf email notification has been activated.
Sign in if you want to check on the latest status of your library loans.
Sign in if you want to check on the latest status of your library loans.
You can now sign in to your account, check your cards and view your account settings. A small summary is also provided with items checked out and holds available.
You will see all library cards that you've entered, as well as a small summary of overdue items, items checked out, holds available, etc.
I registered both of my library cards on Library Elf. The sign-up was easy and fast.
Features
Now that you've signed up you can start to enjoy all the special features that Library Elf offers!
Detailed Summary Of All Linked Library Cards
One of the features I really like is the detailed summary list. It shows you all library account information for every single library card entered all on one easy to read screen. It also specifies what library consortium the items are from to help keep track of items taken out at multiple library consortia. The detailed summary even tells you what place you are on the holds list!
Link to Google Calendar
Another feature that I've mentioned is the ability to keep track of items in different forms of online calendars. I linked Google Calendar with my Library Elf account. Here are the instructions on how to do it yourself:
How to Subscribe To Calendars in Google Calendar
To add a calendar using its address, follow these steps:
1. At the bottom of the calendar list on the left, click the Add down-arrow button and select Add by URL.
2. Find the address of the Google Calendar in iCalendar format, or if you have the iCalendar address of a calendar from a different application (for example, Apple's iCal), you can use this as well.
3. Enter the address in the field provided.
4. Click Add Calendar. The calendar will appear in the Other Calendars section of the calendar list to the left.
Bestseller Lists and Links
Library Elf also has a neat page with links to popular literary sites:
Learn More
If you'd like to learn more about Library Elf, check out the Library Elf website or click here for a real time demonstration.
Important Notes
It’s important to note that even if you link cards from different consortia (which to me is the unique feature about Library Elf) the library must be a premium subscriber to benefit fom all the features. For example, I have two library cards. One of them is from the SAILS library network (a subscriber to Library Elf). The other is from the OCLN library network (not a subscriber). Therefore, I will be able to get all the features of the premium service for items on my SAILS account for free, but only basic alerts for items on my OCLN account unless I want to pay for the premium service.
Summary
I think Library Elf is an easy to use technology that individuals, families and libraries can benefit from to keep items organized, returned on time and to prevent overdue items and fees. The downside is that the basic service is not anything new. Library users can already get free alerts through email for items coming due and overdue from their library consortium. What makes this technology useful is being able to link multiple cards, which is only possible with the paid subscription service. There are some libraries in Massachusetts
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