OverDrive Assistance for Patrons

The best procedure for handling a patron with an OverDrive technical issue is to fill out an E-mail Reference question or to click on the link labeled Support at the bottom right of the OverDrive web site.  The link will bring up a web page labeled “Help – Contact Support”, with the heading “Unable to find the answers to your questions in our help pages? please email your library. This is followed by a list of the OverDrive participating libraries. Houston Public customers, after choosing their library, are offered an email option that goes to the HALAN/IT HelpDesk for assistance.

Harris County Items

A note from Fred Schumacher:

We have been experiencing difficulty connecting to the Harris County Public Library Horizon system for a while now.  In order to offer our customers the most efficient check in service for their HCPL materials, please scan the barcodes for HCPL returns into a spreadsheet and send those to me daily (don’t wait to accumulate several days worth).  I will send the information on to Harris County for them to enter into the Horizon system.  Once you’ve sent the spreadsheet with the barcode numbers for HCPL items to be checked in to me, send the items (with the spreadsheet attached) to Circulation Administration for return to Harris County. 

Please handle HCPL returns in this manner for as long as the Horizon system remains inaccessible.  Once you are able to log in on the Horizon system again, you may resume normal check in of HCPL material.

New Library Card Application Procedures

Effective 12/01/12, it will no longer be necessary for customers to complete applications to renew their library cards as long as the account meets each of the following criteria:

·         There is no change to name, address, barcode number or ptype

·         The cards expiration date is greater than January 1, 2010

·         There is no change to the responsible parent information (Most juvenile account renewals will require a new application because of the change in registration procedures.  If the juvenile account does not have an ”r - Responsible Parent”  field, you will need to collect an new application and add the necessary information).

·         Second parent is not being added to the account

If the account does not meet each of the criteria above, a new application must be completed to renew the card.

For customers who do not need to complete a new application, the staff member assisting with renewal should check the customers photo ID and verification of residency to  ensure that all of the information in the account is still accurate.  If the information is still accurate, add an x note field to the record with the following: mm/dd/yy REGISTRATION RENEWAL INFORMATION VERIFIED WITH, then include the means of verifying the information (TDL, TID, etc.) and the unit acronym and staff member initials (Example: CIR/FS).  Keep in mind that the customer information needs to be verified with the same sort of documentation that we would require for a new registration.  Once the accuracy of the information is verified and the note added, the staff member may enter the appropriate new expiration date.  Here are some examples of correct registration renewal notes as they should appear in customer records:

x   11/27/12 REGISTRATION RENEWAL INFORMATION VERIFIED WITH TDL. CIR/FS

x   11/27/12 REGISTRATION RENEWAL INFORMATION VERIFIED WITH CURRENT LEASE AGREEMENT AND U OF H ID. CIR/FS

x   11/27/12 REGISTRATION RENEWAL INFORMATION VERIFIED WITH TID. CIR/FS

x   11/27/12 REGISTRATION RENEWAL INFORMATION VERIFIED WITH CURRENT MAIL AND LA DRIVER LICENSE. CIR/FS

If there are changes to name or address, ask the customer to complete a new application form, update the account information, and enter the appropriate new expiration date.

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