Libraries

Frequently Asked Questions about the Libraries New Website Fall 2022

Where is the ‘My Account’ button? 

The previous “My Account” button was built with outdated library software that is no longer in use. Those tools, which allow library patrons to view and manage their loans, are now available in the Libraries’ Discovery software – and are also called “My Account.” This video shows you how to log in to My Account, view your loans, and how to place and cancel requests. 

How do I view my loans, renew books, and place requests? 

  • Just below Discovery Search (the big white search box) on the Libraries’ homepage, click “Advanced Search.”  
  • You will be taken to the advanced search page where a gray bar appears across the top. If you are on campus, in the top right there is “Sign In” link for you to login and view your loans, renew books, etc.  
  • If you are off campus, there will be a yellow ribbon at the top of your screen prompting you to login with your NetID & Password.  
  • From there, you can view your loans, renew books, etc. In the new system you may view and renew all items individually.  
  • If you have many items that you need to renew at once, please email our Circulation Services at circulation@umass.libanswers.com with the group of items you would like renewed.   

What has improved?  

  • You can view all your loans from throughout the Five Colleges in one place. 
  • You can see your place in line for requests. 
  • You may borrow materials from other schools in the Five Colleges that you weren’t able to before, including equipment. 
  • Policies now allow for unlimited renewals.  
  • Soon, patrons will be able to view and renew loans by scanning their library card at the self-checkout machines at Smith and UMass. 

What is the privacy policy I am being asked to accept? 

 The Libraries’ Discovery software is created by EBSCO — the same company from which we purchase many library databases. The data privacy policy patrons are encountering covers data generated as you use Discovery. You have not previously been presented with this privacy policy because the Five College Consortium was not using Discovery’s “My Account” features and you therefore did not log into EBSCO’s software. The switch to using Discovery for “My Account” is part of the new library software ecosystem the consortium launched over the summer. You do not have to accept the privacy policy, but if you do not, you will not be able to access some library catalog features.

Accepting the privacy policy allows patrons to do the following things: 

  • Place requests for Five College print materials online via Discovery. 
  • View your requests and loans and renew titles from across the Five Colleges online via Discovery. 
  • Access EBSCO eBooks and EBSCOHost article content more seamlessly from off campus.

Not accepting the privacy policy, however, will prevent you from: 

  • Placing holds or requests online, as well as renewing loans or viewing loan information online, all of which require you to login. 

If you choose not to accept the privacy policy, you can still search for print and online resource records in Discovery, read full text articles online, and come to the library to check out or renew print materials at the circulation desk.

What personal data does Discovery collect? 

The Libraries have configured Discovery to only associate your library barcode with other data generated while you use Discovery — not your name, email address, or any other personally identifying data. 

Discovery’s “My Account” data, including item loans and requests, are pulled from FOLIO, the underlying catalog software, via APIs. This works by matching with your library barcode (the only identifying information Discovery has) in your patron record in FOLIO. None of your FOLIO data persists in Discovery. Instead, it is created by a fresh API call every time you navigate back to it. This means that you will always see up-to-the moment data, such as due dates and request queues; it also means that your FOLIO data only lives in FOLIO and is not stored in any way in Discovery. Both Discovery and FOLIO meet the data security standard ISO 27001. EBSCO’s ISO 27001 certification can be found at this link. 

EBSCO does collect data on the actions you take in Discovery while you are logged into it. While it does not have data about your FOLIO library catalog use (loans, requests, etc.), it does collect data about your searches and clicks in Discovery (search terms, records viewed, links clicked, etc.), which is correlated with your library barcode. If you are not logged in, regardless of whether you have accepted the privacy policy, Discovery will not be able to correlate this usage data with your barcode. You can have previously generated data purged from Discovery’s servers upon request to EBSCO. EBSCO does not sell library patron data, and only uses it for product development and management. You can read about how EBSCO uses patron data at this link.  

How do I purge my personal data from Discovery? 

EBSCO has specific instructions on their documentation platform. Please skip to “Updating your MyEBSCO Account” for directions on how to remove specific data points (like first name, last name, or email) or for how to generate a report of the data EBSCO has associated with your account. From the “Personal data retention and usage” screen you can exercise your right to be forgotten by clicking “Remove my Data.” Please note, this does not apply to our FOLIO catalog software or the UMass NetID software and only purges your account and associated data from the EBSCO Discovery servers.  

How do I ask questions or report a problem?