Improvements to holds and overdue notification
Update February 23 12:10 PM: Sorry some of you received phone calls as well as emails. This was a temporary glitch in the transition to the new system and should be fixed now.
Update February 22 10:00 PM: A number of you have informed us that you are now receiving both phone and email notices or you are unexpectedly receiving telephpone notices. Please contact us to report these issues through the webite at http://www.tpl.ca/contact. Thank you.
As of today, February 22, 2012, email notification subscribers will receive improved hold and overdue email notification.
This change marks the first phase of a series of improvements to the email notification service.
What has changed?
The changes in the first phase include:
- Title and author information for all items
- Easy to read date information (e.g. Monday, Mar. 12, 2012 instead of 12/03/2012)
- Improved layout and links to items, locations, and help information
- More reliable delivery
What do I have to do to get the new notices?
If you have already been receiving hold and overdue notifications by email
You don’t need to do anything – you will begin receiving the new notices automatically. You may want to add the sender notifications@torontopubliclibrary.ca to your contact list and mark it as “not spam” or a “safe sender” to ensure that notifications do not end up in your junk mail folder.
If you are currently receiving library notifications by telephone
You need to switch your notification preference to email. You can do this yourself by submitting your email address in the Account Settings tab in your account, or you can ask our Answerline service or the staff at any branch to make the change for you.
If you’re not sure whether you’re signed up for email or telephone notification
Contact us or talk to staff at your branch – we can check your current settings and make sure we have the correct email address on file for you.
I tried using email notification in the past, but had problems. Should I try again?
Yes! There have been issues in the past with the reliable delivery of email notification. As part of these improvements, we are using a new email service that will provide more reliable delivery.
I want to be notified before my items are due.
This option is coming in the second phase of improvements later this year. We’ll provide more information as soon as this new service is ready to go. In addition, a number of other options and changes to the email notification service are planned so stay tuned.
29 thoughts on “Improvements to holds and overdue notification”
Great news!! (Finally!)
Great, I’m looking forward to these improvements!
At last! The title is displayed!
HOOOOORRRRAAAAYYYYYYYY!
Oddly, I got a phone notification today for the first time since I switched to email years ago. It suggests that some people’s settings got overwritten in the changes. I went in to the Settings page and re-entered my email address. (It is disconcerting that the Settings page has no information about what my current settings are, but it is easy enough to put my email in again, so not a huge problem.)
Thank heavens for this!…was long overdue!
Yes, what Madeleine said. I also got a phone notification for the first time in YEARS.
As well, my Settings page was blank as well. Very odd.
Thanks for your feedback Madeleine, someone will contact you to investigate.
Yes, the settings page doesn’t display your settings. Even when working, the email address will not display. That is a challenge with the current way the account system works and the next phase of email notification improvements will specifically address this problem.
Please contact your local branch http://www.tpl.ca/branches or Answerline via our contact form http://www.tpl.ca/contact to rectify your account issues.
I also got a phone notification (this past Saturday) for the first time since I switched to email years ago. Yet today I got the first new email notification (looks great, by the way, and titles!!) Possibly the phone notification was a one time glitch.
Long overdue…. So glad this is finally fixed!
You guys put the puck in the net on this one! Way to go!
Why does not the library charge an annual fee (in Calgary it is $12.00 annually); This would cover overhead costs and probably bring in more money to the library. This is on top of the “overdue” costs.
I made this suggestion to some library employee and they said something about “oh question of privacy act”, I would like to point out that the “privacy act” is not only applicable to (Center of the Universe) Ontario but across the whole country.
I think most people would gladly pay an annual fee.
Hi Margaret, the library is governed by Ontario legislation known as the Public Libraries Act. This legislation states that Public Libraries in Ontario cannot charge for library service.
See the legislation here for details:
http://www.e-laws.gov.on.ca/html/statutes/english/elaws_statutes_90p44_e.htm#BK29
Another oddity: I got a lovely new email notification on Thursday, for a book I had picked up Wednesday evening.
Firstly, thanks for this new and improved service. It does improve the experience!
I agree about the fee, but in a different sense. Why not make free services available at current levels, but now introduce “perks” for a fee(I suppose premium membership would not be politically correct).
With the “perks”, for a nominal fee, you could allow, say, 2 extra overdue days per month without a fine or an extra day for holds, or allowing 1 more extra digital download than what is being offered.
I think it may be a more welcome change than shutting down libraries, reducing the level of publications or laying off staff.
I received an e-mail notification that my holds were ready for pick-up almost 24 hours after they were shown to be ready for pick up in my online TPL account.
Why is there such a delay between the website and the e-mail notice being sent?
Hi Michael,
The notices are generated by a report that runs overnight, so you should always receive them the morning of the day after your hold arrives at the pickup location.
Your account is updated in real time, so checking it regularly will always give you the most current information.
Also I’d like to get an email notification about due date three days in advance of the due day. Such notification is implemented in all BC public libraries.
Hi
I’m not sure the glitch is fixed. I received an email that a hold was ready for pickup last Friday, but when I arrived at the library today, found that I’m still numer 63 in the hold list.
This is great news — I was so pleased to see an actual book title in the email! 🙂
A great enhancement would be to get a reminder notification X days in advance of the due date. Ideally X would be a personalized setting at the account level.
With all the cutbacks of late, our library gives us more.
Thank you.
Wow! Got my fab, glow-in-the-dark notice of new hold this a.m. Very very cool. How typical of you all. Thank you, TPL cyberwizards. Kudos.
Kudos to the development team!! Great enhancement – all relevant info at a glance.
Thanks!
I REALLY WANT TO BE notified before my items are due.
Looking forward for Phase 2
Lovin’ in. Good job, guys!
Why is it that I receive overdue notices usually one week after the date passes that the material was due back? I should be more on top of things, but why is there such a delay? I would love to be notified before the duedate, or at least within a few days!
Thanks very much for the enhanced email notifications. Having the details of my HOLD displayed seems to excite me to pick up my hold more promptly; the details remind me of my excitement or anticipation when I placed the hold.
Thanks for all of your thoughtful, hard work. I so appreciate the fantastic service the TPL provides!
Your notification by email is an excellent step in communicating with TPL. Thank you.