Managing Your Notifications Preferences
Account Notifications
The following table will help you decide your preferred method of receiving notifications. Please note that all notifications can be delivered via email, and some are only available via email, so verify that you have an accurate email address associated with your Library account.
Library Notification Types
- Hold Pickups – notification that an item you requested is ready for pickup.
- Hold Cancellations – notification that a hold you previously placed has been canceled.
- Overdues & Billing – notices that indicate you have items overdue and billing notices for outstanding fines and material not returned.
- Courtesy Notices – a reminder two days before your materials are due.
- Auto Renewals – you will be notified when materials are automatically renewed two days before your materials are due.
Email notifications are the preferred method of delivery, as it provides the most coverage in terms of notices. If you have an email address associated with your Library account, and you have not requested Text or Phone notifications, you will receive all notifications via Email.
Email notices are available for:
- Hold Pickups and Cancellations
- Overdues and Billing
- Courtesy Notices
- Auto Renewals
We recommend allowing any email from swanlibraries.net to be accepted by your mail system. This will ensure that your email notices aren’t sent to your junk folder.
To sign up for email:
Ask a Library staff member for help. Once your email address is entered, you can modify it through “My Account” settings in the Library catalog.
Email notices are also available in Spanish or Polish. Ask a Library staff member to set your preferred language, if other than English.
Text messages (SMS) are available for:
- Hold Pickups
- Overdues & Billing
- Courtesy Notices
To sign up for text messages:
Ask a Library staff member for help or sign through “My Account” settings in the Library catalog.
- Log in to “My Account” from the Library catalog
- Select “Set Up Text Messaging”
- Click +Add New button (or click the phone number link if you currently have Text Messaging phone entered)
- Enter your phone number for receiving the messages and provide a label for the phone.
- Check all notices that you wish to receive.
- Click Save
NOTE: Manual messages and General announcements indicate message sent directly to you from the Library (e.g. You forgot your umbrella at the Circ Desk) or general announcements that go out to all (e.g. Water pipe break – sorry the library is temporarily closed).
Automated phone calls are available for:
- Hold Pickups
- Overdues & Billing
To sign up for automated phone calls:
Ask a Library staff member for help. They can enter your preference of phone notification in your Library account record.
What to expect:
When you receive the phone call, your caller ID will say “Local Library” from a toll-free number. Phone notification is provided by an automated system and not a human.
The pre-recorded call will try to reach your phone number and leave a message or try calling up to three times, if a message cannot be left.
The system only calls between the following hours:
- Monday – Friday 10:30 a.m. – 7:30pm
- Saturday – Sunday 11:00 a.m. – 6:00pm
If you do not have an email address or phone number in your account, printed notices will be sent to the address on record.
Please be advised that mail is often delayed in delivery, which may result in you having to pay more in overdue fines. We recommend signing up for other notifications to receive timely announcements.
Printed mail notices are only available for:
- Overdues and Billing
These print notices are also available in Spanish or Polish. Ask a Library staff member to set your preferred language, if other than English.
To sign up for mail:
Ask a Library staff member for help. They can enter your preference of mail notification in your Library account record.
What to expect:
- If you have a valid email address on record, overdue and billing notices will be sent via email to expedite delivery.
- If you have a valid phone number on record, overdue and billing notices will be sent via phone.
- Print notices are only sent to patrons with no other means of notification.