Written by Shawn Farrell, Integrated Library Systems Analyst, Downtown Main Library
The Library sends out thousands of email and phone notifications daily through our notification system. These include hold and overdue notices, courtesy alerts, and other communications regarding borrowed items.
While the majority of these notices are delivered without issue, some may fall through the cracks due to the increased spam emails and robo calls that we all receive. Here are some reminders on how you can ensure uninterrupted service on your CHPL account.
For Telephone Users
Have you opted to receive notices from the Library via telephone? If yes, these calls will always come from the number 513-LIBRARY, or 513-542-7279. You can call this number at any time to manage your checkouts and holds and hear library news.
For those using screening or blocker apps — like Hiya, Robokiller, Truecaller, Nomorobo, Scam Shield, or ActiveArmor — on their mobile or landline phone, please mark the Library’s phone number as safe and ready to receive messages. If your carrier uses something similar, contact them to confirm that the Library’s number is recognized as legitimate.
For Email Users
Customers who receive their Library notices via email should take similar steps so that our messages make it to your inbox and don’t wind up as junk mail or reported as spam. Depending on your email service provider, this might include marking the Library as a safe sender or creating a rule that routes our notices to a specific folder where you’re certain to see them.
We recommend doing this for messages from both patronnotices@chpl.org and patronnotices@cincinnatilibrary.org. The Library has found that some email providers, including Fuse, Yahoo, and AT&T, are more likely than others to treat our notices as spam and may block the Library as a sender outright. In these cases, it’s especially important to mark our notices as safe.
If you receive Library emails as texts through your SMS carrier, we suggest doing the same to avoid any potentially missed notifications regarding your account.
Updating Your Notification Preferences
You can update your notification preference at any time. Just login to your Library account and choose your desired method of contact from the My Settings section.
You can also modify your notice preference and update your email address by selecting your Account Information section. Please visit your nearest neighborhood branch to update your telephone number.
Add a comment to: Are Your Library Messages Getting Lost? Here’s How to Stay in Touch with Us.