Written by Shawn Farrell, Integrated Library Systems Analyst, Downtown Main Library
If you regularly check out books, music, or other materials from the Library, give CHPL's borrowing trackers a try.
➡️ For eBooks, audiobooks, and other digital materials, the trackers are built into the respective apps.
➡️ For print books and other physical materials, use the Borrowing History feature on CHPL.org.
Activate Your Borrowing History on CHPL.org
Unlike Goodreads, StoryGraph, and other trackers, Borrowing History is tied to directly your CHPL.org account. To turn on your Borrowing History, follow these instructions.
The Library takes your privacy seriously, so this feature is only available after you activate it! Once enabled, find your Borrowing History by logging in through the link on the top right of any page of CHPL.org.
Borrowing History Feature Tips and Tricks
Tip 1: Get started today!
Your Borrowing History only applies to items borrowed after your history is activated.
Tip 2: See how many physical materials you’ve borrowed.
Check out the count on Borrowing History. As checked out items are returned, the count increases.
Tip 3: See a list of your most recently returned items.
Or click View All Borrowing History for a list of all physical items borrowed, including their checkout dates. You will be able to sort your history by check out date, author, title, and format.
Tip 4: Have a lot of checkouts in Borrowing History? Move items to your Completed shelf.
When your borrowing history reaches 100 items, you will no longer be able to sort your borrowing history. This is by design: Displaying that much detail would dramatically slow the page load and risk your session timing out.
Library staff are currently working on a long-term solution. In the meantime, we recommend lowering the number of items by moving titles to your Completed shelf. Choose Completed from the drop-down menu on the right side of the page.
Your Completed shelf offers additional flexibility for items moved there, including sorting options and the ability to rate and review items.
Tip 5: Learn how the Library takes your borrowing privacy seriously.
Titles added to your Completed shelf and your other shelves on CHPL.org are public by default unless you render them otherwise. When you make an item private, any content that you have added, such as comments or tags, is not shared with other users and is only visible to you.
Library staff does not have access to your Borrowing History, however, it is subject to all applicable local, state, and federal laws, and under those laws, may be examined by law enforcement without your permission.
If this is of concern to you, you should not use the Borrowing History feature. You can delete items from your list and/or opt out of tracking your Borrowing History at any time. However, it is important to remember that if you opt out and start over, your history will include only those items checked out and returned from that point forward.
Tip 6: Need help getting started? Ask a Librarian.
The Library's staff is here to help in person and online.
Curious to learn other Library tips and tricks? Let us know in the comments below.
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