Your Account
Log into CountyCat using the SIGN IN link in the top right of the screen.
To access your account, log into CountyCat using the Sign In option in the top right of the header. Enter your library card number (or username or school ID) and PIN.
From there you may jump to individual areas of your account.
Below is picture of the account summary screen with information about all the areas within your CountyCat account.
1. Sign in here. Once logged in you may use the links within to jump to specific areas of your account.
2. Click this menu to go to the above account summary display or to access library hours other links.
3. This is the account summary view
4. If your account is linked to another one, that information will display here!
5. View checkouts for your account (and any linked account) - quickly see items that are overdue
6. View titles on hold for your account (and any linked account) - quickly see what's ready for pickup
7. View and pay fines for your account (and any linked account)
8. View or manage your lists
9. View or manage your saved searches and your reading history (you cannot view the reading history of any linked account)
UNDER ACCOUNT SETTINGS
10. The Your Preferences area lets you set your language preference and preferred pickup location.
Contact Information shows your name, expiration date and address. It also lists the phone number, text message and email address tied to your account which you may update in CountyCat. NOTE: Changes made to the text message number, phone and/or email may take up to 48 hours. Notifications about library materials may be impacted during that time.
11. Linked Accounts is where you can add or manage linked accounts, There's also areas where you may reset your PIN and/or update Libby options. [NOTE Libby lending periods will appear under Libby options once you have checked something out in Libby.]
Look for the Sign Out link at the bottom of the Sign In drop-down menu.
Within Your Account > Account Settings, you'll find Your Preferences. This is where you can adjust your language preference, set the preferred pickup location and also let CountyCat know if you don't want to be prompted to choose the pickup location each time you place a hold. If you don't want CountyCat to remind you when you previously put titles on hold or checked them out, you can set that option to OFF.
Also under Account Settings
Contact Information is where you can view basic account information such as the phone and email tied to your account. Linked accounts is where you can add one or more other library accounts and view which patrons have your account linked. Reset PIN lets you change or reset your CountyCat PIN.
Under the Libby Options, you can enter in an email address for Libby hold notifications. This is for patrons who use the Wisconsin's Digital Library web site, or have the Libby app push notifications turned off. Also in this area, you can set the default lending periods by format.
Yes! When searching in CountyCat, if there's a title you once checked out, you'll see the heading You Last Checked Out followed by the date and year. See the example shown below.
In addition, you can go into your account and activate the Reading History feature which keeps track of your past checkout history. Once that is enabled, you may search for a specific title in the search box found near the top of that area of your account. If you checked it out in the past, a result will come up.
Help with your PIN & Username
When creating or modifying your PIN, CountyCat requires a minimum of four characters and does not accept special characters ($%*). And remember, your barcode and PIN can be used not only to access CountyCat but also for electronic resources such as OverDrive and Hoopla.
If you created a new account on CountyCat, you entered an email address. Your temporary library card number was sent to that email address. Once you receive the temporary library card number, follow the steps below. [NOTE: If you signed up for a card and do not have an email address, reach out to staff at your home library.]
1. Go to CountyCat and find the drop-down menu in the top-right corner of the page, next to Sign In. Click that and choose Reset Your PIN.
2. Type your library card number (or username). Then click Reset My PIN.
3. Check your email account (the one connected to your library record). You will receive an email from noreply@aspendiscovery.org that includes a token (a series of numbers and letters). Copy the token or type it into the CountyCat screen. Click Next.
4. Type in your new PIN and click Update. The PIN needs to be between 4-30 alpha-numeric characters and cannot include special characters. If the PIN is not complex enough or features a pattern (repeated characters), CountyCat will let you know by displaying a message to try another PIN.
5. After you reset the PIN, CountyCat will display a message and prompt you to continue on to Log In.
If you do not have an email account associated with your library record, you stop by any public library in Milwaukee County to work with the staff there to reset it. Or, call your home library to get assistance.
Reset your Username
Here is the direct link to reset your username.
Set Up a Username
Sign into CountyCat, and from the drop-down menu, choose Reset Username. You should choose this option even if you do not currently have a username.
Add the username no shorter than 6 characters and click Update to save.
Yes. When you create or modify your PIN, the system requires that your PIN:
-
- be between 4- 30 characters long
- consider of any combination of alpha-numeric characters (a-z, 0-9) but not special characters like $%*.
- The PIN should not feature any type of pattern such as characters repeated three or more times (aaaa, ababa, bbbb, etc)
- The PIN should not feature a set of up to four characters that repeat two or more times (abab, abcabc, abcdabcd)
Any PIN not considered complex enough will generate a message:
YOUR PIN IS NOT COMPLEX ENOUGH TO BE SECURE. PLEASE SELECT ANOTHER ONE.
Linked Accounts
Linked accounts allow you to maintain multiple library accounts in one place. Information from linked accounts appear when you go to Your Account and then view checkouts, holds or fines. Reading history information is not available for linked accounts. This is a great option for families managing multiple child cards, or for caregivers who may need to manage another person's library account.
NOTE: This feature is available in the mobile app as well but it requires a separate set up. In other words, if you link an account in CountyCat, the linked account is not automatically set in the app. READ THE FAQ HERE.
To Add a Linked Account
1. Log into CountyCat by clicking SIGN IN in top right of the page.
2. Select Linked Accounts from the Account Settings menu.
3. Click on the Add an Account button to link an additional account.
4. You will be prompted to enter the other person's library card number (or username) and PIN.
5. After clicking the Add Account button you should see a message that the accounts were successfully linked.
6. Once linked, that person will appear under Additional accounts to manage. They can also be removed should you want to unlink the account later on.
7. When the other person (linkee) signs into CountyCat, a notification at the top displays letting them know their account is linked elsewhere. The other person is prompted to agree to the linking by click yes, which dismisses the message. The other option is they can choose manage linked accounts and opt out.
8. The bottom part of the Linked Account area lists any other patrons who are able to view your account. That is, which person or people have linked your account. It is possible to remove the link using the Remove button, or to fully disable account linking for your record.
After you've linked an account to your own, you'll be able to see and manage the other person's checkouts, holds and fines.
Under SORT BY, a new option appears letting you sort checkouts and holds by Library Account.
Checkouts for Linked Accounts
Under Checked Out Titles, a new field appears in the entries, Checked Out To. Here you would be able to renew materials on behalf of the other person.
Holds for Linked Accounts
Under holds, you will see a new field labelled On Hold For. Here, you are able to change a pickup location, cancel or freeze a hold for the other person.
