A guide to using the Member Functions option in the Library Catalogue

• What are member functions?
• What is my password?
• How do I renew items?
• How do I reserve items listed on the library catalogue?
• Do I need to join online?
• How do I change my details?
• Can you contact me by email?
• How do I subscribe to your alerting service?
• How can I rate and review items held by Tameside Libraries?

Member functions enable you to list the items you have on loan, see when they're due back, renew items you wish to keep for a further period, check on your active reservations, and update some of the personal details we hold about you. You will need to log in with your library card number and your password to gain access to these functions.

Password: To use the Member Functions you will need your library card number and a current password. If you are new to this online service, or if your password has lapsed or you cannot recall it, please contact any Tameside Library to have your password set/reset. Or, if you have already provided the library service with your current email address for inclusion in your membership record, you can click the 'Forgotten your password?' button and your current password will be emailed to you.

Renewals: You can renew items you have on loan by logging in to your account via Member Functions and choosing my loans, with options to renew. Items are normally renewable online unless they are overdue by more than a few days, or reserved by another borrower, or if they are in the 'Bestseller' category. If an online renewal cannot be completed, please contact any Tameside Library for staff assistance.

Reservations: To place reservations online, first log in to your Member Functions to identify yourself to the system, then click on the button for New Search and run the search for your required item. When you have followed the various title links and made your choice of the edition and format of the title (to the point where the various copies and their locations are listed on screen), then click the Reserve button (on the left of the screen) and choose your pickup location. The appropriate reservation charge will be added to your account. Once you have placed one or more reservations in this way, you should find that the 'My existing reservations' link on your Member Functions page is now live, and you will be able to track the progress of your live reservation(s), or cancel them, or change the pickup location via this link.

Joining online: Please note - you do not need to rejoin Tameside Libraries using the online membership form if you already have a library card from us. All you need to do is contact any Tameside Library to get a password activated on your existing membership. Please do not join again online if you are already a member - the result will be duplicate records for you on the system.

If, however you are not presently a member of any Tameside Library, we invite you to join online using the 'Join Tameside Libraries Here' button on the Member Functions page. The system will provide you with a temporary membership number, and you will receive an email inviting you to call in to your nearest Tameside Library where your temporary ID will be converted into a proper library card with full member privileges. While you have a temporary ID on the system, you will be able to place reservations for books which are in stock in our libraries, and the branch from which you choose to collect them will alert you - probably by email - when they are ready for collection. Please note: reservation fees are payable in line with our normal fees and charges.

Changing your details: In the 'My Personal Details' section you are invited to amend your address, telephone, mobile, email address, ethnicity, or disability details. Please update this information whenever it changes.

Emails: Please add your email address to your library record, either by informing library staff or by adding it to 'My Personal Details' in the Member Functions. We already offer some messaging and alerting services via email and hope to offer more in the future.

Alerting services: For help setting up your choice of alerting services (also known as SDI), log in to Member Functions, click on 'My alerting services' then click on 'Help'.

Rate and Review: We invite our library members to give a quality rating to items which they have borrowed. Additionally, members can write a review of an item so that other potential borrowers can see the opinions of previous readers. For both of these functions we require users to log in via the Member Functions button so that reviews and ratings can be properly attributed to Tameside Library members.