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There was a huge change in the Library World of Central Pennsylvania that started on Oct. 13. The 13th wasn't even a Friday. It was actually a Tuesday. Oct. 13 was the day that Libby required a PIN. We all know what PINs are: personal identification number. It's a number that you assign to yourself to give added security to whatever it is you are doing.
Interestingly, the first PINs were used in 1967 with the introduction of automated teller machines, or ATMs.
Libby is Mifflin County Library's digital library. It’s an app that you can download to your phone. Once installed, you may select your library. For us, we are the Central PA Libraries or you can type in the zip code,17044, and Mifflin County Library will pop up. After that, you type in your 14-digit library card number and the digital library is all set for you to explore.
Until now. Now, you need a PIN. The reason behind this change is "added security." Everything has to change in this, our digital world. Just go with it.
We've tried to give people advance notification but it's hard to notify over 14,000 library card holders. As a result, the week after Oct. 13 was a very busy week for us. There were multiple phone calls per day asking how to set a PIN to Libby in addition to the droves of patrons coming back to the library to get a PIN. A lot of Libby users don't use the physical Mifflin County Library. I received a ton of emails asking for PINs.
We started assigning PINs to library patrons years ago because you may go to the card catalog website and log into your account to place books on hold, or to see what you have checked out or to create a "To Be Read" list. And you need a PIN to do this.
The reaction was: but that PIN is for TLC, the integrated library system, not for Libby.
I'm not going to pretend to know how it works. My answer is "it's magical." All I really know is, someone else who knows way more about this stuff, was able to get TLC and Libby's parent company, Overdrive, to talk to each other. And because of that, if your library fine is too high or if your library card has expired, then Libby will not work for you. And it also means, your TLC PIN works with Libby.
There is also another consequence to requiring a PIN. Mifflin County Library is part of the Central PA District Libraries. We all chip in to bring you Libby, but our district center at Schlow Centre Region Library contributes the most financial support. Now, you may not know this, because eBooks aren't all that expensive for an individual, but for a library... oh my word. eBooks and eAudio are terribly expensive.
Sometimes, libraries can pay three or four or five times more for the same eBook that you have purchased for yourself, and after a certain number of check-outs, the eBook is no longer available and we have to purchase it again.
Unfortunately, Libby is only available for Mifflin County residents. When this rule came about, we agreed to change MCL patron records to "out-of-district" as the person's card expired or if there were other changes. Requiring a PIN is making this happen sooner for residents who live outside of Mifflin County. If you are reading this column and you live in Huntingdon or Snyder Counties and you want a PIN, we will give you one but it won't work for Libby. We are required to change your status to "out-of-district."
I urge you to contact your local library and ask them to subscribe to Overdrive which brings us Libby.
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Susan Miriello is the Executive Director of the Mifflin County Library. You can call the library at (717) 242-2391. Kish Library's phone number is (717) 935-2880. Visit the library website at www.mifflincountylibrary.org.