PIN stands for Personal Identity Number. Your PIN is used to keep your library account secure. You will use it
- When accessing your account,
- When placing holds,
- When calling the library to get information about your account.
Login and Username Registration FAQs
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Login and My Account
Yes, you can change your PIN. See I forgot my PIN. What do I do?
It’s the same. If you change your PIN and log in using the old system, or to any other system that uses your library card, you’ll need to use your new PIN.
If you’re logging in for the first time, you’ll need your library card number or barcode, and your PIN. The barcode is the number on the back of your library card. PIN is normally 4 digits selected by you when you registered for a library card. If you’ve already logged in successfully, you have a username, so you can log in with the username or barcode. Contact your branch if the card number entered does not work.
- Click on Log In/My Account on the upper right of your screen.
- Then click on the Log in/Register button
- Enter your library card number and PIN/password.
The first time you log in, you will be prompted to create a user name. After that, you will be able to log in with your user name and PIN.
You can update your address, emails used for library notification and digital content notification, hold pick up location, and other account preferences. If you want to change the name on your account, you will need to visit any HCPL location with a current photo ID with the new name or name change documents. Library staff will change your name on your account. Please talk to a staff if you wish to change your birth month and year.
- Go to "Log In / My HCPL" on upper right and click on "My Settings"
- Log in if you have not done so.
- Use the left side menu to select the settings to update.
To manage your child's checkouts, renewals and holds
You will need to log in to your child's account.
The HCPL App offers a feature that allows you to link family members' accounts to your own, so you can manage their accounts directly from your own account.
Download the HCPL App: iOS | Android
To manage your child's discussion and review permissions
You can grant your child permission to write book reviews and participate in discussions from your account.
- Login to your account
- Click on My Settings.
- Click Child Account Permissions in the menu on the left
If you usually use your phone number to access your Libby or Overdrive account but are being asked for a PIN to access a hold, please follow the instructions in the link below.
Instructions: How to Access Your Account If You Do Not Have or Do Not Know Your Library Card Number
If, after following the instructions, you no longer see your holds/checkouts, please email us to request an account merge for your phone number. Please make sure to include your phone number in your email.
HCPL staff can retrieve your library card number. You will need to call, visit or use our Ask Us contact form.
Please provide the following information
- Your name
- phone number
- your physical address
Call or visit your nearest HCPL branch | Locations & Phone Numbers
HCPL staff can retrieve your library card number. You will need to call, visit or use our Ask Us contact form.
Please provide the following information
- Your name
- phone number
- your physical address
Call or visit your nearest HCPL branch | Locations & Phone Numbers
Contact your library.
Deleting your account/username means you won’t be able to log in, place holds or renew items online that you have borrowed. It will also remove any content (shelves, lists, comments, and so on) that you created. It will not delete your library account or prevent you from borrowing from the library.
Our library has over 20+ locations, and you use some more than others, you can define up to three locations as ones you use the most. The first location you specify is your default pickup location. If you are logged in and you place a hold, this location will be shown, so you don’t have to select it every time.
All locations affect search results. An item appearing in search results will show Available at preferred location, Available in some locations, or No copies available. You may find this useful if you live near one branch and work near another, and you want to determine which one has an available copy of an item you want.
The system is designed to log you out automatically if you haven’t done anything for 30 minutes. This is a security feature, to protect your account from unauthorized use in the event that you forget to log out.
- Go to Forgot Your PIN.
- Enter your library card number.
- Click on “Submit”.
Your account must be current and contain a valid email address. You will receive an email containing instructions to reset your PIN. Check your junk mail folder if not found in Inbox.
If you do not have an email address on file or cannot reset your password online, please email us, opens a new window or call or visit, opens a new window any HCPL library.
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Username Registration
A username is a name that you can use instead of your barcode to login to your account.
Username registration is a one-time process you will be prompted to do when first logging to this new system. It allows you to create an easy-to-remember login name, or username, that you can use instead of your barcode to check your account. Registration also allows you to get personalized recommendations and contribute ratings and reviews.
You can login with your username or your library card number. That’s up to you. The reason we require all customers to select a unique username is because the new catalog has additional optional functionality, like commenting on books and keeping track of your reading on shelves. And to support this, we need all customers to create a username.
Go to the Log In page. The link is at the top-right of the screen. Enter your barcode and PIN or password. If you haven’t registered before, you’ll be taken to the registration page.
No, unless it contains both letters and numbers. A username can’t consist entirely of numbers. You can always use your library card number to log in if you prefer.
That’s entirely up to you. Keep in mind that when you add comments or summaries to titles you’ve borrowed, your name will appear next to the comment, and be visible to other members. Also bear in mind that the name you choose may be indexed with your public contributions in search engines such as Google as they crawl the web.
No, your birthdate is not required for registration. If the library already has this information on file, it will be shown on the registration page and saved to your account.
If the library does not have your birth date on file with your library card, it will not be displayed on the registration page, and you don’t need to provide it if you so choose. But note that if you decide not to provide your birth year and month, the system will assume you are a minor, and for safety reasons, some features like create a username, write comments or add other kinds of content that require typing, will not be available to you. Minors can add star ratings, age suitability and similar titles, and they can create lists using pre-defined titles.
If you later change your mind and would like to use the full functionality of the catalog, Please ask a staff member at the circulation desk to update this information the next time you visit the library.
Your username must be unique, but otherwise you have a great deal of flexibility when you create a username. The name can be up to 24 characters long, and you can use any combination of letters and numbers, as well as underscores ( _ ). It cannot consist entirely of numbers, or use spaces or other non-alphanumeric characters. The best username is one that is easy for you to remember.
Yes, if you choose to contribute comments, lists or other content, your username appears beside anything you contribute.
Log in with your library card number#. When you’ve logged in successfully, your username appears at the top right of the page.
Yes, you can change your username at any time. Keep in mind that any content you added previously will show your new username.
For users in the United States, the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act requires web sites that collect personal information from children to obtain parental consent. For this reason, children under 13 are not allowed to display their real names, nor can they type their own usernames, enter comments, or add other kinds of content that require typing, since these could be used inappropriately. To generate a username, a child can select a combination of color and animal name.
An email address is optional. If you ask to have your PIN/password reset, an email with a reset link is sent via email. If you don’t provide an email address and you forget your PIN/password, you’ll need to contact the library to reset or recover it.
Yes, multiple library accounts can use the same email address.
You should complete the registration online even if the data is incorrect. Please ask a staff member at the circulation desk to update this information the next time you visit the library to ensure the library’s records are accurate.
Contact your library.
Deleting your account/username means you won’t be able to log in, place holds or renew items online that you have borrowed. It will also remove any content (shelves, lists, comments, and so on) that you created. It will not delete your library account or prevent you from borrowing from the library.