If you like to read, chances are you’ve always got a backlog … both on your nightstand and in your head. Friends recommend books, you see the yearly ‘best books’ on Goodreads or check out The New York Times Best Sellers every week, and your list grows and grows.

If you’re super ambitious, you may even dream of completing the entire 1000 Books To Read Before You Die: A Life-Changing List. Yes, for every ‘Goodnight Moon’ there’s a ‘War and Peace,’ but if you average a book a week, you can be done in 20 years (even with two weeks off a year). Average two books a month and you can polish off the list in 40 years!

What’s a bookworm to do? We have a suggestion: Tame and track the ongoing stream of reading (and viewing and listening) material you plan to get to someday by creating lists in your online library account! Not only can you keep multiple lists, but you can also place holds from your lists, keep notes, and even share your lists if you like. Here’s how:

  • Start by going to the homepage and logging in to your online account with your library card number and PIN (your 4-digit password). If you’re not sure how, check out this earlier post that walks you through the process.

 

  • Next, click on ‘My Lists’ in either of the areas circled in red on the screen below (left, click to enlarge). That will take you to your main lists page (below right, click to enlarge).

 

  • Create a new list by giving it a name and description, which is optional (below left, click to enlarge). You can use the pull-down menu on the next line to share your list if you like, but otherwise, your list will remain private. After you hit ‘Submit,’ you’ll see your list created under ‘My Existing Lists’ at the bottom of the page. You can use any of the commands across from the list title to Share, Delete, Download, or make this your Default list (below right, click to enlarge).

 

  • You can create as many lists as you like. In the example below (left, click to enlarge), you’ll see I’ve created four lists and have also designated my ‘1000 Books to Read Before I Die’ list as my default list. Now you’re ready to add books and other items to your lists by just searching the library’s online catalog (at the top of the page) for a specific title, subject, keyword, etc. (below right, click to enlarge).

 

  • When you find the item you want from your search results in the format you want (i.e., book, audiobook, etc.), move your mouse over ‘Add to my list’ across from the title (see below, click to enlarge), and a dropdown menu of your lists will appear. You can choose one of your existing lists, create a new list, or put the item in a ‘temporary list’ to hold it while you’re browsing. The items on your ‘temporary list’ will be deleted when you log out of your account unless you move them to one of your existing lists, though. If you like, you can also use the ‘Place Hold’ request  if you want to reserve the item. For more on how to place a item on hold, refer to this earlier blog post.

  • Now if you click on ‘My Lists’ to go to your main list page and then click on the list name, you’ll see the item listed there. You can then sort your list various ways as it grows (i.e., by title, author, publication date, etc.), select an action (i.e., to place a hold or remove an item from the list) and create notes. You can use the notes area for things such as recording when you finish a book or anything else you like (below right, click to enlarge).

 

That’s it! Easy, right? Now you can organize your reading lists and keep them tidy in one place instead of in your head or on random slips of paper — which frees up mental bandwidth for more important things. Sweet.

Have questions about creating or using lists? Leave a comment below, stop in, or give us a call. We’re here to help. You can even schedule a free 30-minute appointment with a librarian who will walk you through this on your device and at your pace.

Next time, we’ll go over how to view your circulation history in case you want to look back…or remember the name of that book you want to recommend to a friend.