Learner guide: Wise OPAC and My Account

Course overview

The Wise OPAC and My Account course provides instruction on how to navigate the user-facing OPAC and customer My Account menus, search the online catalog, and perform My account scenarios. This course is best suited for library staff who are new to Wise and already have a basic understanding of the Wise Staff client.

Note: This learner guide is designed to accompany the Wise OPAC and My Account course.

Getting Started: OPAC Navigation

The online web catalog and My Account user portal are part of the Wise OPAC. Each library can configure aspects of the OPAC to reflect their individual library’s needs.

Within the OPAC, customers will be presented with the main menu bar, an online web catalog search box, and My Account sign-in to access the user portal menus.

Catalog Search

Using the online catalog search bar, customers can search the web catalog to find materials in the library collection. When a search is performed, items in the library’s physical and digital collections are searched.

Search bar

Enter search terms using one or more words, separated by a space
Use Boolean operators AND, OR, or NOT to narrow or broaden search results

The default search parameter for the search bar is a keyword search (All). Customers can utilize the dropdown arrow next to the Find button to select one of the following search options:

All
Titles
Authors
Subjects
Series

Catalog Search Results

When a search is performed, the catalog search results pages will open where customers can apply additional filters and sorting options and view information on Titles.

Search facets	Refine search results by applying additional filters, including by library location and material type
Sort search results	Default sort by relevance, descending order Ability to change sort to ascending order
Search results	View information about the Title, including item availability and the option to place a hold or add to list Selecting a Title from the search results list will open the Detailed record screen

My Account

Accessing My Account

Customers will access their My Account menus by signing into My Account with their library card number or username and password.
Customers can sign in with an existing account or, if enabled, create a new account using an online registration form.
If a customer is signing into an existing account for the first time, they will need their library card number and the temporary one-time password they received from library staff.

Note: The Wise Staff client: Customer administration course reviews how library staff can reprint a one-time password for a customer to use when signing into their My Account.

My Account Menus

When logged into My Account, customers can select one of the menu options to view information or perform an action on their account.

Note: The My Account menu options are dependent on each libraries configuration. For more information, see My Menu configuration.

My checkouts	Provides all items, including digital items, that are checked out on a customer’s account as well as any materials checked out to an associated account. Provides option to renew eligible materials
My holds	Provides all items a customer placed on hold Option to pause a hold or reactivate a paused hold Shows any holds available for pickup Option to delete holds
My wish list	Items added to this screen have a Place a Hold option next to the Title Once an item is checked out by the customer, it will automatically be removed from the list
Previous checkouts	If enabled, customers can view previously borrowed items
Personal recommendations	If loan history is enabled, Wise will provide a list of recommendations based on previously borrowed items
Financial details	View and, if enabled, pay any fines and fees for the customer account and any associated accounts
My requests	Submit purchase request for items View status of past purchase requests
My account details	View and manger personal information for the customer’s account
Inbox	View Inbox messages from the library
Notification preferences	View and manage library communication

Advanced My Account Options

Relationships	View and manage associated accounts
Report loss of library card	Customers can report their library card as lost

Test your knowledge

1. What information is required for a customer to sign into My Account for the first time?

a. Library Card number and PIN number

b. Library Card number and temporary password

c. Email address and temporary password

2. Which My Account menu has the option to pause a hold?

a. My Account details

b. My holds

c. My requests

3. Searching for a title in the OPAC, a customer can view detailed item-level information that includes the home location and status of the item.

a. True

b. False

Answer key

b. Library Card number and temporary password
b. My holds
a. True

Additional information

Wise OPAC documentation
Wise My Account documentation
Wise FAQ & Troubleshooting articles
Wise Community Center
- Connect with OCLC staff and peers using Wise.
- Share workflows and feedback, and submit enhancement requests.
- Attend webinar events and keep up with product news