Beginning in May, the Glen Ellyn Public Library joins the SWAN consortium. It means the library will grow from being part of a group of just 8 libraries to a member of 97 libraries in the Chicagoland area. The Glen Ellyn Public Library’s catalog will grow 7x larger with the transition. And that means access to more books, audiobooks, movies, TV shows, and music for our members. The expanded catalog also provides access to materials in more than 200 languages, including Spanish, Polish, Japanese, Arabic, and Latin.
We’re working hard to make this transition as seamless as possible for members. Below are a few things you should know as we edge closer to May 1.
What You Need to Know
Will your PIN change?
Yes, your PIN will change IF your PIN is not numeric. Your new PIN will be the last 4 digits of your phone number on record. If you do not have a phone number listed on your account, please try 512018. If neither works, please speak to a staff member for assistance. Once the migration is complete, you can request a new PIN if you have an email address associated with your account. If your PIN is numeric, it should transfer exactly as is.
Can you still use Shoutbomb?
The SWAN consortium does not support Shoutbomb, so it will no longer be offered as a service beginning April 28. However, there are new, enhanced notification features that will be available to you, including the ability to receive notices in combinations of format choice - text, email, phone, and mail. You can learn more about your available options by visiting
gepl.org/swan
or talking to a staff member.
How can you prepare for the migration?
You can help the library by ensuring your account information is up-to-date prior to April 28. If you would like to keep your reading lists, go to
My Lists
and email or print all the lists you wish to save.
What to Expect During the Transition
Now through May 1
- As we make this transition, you will not see new material on the shelves
- There will be a delay in seeing the new Best Sellers on the shelves
- You WILL NOT be able to place an interlibrary loan
April 28 through May 1
- You CAN check out materials, but you won’t see the checkouts in My Account
- You CAN search for materials via the catalog
- You CAN pick up a hold, if notified
- You CAN access e-resources
- You WILL NOT be able to place any new holds
- You WILL NOT see availability of items in the catalog
- You WILL NOT be able to log in to My Account
- You WILL NOT be able to renew items.
Please, Don't Mind the Mess
After the migration on May 1, the catalog will look messy due to the over 1 million duplicate records that will now be listed. Work will already be underway to eliminate duplicate records shortly after the migration, with a large catalog clean-up and reorganization scheduled for Memorial Day weekend. Afterwards, you will notice a significant change for the better. Please bare with us as we work with SWAN and the other member libraries on this clean-up.
