Your Account and Card FAQs

  • Getting Started

    You’re a resident of the Fort Vancouver Regional Library District if you live in or own property in any of these areas:

    • Clark County (except for the city of Camas, which has its own library)

    • Klickitat County

    • Skamania County

    • The city of Woodland in Cowlitz County

    Residents of these areas qualify for a free FVRLibraries account.

    To see if you’re eligible or to learn about other options for getting a library account, visit our Library Account page.

    To get a library card or update your account, you’ll need to show both photo ID and proof of address. Here are the options for each:

    Valid photo ID:

    • Any Government Issued ID with a current photo, including but not limited to driver's license, tribal ID, passport, alien registration card

    • Employer or school issued ID with full name and photo
    • Municipal bus pass with full name and photo

    Valid proof of address:

    • Government issued ID with full current address

    • Lease agreement
    • Property tax bill from county GIS
    • Utility bill
    • Vehicle registration
    • Insurance card
    • Voter registration card
    • Printed check
    • Mail addressed to you with cancelled stamp

    You can find your library account number on the back of your library card (if you have one), or in the email we sent you if you registered for a card online.

    FVRL staff can provide your forgotten FVRL card number if you contact us with this information:

    • Your full name
    • Your birth date or PIN
    • Your address and phone number

    Note: if you have lost your card where someone else might find it, please contact us right away to prevent unauthorized use.

    If you've forgotten your Connect Card number, please contact your school.

    Yes! Our educator account allows teachers to borrow materials for classroom use or curriculum support. The educator card is an option if the limits on the educator's personal library card aren't sufficient for their classroom needs.

    Who can get an educator account?

    • Teachers at a daycare or a public or private K-12 school within the FVRL district
    • Home school educators within the FVRL district

    How much does it cost?

    There is no charge for the educator account.

    How do I sign up?

    Contact us, or apply at any staffed FVRL library. Bring current photo ID and proof that you are an educator.

    What kind of proof do you need?

    • Proof of employment (such as a staff ID) from a daycare or a K-12 public or private school or
    • A Declaration of Intent as a home school provider. (Homeschool parents of children younger than eight don't need a Declaration of Intent—you can just tell us you're homeschooling.)

    What can I do with an educator account?

    • Borrow up to 100 physical items at a time, with an extended loan period of six weeks
    • Place up to 100 physical items on hold at a time
    • Access FVRL's subscriptions to eBooks, digital magazines and newspapers, music and videos via FVRL's website. (Experience Passes and interlibrary loan are not included.)

    What else should I be aware of?

    • If you have a personal library account and an Educator account, you need to keep both in good standing or you could lose borrowing privileges of both.
    • The Educator account is intended for education-related items only. Personal use may result in loss of privileges.

    It’s quick and easy to access your FVRLibraries account online. Here’s how:

    To log in:

    • At the top of the page, click Log In.
    • Enter your library account number (barcode) or username and PID, then click Log In.
      • You may change your username once logged in on the My Settings page.

    To log out:

    • Click your username at the top of the page to open the menu.

    • Select Log Out.

    If you need help or forgot your PIN, please contact FVRLibraries staff for assistance.

    The My Settings page allows you to customize your account preferences and privacy settings.

    Here’s how to find it and update what you need:

    • Log in to your account: At the top of the page, click your username (or Log In if you’re not already signed in).
    • Open My Settings: In the dropdown menu under your username, click My Settings.
    • Explore your settings: The My Settings page has different sections you can update.

    Here’s what you can find and update on the My Settings page:

    • Account Information    
      • Email Address – Update your email for library notifications.
      • Username – Change the name that displays in the catalog.
      • Password – Update your account password.
    • Account Preferences    
      • Saved Searches – Manage and run your favorite searches
      • Holds and Pickup Location – Set your preferred pickup branches and enable single-click holds.
      • Display Language – Choose English, Spanish, or Russian for the catalog display.
      • Community Content Defaults – Decide whether to show or hide content flagged as spoilers or offensive.
    • Privacy    
      • My Shelves – Set the default privacy for your shelves (Completed, In Progress, For Later).
      • My Feeds – Control whether your activity feed is visible to others.
    • Profile    
      • Ignored Users – Hide content from users you’d like to ignore.

  • Help & troubleshooting

    Please contact us if your card is missing. We'll disable it, to prevent anyone from using it without your permission. We'll also arrange for you to get a replacement card.

    You can also let us know in person. Bring your current photo ID to any FVRL library during staffed hours and we'll replace your card at no charge.

    If you are under 18 and don't have student ID, your parent or guardian may show their ID and vouch for you.

    Are you getting messages like "your privilege has expired," "patron not found," or "patron could not be authenticated"? This probably means that your account needs to be renewed. Here's how:

    • Log in to My Account in the Old Catalog and expand the section with your name under the Personal Information tab.
    • If your card is within four weeks of expiring, or has expired, you will see a renewal date and a link to renew.
    • If you need to edit your address, please click the link to request an address update before you click the Renew button.
    • Alternately, visit an FVRL library during in-branch hours so we can update your account. Please bring photo ID.
    • If you have a Nonresident or Educator card, the "Renew" button in My Account will not work, so you'll need to come in person to renew.

    In order to access our OverDrive collection, you need to:

    • Have an unexpired library account. Check your expiration date by logging in to the catalog and choosing My Settings from the menu below your username. It's displayed in the upper center of the page.
    • Live or own property in our service area, or pay a fee for a nonresident FVRLibraries account, or have a reciprocal card.
    • Sign in with the correct library card number and PIN combination.

    Need to update your account? Read more here.

    When you get a replacement account and/or change your PIN, you'll also need to update your eBook, eAudiobook, and eMedia accounts. Here's how:

    OverDrive & the Libby app:

    • OverDrive automatically updates your account number.
    • If you use the Libby app, you may want to remove your old account and sign in with your new one and current PIN.  You might also need to rename your account number if the old one keeps wanting to display. 
    • To update your PIN in the OverDrive app if you have an older Kindle Fire, delete your app cookies and then sign in with your updated information.

    Kanopy:

    1. Log in to your Kanopy account in a browser window.
    2. Choose "My Memberships" from the menu under your account name (upper right of the screen).
    3. Click the green rectangle labeled "Active" to the right of Fort Vancouver Regional Library.
    4. Edit the account number (and PIN if that changed).
    5. Click "Save."

    Hoopla:

    1. Log in to your Hoopla account in a browser window.
    2. Click the settings gear (upper right).
    3. Choose "Library".
    4. Edit the account number (and PIN if that changed).
    5. Click "SAVE".

    OR, in the app:

    1. Tap "My Hoopla."
    2. Tap the settings gear (upper right).
    3. Edit the account number (and PIN if that changed).
    4. Tap "Save Library Settings."

    If you encounter an error with your library account in the Libby app, and your account isn't expired, delete the existing number and add your current number.

    Delete an account

    • Open the Libby app, then tap the Menu icon at the bottom of the screen.
    • Tap "1 card +" (the number may be different if you have more than one card in the app).
    • Find your old card and tap "Actions" (on the card).
    • Tap "Remove Card" and confirm.

    Add an account

    • Follow steps one and two above.
    • Tap "Add Another Card."
    • Tap "Enter Library Account Details."
    • Enter your card number and tap "Next."
    • Enter your PIN and tap "Sign In."
    • You can rename your account number if you want, or just tap "Next."
    • Tap "Hide" in the upper right-hand corner to return to the main part of the app.

  • Notifications

    Here are the notices you will receive, based on your regular notification method.

    Holds

    • 1st hold notice: Sent the day after the hold becomes available, via email, phone, or US mail.
      Text notices are sent the same day the hold becomes available, but only if the hold becomes available before 5 pm on a day the library is open. Otherwise, you’ll be notified by your regular method. If you get a text, you won’t get an email, phone, or US mail notice.
    • 2nd hold notice: Sent 6 days before the pickup date, via email only
    • Final hold notice: Sent 3 days before the pickup date, via email only

    Due date/renewal

    • Due date reminder: Sent 3 days before due date, via email only, if you have no renewals left. Text notices are sent 1 day before the due date.
    • Automatic renewal: Sent on the due date, via email only, if you still have renewals left. We’ll let you know whether your items will be automatically renewed or if you need to return them because someone else has requested them.

    Overdues

    • First overdue notice: Sent when item is 1 week overdue, via email, phone, or US mail. Text message is sent when item is 1 day overdue.
    • Final overdue notice: Sent when item is 2 weeks overdue, via email, phone, or US mail.

    Bills

    • Bill notice: Sent when items are 4 weeks overdue, via email or US mail. At that point, we consider the items lost and bill you for replacement cost. But if you return the material in good condition, your bill is canceled.

    FVRLibraries sends notices about your physical checkouts (books, DVDs, etc.) by one of these three regular methods:

    • Email: If there is a valid email address in your account
    • Phone: If there is a valid phone number in your account, but no email address
    • US Mail: If there isn't a valid phone number or email address in your account

    You can choose to get text messages for hold pickup notices, due date reminders, and overdue item notices.

    How to sign up for text notices:

    1. Log in to My Account in the Old Catalog and expand the section labeled Text Notifications under the Personal Information tab.
    2. Select “Add New” if you haven’t set it up yet.
    3. Enter a label for your phone (like “my phone”), along with your phone number.
    4. Choose which types of notices you’d like to get by text. (Currently, text messages are not available for bill notices, manual messages, or general announcements, even though these options might appear.)
    5. Click “Save” to confirm your choices.

    Please note:

    • Text notifications are in addition to other notice methods (email, phone call, or US mail), except for the first hold notice, which will only be texted if the item becomes available during library open hours.

    • Text messages for holds will show the pickup location, but won’t include the item’s title or details.

    • At this time, eBooks, eAudiobooks, and Interlibrary Loan items are not eligible for text notices.