See this video tutorial on Browse Searching in our Encore online catalog.
The usual borrowing period is three (3) weeks. Most items can be renewed twice (two additional periods) unless a hold has been placed.
The following items cannot be renewed:
- Magazines
- Holiday Books
- Reserve Items (an item someone else has put on hold)
Renew Your Items at the Library or By Phone
In the Library: Did you know you can Renew items on our Self-Check stations near the Circulation Desk, as well as check out new items?
Over the Phone: call Circulation at 515-222-3404 OR try our Automated Renewals phone at 515-225-1576
Renew Your Items Online
We have a video on Renewing Materials Online or you can follow the instructions below.
Go to our online catalog – Encore
Login with your WDM Library card barcode (on back of card – no spaces) and your PIN.
Note: if you do not yet have a PIN, you will need to set it up with staff – call or email the library.
Once you’ve logged in, click on My Account in the upper right.
It will default to showing your Checkouts – the materials you currently have out.
Click the checkbox next to the items you want to Renew and click on the Renew Marked button. If you simply want to try to renew all your checked out items, you can click Renew All.
It will then ask you “The following item(s) will be renewed, would you like to proceed?” Click Yes to proceed. Under Status it will now list your new due date.
If an item cannot be renewed because of an existing hold, it will indicate that “Not all renewals were successful” and will say ON HOLD in the status next to the un-renewed item(s).
Library card holders may request materials in our catalog. If they are in, they will be pulled and held. If they are checked out, the hold will be filled in order once it is returned.
Patrons will be notified by phone, email or text when their items are ready to be picked up. You can change your notification preference in My Account in our online catalog.
See more information below on functions available in My Account.
Holds waiting for pickup are put in a self-serve pickup area on the 1st floor or may be available for Curbside Pickup, if that service is available. An item that is not picked up will be cancelled.
See our video tutorial on Placing and Managing Your Holds or follow the instructions below.
To Place a Hold (Request an Item)
Go to our online catalog – Encore
Login with your WDM Library card barcode (on back of card – no spaces) and your PIN.
Search for the item you want. If it has a status of Not Available, you may choose to Request It.
You will choose to pick up the item from the WDM Library, then Submit.
Any item on hold will show up under My Account > Holds. You can see your place in line OR if the item is Ready for Pickup.
To Cancel a hold, click on the Cancel checkbox to the left of the title, then Update List. It will ask you to confirm that you want to Cancel your hold.
Freezing Holds While on Vacation
Your Holds can be “frozen” during vacations via My Account.
Go to My Account.
In My Account under Holds, you will see all the items you have requested. For any that are not currently Ready for Pickup, you can click on the Freeze checkbox next to the title. Then click on Update List.
Once you return from Vacation, simply UN-check the Freeze box and Update List, and you will be returned to your place in line!
NOTE: As of 4/18/24, MOBIUS is temporarily unavailable while it's being upgraded. Other options are available:
The MOBIUS interlibrary loan system will undergo maintenance to switch to a new system starting Thursday, April 18. This means that patrons will not be able to request items in MOBIUS until the new system is complete. We will keep patrons posted on when MOBIUS is open to requests again on our website and social media pages.
How can I get library books from other libraries while MOBUIS is down?
1. Fill out our Item Request Form. Be sure to click the "Yes" option when it asks you "Borrow from another library?" A WDM Public Library worker will find the item for you and reach out once they've secured it.
2. Visit one of the library service desk - we are happy to put in an Interlibrary Loan request for you or check to see if the item is available at a nearby library.
3. Give us a call at 515-222-3403 or email us at library@wdm.iowa.gov and we'll work to find a copy of the material for you.
4. Search for the item on the Iowa Locator or WorldCat.org. It will show you libraries in the area that have copies of the item you are looking for. Please do reach out to the other library to confirm they have the item before you make the trip!
When in doubt, don't hesitate to reach out to us - we want to help you find the materials you're looking for!
The My Account page in our online catalog offers many options for managing your Library account.
Some of these functions are also available in our Mobile App.
You can modify several items in your Library Account via Encore’s My Account feature, including changing an existing PIN (Personal Identification Number) or changing your Notification preferences.
Login with your Barcode (the number on the back of your library card or key card – NO spaces) and your PIN. Depending on your internet browser, you may be able to “Save Password”. Note: if you do not yet have a PIN, you will need to set it up with WDM Library staff one-time (call 515-222-3400 or email library@wdm.iowa.gov with your name, phone and library card number).
Once you’ve logged in, click on My Account in the top right to access your library account settings.
Change Your Notification Preferences (Phone, Email, Text)
You have several choices on how you receive notifications about overdues, holds and the like. To make changes to these choices, or to add an optional Mobile Notification, do the following:
On the My Account page, verify that your contact details are correctly listed. Your notification preferences will go to this contact. If they are incorrect, please contact WDM Library staff.
If the information is correct, choose Edit Account. A popup box will appear.
If you want to receive notifications via email, and an email address was not listed as your main contact, click the button next to Email and enter a valid email address in the box.
Note: if you enter an email in this box, you will automatically get reminder notices by email even if you choose Telephone or Postal Mail as your preference.
If you want to receive notifications via the phone number listed on the My Account page, click next to Telephone. For overdue and hold notices, you will receive an automated call.
If you prefer to receive your notifications via Postal Mail, they will go to the address on the My Account page.
Note: Hold notices will not be mailed due to time limitations. For Hold notices, you will need to choose another method, or opt-in for mobile notifications (below).
Scroll to the bottom of the popup window and choose Submit.
Optional Mobile Notification:
If you would ALSO like to have notification via SMS (text) message, in addition to the option chosen above, you may Opt-In for this service. Under Mobile Settings, type in your phone number (just numbers), then be sure you click the Opt-In checkbox.
Please scroll down and read the information below the box carefully before you Submit.
Updating Your Library PIN
If you do not have an existing PIN, you will want to call (515-222-3400), email library@wdm.iowa.gov or come in to the WDM Library to have that set up initially.
After that, you can Modify your PIN at any time using our online My Account webpage.
Login on My Account.
On the next screen, under your name, choose Edit PIN.
A new popup box will appear, where you can enter first your current (old) PIN, and then the number (4-digits or more, do NOT begin with Zero) you want for your new PIN.
Click on Submit.
Tracking Your Reading History
In the WDM library online catalog your Reading History – a record of the books you’ve checked out – is turned OFF by default for privacy. If you want to track what you’ve checked out, you can turn this feature ON very easily.
Login on My Account with your WDM Library card number (whole number, no spaces) and your PIN.
Look on the left side of the main My Account page for Reading History.
If your history is turned OFF (by default), you will see a button that says Save Reading History.
Click the Save Reading History button to turn ON the History option. This will now save a history of whatever you check out from this point on, until you Opt Out again.
Once your history is tracking, you can Print or Export the list at any time by going into My Account > Reading History. You will choose to Export Reading History. There are several export options.
You can Opt Out of tracking history at any time. You will lose whatever you have tracked to that point, so you may want to Export your history before Opting Out.
Using the My List Function in My Account
Another way to track and save your favorite reads, or create booklists of items To Read, is the My Lists function in Encore, our online catalog.
My Lists allows you to save lists of titles in our collection you’ve already read/viewed, titles you want to explore, or other lists as you choose.
Login on My Account.
Look on the left side of the main My Account page for My Lists.
If you find an item or group of items in the catalog that you want to save to read later, for instance, you can save them off in a named list.
For each title you want to save look under the Request It button for the Add to Cart icon – it looks like a shopping basket. Add each item. You will see that in the top right corner of the screen, the My Book Cart link will show items (e.g. “My Book Cart (4)”).
Once you have what you want in the Cart, click on My Book Cart.
In the Book Cart, select some or all of the items using the checkboxes at the left, then Save to List. You can also choose to Email them to yourself, instead.
A screen will popup (make sure you aren’t blocking popups in your browser). If you have existing lists, you can Add the selected titles to those lists by choosing them in the dropdown.
Or you can Save to new list. You will Name the list and (optionally) describe it. Then click Create. At the next popup, click OK.
You will return to the Cart screen. You can now remove these from your cart if you want, as they’re now saved to your List. Otherwise they’ll stay in there and be available to save to other lists or put on hold.