by Emily Fowler on Jan 14, 2021
Family Accounts
We share a streaming account in our family. Early on, when we were all using the same profile, we would find when we fell asleep to one of our shows, we'd wake up to Curious George and other kids shows. We were having the same issue of recommendations based on adult shows after binging Curious George (for the tenth time). Easy fix: we got our own profiles put on to the account. Now our daughter’s shows are geared more towards her preferences, like Doozers or Molang, and it gave us a much-welcome respite from George (though we still love him). Now we have a profile for each person and I get all the rom-com recommendations without the children’s shows from my kids’ account or action movies from my husband’s account.
Since I’m customizing my recommendations, ratings, and viewing history in all other entertainment aspects of my life, including music, movies, TV shows, it only seems fair to be able to customize my recommendations, ratings, and reading history from my library. Well, guess what? You can have separate profiles through Aspen as well!
Family and Beyond
Linked accounts don’t only just work for linking accounts through family members. If you are caring for an elderly family member or a homebound friend, you are also able to use linked accounts through Aspen to pick up their items from the library for them and remind them of books they need to return. When accounts are linked, you are able to see the barcode of the linked cards, checked out items and items on hold. You are also able to view and pay fines and fees if your library allows for fines to be paid online.
When you have an account that is linked you will not be able to see some of the more personal information between linked accounts, such as the reading or search history. You are also unable to view or update personal account information such as your phone number or address, so if you do choose to link accounts for a neighbor, you will not need to worry about the transfer of sensitive information between the two accounts.
What’s in store for linked accounts?
There have been changes that have been made to linked accounts recently and some new features that will be added in the near future. One of my favorite new features is being able to see the barcode of the linked account. This was brought up in a meeting with one of our partners and the feature was added quickly to allow for an easier curbside pickup experience.
There has also been discussion about making it easier to see when an account has added you as an account they are able to manage. This information is currently available under “Linked Accounts” in the patron account menu, which is the same area that you are able to remove a linked account from your managed accounts.
If you find yourself in the unfortunate situation where you will need to remove yourself from another account, all you need to do is change your password and if the managing account does not have an updated password they will not be able to continue linking to your account.
Have any other suggestions that you would like to see for linked accounts? Let us know - we are always open to suggestions and as always, we are here to help make Aspen work for you!
Read more by Emily Fowler