Welcome to Koha!

As of September 23, South Burlington Public Library has officially joined the Koha cataloguing system shared by the majority of Homecard libraries! This will simplify the catalog experience for our patrons — you can now browse and place holds on materials offered by SBPL or by surrounding libraries, all from one place. And if you borrow from multiple libraries, you can view all your checkouts on the same account. No more juggling logins!

If you've accessed the catalog in the last couple weeks, you've probably noticed that your online experience looks a little different. As expected, we've had a few hiccups with the initial data transfer, and we appreciate all of your patience as we get these worked out. Below, we've gathered some of the most common issues, solutions, and questions we've seen to help you get familiar with the new system. And be sure to check our previous post for some more FAQs!

As always, we are here to help, so please come into the library or give us a call at 802-846-4140 if you have any questions!

Common Issues

Here are some common issues patrons have reported over the last two weeks. If you're having trouble, see if your problem is listed below. 

I Can't Log-In To My Account

Everyone's password was re-set on September 23, so if you haven't logged in since then, your old password will no longer work. 

For your new log-in, you’ll still use the barcode on your library card, but your password will default to your last name (as recorded in our system) with its first letter capitalized. For example, if your name is Ethan Allen, your password will be “Allen”. You can change this in your account settings at any time. If you use the Libby or Palace apps, you may be asked to enter your new "PIN". Use the password described above.

I've Tried The New Password But It's Not Working

Double-check that your barcode is typed out correctly and your new password is correctly formatted. If you still cannot log-in, let us know at 802-846-4140, and we can always reset your password manually. 

I'm Not Sure How To Format My New Password

If your last name has a dash or a space, include that character, and only capitalize the first letter of the entire name. For instance, if your last name was Smith-Allen, your password would be "Smith-allen". 

The Catalog Says My Account Is Currently Disabled

If your new password is not working, check the alert message you received. If it says "Sorry. Your account is currently disabled. Please contact your library about your account," it's likely you're trying to sign into our old catalog (see image below for an example). This is common for patrons who had the old catalog bookmarked but have not yet updated the link. 

To access the new catalog, click the green "CATALOG" button from the website menu above. If you have the old catalog bookmarked on your device, you will need to remove it and bookmark the new one.

Libby Says I Need To Verify My Card

If you try signing into Libby, Palace, or Kanopy with your old log-in, you will likely receive a message that says your card needs to be "verified." In this case, you simply need to sign in using the new password as described above.

I Don't Know My Libby PIN

The Libby, Palace, and Kanopy apps will sometimes refer to your password as "your PIN." Your PIN is the same as the password to your catalog account.

I Can't Find My Saved Lists And Checkout History

This data was not carried over during the transfer and needs to be downloaded manually in order to be saved. If you would like access to your old lists or checkout history, please let us know ASAP — for now, we still have access to the old catalog data and can save these for you. However, this will no longer be possible after October 2026.

Within the new catalog, you control whether your checkout history is saved. When signed in to your account, click your name in the top-right, and then select "Reading History" from the drop-down menu. As a default, patrons' checkout/reading histories will be saved, but you can opt out at this screen by clicking "Stop Recording My Reading History."  

My Home Library Has Changed

This is a rare case, but some accounts migrated to the new catalog with the incorrect home library. If you notice that your account shows a library other than SBPL as your home library, let us know so we can fix it. 

My Issue Isn't Listed And I Still Need Help

Please come in or give us a call at 802-846-4140 so we can figure out what's going on. We know it can be frustrating to learn new systems, and we're here to help you make this a seamless transition. 

The front page of our new catalog