On the shelf with Library Elf

Thanks to Hornblower (via Mungo), have just discovered the handy dandy Library Elf, a free online and email service that will help keep track of our library books, letting me know by email when books are coming due (and overdue) and when interlibrary loans have arrived and are ready for pick-up.

I'd heard of the service before, but assumed our smallish northern rural system wouldn't be included. Very happy to discover I was wrong. In fact, since our library system uses Dynix, I could have requested that Library Elf include it; this works for systems with Polaris PowerPac, too, and requested systems are apparently usually and very obligingly added within a day or two, according to the very thorough FAQ.

Security and privacy seem to be adequate, but just in case I was intrigued to see that the computerized system was more interested in our library card numbers rather than our actual names, which meant I could use nicknames rather than actual first names.

Many thanks to the elves in Vancouver, BC, who established Library Elf!