Pierce County Library System
Information & Imagination

Services

How to Get Notices from the Library

Sign up to have the Library automatically send you e-mail notices that will tell you:

• Your books and other items you’ve reserved or put on hold are available.
• Your items are due soon, and you can recheck them out online, if no one else is waiting for them.

Advantage to e-mail notices

• Specific item listing: Your e-mail message will tell you the titles of the items that are are ready for pickup, or that are due or overdue.

To sign up

From the email account you would like us to send messages to, send an email with the following information to webref@piercecountylibrary.org:

• Your first and last name.
• Your library barcode number, located on the back of your library card.
• Your telephone number.
• Include "I am signing up for email notices" in the subject line or body of your message.

If you are getting e-mail notices and want to change your address 

Send an email message fom the email account you would like us to send messages to with the following information to webref@piercecountylibrary.org:

• The old email address.
• The new email address.
• Names and library card numbers of each account that you wish to change.

You may also contact your local library.

One or more library card holders may use the same email address for account notification.

If you have already signed up for email notification and are not receiving notices as expected, please see our Computer FAQs page for more information.

Sign up to have the Library send you notices via your phone that will tell you:

• Your books and other items you’ve reserved or put on hold are available.
• If you have an item overdue.

Advantages to telephone notification

• Confidentiality is preserved because the phone message does not include titles of items.

Note: Telephone notification does not include advance notice of items that are due soon. If you receive a phone message that items are overdue they are accruing fines. If you would like advance notice, choose e-mail notices or text notices.

To sign up

Contact the Library:

• Call any Pierce County Library.
• Visit any Pierce County Library.

One or more library card holders may use the same telephone number for account notices.

How telephone notices work

• The library's computerized telephone system,  "HAL" (Helpful Automated Librarian), makes calls automatically, using a pre-recorded message. As a quick identifier, each message begins with a distinctive voice saying "This is Hal, your helpful automated librarian."
• HAL can leave a voice message. If HAL cannot connect (for example, busy line without messaging capability) it will make a maximum of two more attempts at a later time.

The Library will text you when:

• Items you have requested are ready for pickup.
• Items are due or overdue.

You may text the library to:

• Renew items.
• Find a book, DVD, CD or audiobook in a Pierce County Library.

Choose these message options:

• Send and receive in English or Spanish.
• Receive notices for more than one library card.

All you need to get started:

• A phone that can send a text message to an e-mail address.
• Subscription to text messaging with your wireless carrier. This service is free from the Library. Standard text rates apply.

Sign up for text notices

To sign up using your cell phone

1. Enter Shoutbomb (with email address pcl@shoutbomb.com and phone number (253) 201-2019) as a contact in your phone.

2. Text the word SIGNUP to the new contact, pcl@shoutbomb.com or (253) 201-2019.
>> It should reply and ask for a library card number.

3. Text your library card number.
>> It should reply and ask for your PIN number.

4. Text your PIN number.
>> It should reply with a confirmation.

5. It will also ask for your e-mail address. Texting your e-mail address is optional.

TIP:  You can combine steps 2, 3, and 4 into a single text using a plus sign between parts.
Example: SIGNUP+29093123456789+1111.
(Use YOUR numbers instead of the those in the example, of course.)

To sign up online

Fill out and submit this form to receive text message notifications about your library account.

To find a book, DVD, CD or audiobook in a Pierce County Library

If you want to know, from any location, if a book, DVD or audiobook is available at a Pierce County Library:

Text ISBN, a space, and then the book’s 10- or 13-digit ISBN number. This will be coded on the item, e.g., ISBN 0375425969.

For music CDs: Text UPC, a space, and then the CD’s 12-digit UPC code that appears near the barcode, e,g., UPC 602498621882.

The service will reply and tell you which libraries have copies of the material or whether copies are not currently available.

How to send and receive texts

When you receive a text notice, follow the prompts.

To send a text to the library, you may use these words:

English	Spanish	Description
ADDCARD	ADDCARD	Add a secondary library card to your notification account
DROPCARD	DROPCARD	Remove a secondary library card
HOLDS	MANTENER	Hold notices Opt In/Out
IOWEU	TEDEBO	See the current fine total on your account
ISBN	ISBN	Library catalog search by ISBN
NOTICES	AVISOS	Current status of all your Opt In/Out services
OVERDUE	ATRASADO	Overdue notice Opt In/Out
QUIT	SALIR	Stop this text notices service
RENEW	RENOVAR	Renew notices Opt In/Out
RESEND	REENVIAR	Resend the last message
SIGNUP	REGISTRESE	Register for this text notices service
SWITCHPHONE	CAMBIARTELEFONO	Change the phone number receiving texts
UPC	UPC	Library catalog search by UPC on music CDs

TIP: You can simplify the steps (and reduce your request to only one text message) for the ADDCARD, DROPCARD, and QUIT commands. Simply type the command followed immediately by a plus sign, your library card number, another plus sign, and your PIN.
Example: ADDCARD+29093123456789+1111.
(Use YOUR numbers instead of the those in the example, of course.)

More information

The Library provides this text notification service via Shoutbomb. For more information go to http://www.shoutbomb.com/.

You can choose the type of notices you receive.

To change your notices, contact the Library:

• Call any Pierce County Library.
• E-mail the library at webref@piercecountylibrary.org.
• Visit any Pierce County Library.