Customer Self registration

One of the features of Enterprise is the ability for customers to "self-register" - i.e. fill in an online registration form & begin using the library.  At the point of registration customers can place up to 5 "holds" on the system.  Of course customers then need to produce ID at the library to turn their provisional membership into a full membership and be able to borrow the items they have reserved.

Most of our libraries have not advertised this feature, but some have chosen to display it in a prominent position.  See the picture below from the Marion Enterprise site which shows off the self-registration offer right up front with the statement Not a member? Register here. They have made the LOG IN option much more prominently than in the normal set up of Enterprise.

For libraries who have not placed an advertisement of this feature on their front page it comes up when people go to login - as per the picture below.  But potential customers are unlikely to click the "log in" button if they're not already members.  So the Marion version of putting this offer on the front page makes sense to me.  Some of you may want to consider whether you want to reconfigure your front Enterprise site to include this option.

A relatively new feature of the "self registration" process is the addition of the ability for customers to reset their PIN if they have an email address in their customer record.  This allows for self management of the login. process.

I've always thought that the "self registration" feature should be used every time someone wants to join the library - not just for remote users.  I would set up a PC near the front counter so that customers can fill in an online registration form themselves rather than have library staff fill it in.  Customers will be lots quicker and more accurate at spelling their own names and addresses than a staff member.  And this frees up staff to do other things.  All staff need to do is then verify the details, add the X0 barcode and the customer is now ready to go.