Manage your family

Adults adding family members and kid approvals.

Group family members together so parents can see what their kids have out, place holds for them, and approve programs.

Setting up your family

If you signed up as an adult, you'll see "Add a family member" in the Family section of your portal:

  • Enter their first and last name
  • Optionally enter their email (kids may not have one)
  • Mark them as a child if under 13
  • Save

A family record is created and they're linked to it.

Adding existing patrons to your family

If your spouse or older child already has a patron account, ask a librarian to link the accounts. We don't currently support self-service "merge into family" because of identity verification needs.

What family members see of each other

Adults in a family can:

  • See each other's current loans (titles only)
  • See each other's holds
  • See loans of children in the family

Children see:

  • Their own loans
  • Other children's loans (if your library has enabled it; default off)
  • Cannot see adults' loans by default

Family activities (book clubs, reading challenges)

Some programs require parent approval for children. The "Family" section shows any pending approval requests — click to approve or deny.

Removing a family member

Settings → Family → remove. The member's account becomes standalone (they keep all their loans and history); they're no longer linked to your family.

Privacy

Family connections are private to your family. Other patrons (even other family heads) can't see your family structure.

Still stuck? Email hello@tryshelfwise.comand we'll get back within one business day.