How can i access my library records?

Question

I am in massachusetts.

I want a list of all the books I have read.

Answer 1

Sorry, you can't have a complete list for all the reasons Billy C states.  The only records that a library keeps are "active" and that includes books currently checked out, books that have been kept overdue an incurred a fine, (although they are generally also deleted after a year or two, only long enough for someone to change their mind that it was even overdue - weird), and books that were lost and paid for as often they are returned by other libraries or are found underneath the couch.

I've always wanted Dynix to program in a toggle to allow libraries to record everyone's library records if requested - with the default being no - but heck, we've got enough trouble getting their programs to display cover photos or link to a library map without crashing the network.

Logistically, it would also be a problem, when you move to another town and another library system, would your library record move with you?  If you didn't use the public library for four years while you were attending college, would they still keep your records?

William Gladstone kept a record of every book he ever read - over 20,000 in his lifetime.  It sounds like a lot of work just to write that many titles.

Answer 2

You'll have to go to the library and ask them to print it out for you. You can't usually do it over the internet...not since Judge Bork's confirmation hearings when every library book he ever read and every video he ever rented was made public by Congress. Privacy laws now keep that information a little more secure.

Answer 3

Probably you can't, but it depends on your library system.

Generally speaking, libraries don't keep records of the books you have checked out.  That way if Uncle Sam ever comes around and asks about your reading habits the library can honestly tell him he's out of luck, never mind his fancy "national security letter."

The downside of that policy is that you can't ask about your reading habits either.  Many library systems offer a "reading history" feature that keeps track of books you have checked out. But this is usually an "opt-in" feature. You have to go into your online account and deliberately turn it on.  So if you've never done that, you're probably out of luck.

Generally, if you turn on a reading history feature it will only keep track of the books you currently have checked out and the ones you check out _after_ you turn it on. It won't tell what you read last year, because that information is  already lost.

Just remember, if you decide to store your reading history then the authorities can see it too when they show up with a warrant or a national security letter.  Most people don't care, but the library doesn't want to make that decision for their users.