by Haley Laverty
Why Duplicate Library Accounts Matter
Duplicate patron accounts can create more than just confusion—they can lead to lost materials, billing errors, and even legal complications.
Let’s look at a common scenario:
A patron had a library card years ago, checked out a few books, but life got hectic—they moved, lost the items, and forgot about the account altogether. Later, they return to the library, apply for a new card under updated contact information, and unintentionally bypass the ILS’s duplicate account checks. They check out a few more items, but those items too become overdue or lost.
Now the library has two separate accounts for the same person—each with missing materials. If both accounts are sent to Unique’s Gentle Nudge or Material Recovery service, the situation becomes more complicated: both accounts are flagged for collections, and your library is billed twice for the same patron.
It’s not just an operational issue—it’s a legal one. Patrons should not have multiple active accounts.
Here’s another example:
A patron requests a book not in your collection. You secure it via ILL or from a consortium partner. The patron also has a card with the borrowing library, perhaps through a reciprocal program like TexShare. The book goes missing, and both libraries—unaware of the duplication—send the account to UNIQUE for recovery. Now, two separate recovery efforts are initiated for the same item, tied to the same patron. This creates unnecessary friction—and again, potential legal risk.
How Unique helps:
Unique has systems in place to catch these duplicate account issues early. Our platform flags accounts with matching names, and our Production team cross-references other details like addresses and balances to determine whether records belong to the same individual.
If a likely match is found, our team will proactively reach out—either through Production or your Customer Service Representative. If both accounts originate from your library, we’ll work with you to merge the accounts and update balances accordingly.
Our goal is to help prevent these issues before they escalate, and to support you in maintaining clean, accurate patron records.
If you have any further questions on duplicate accounts and how we handle them, please reach out to your rep.