VuFind Accounts

Why do we need VuFind accounts?

VuFind is an interface to the Voyager database.  It is a separate system that operates along side of Voyager and serves as an optional substitute for Voyager's own online catalog interface when searching the local UIUC collections.    When searching the I-Share collections, you must use the VuFind interface.  

If you just want to search in VuFind you don't need to have an account.

To request an item in Voyager, or use Voyager's various My Account features, the Voyager system must be able to identify you and know that you are affiliated with the University of Illinois.  When using the Voyager online catalog you do this by typing in your 14-digit Voyager patron barcode and your last name.  When you want to access these same services through the VuFind interface, VuFind must be able to tell Voyager who you are.  By creating an account in VuFind, this enables VuFind to pass along your identifying information to Voyager.

When you create a VuFind account, you are asked to provide your 14-digit Voyager patron barcode.  When you logon on VuFind, VuFind sends your barcode to Voyager behind the scenes to tell Voyager who you are.   This allows Voyager to find your account and send your account information to VuFind.

How do I create a VuFind account?

You can create a VuFind account when you first bring up VuFind, or at any time you are using the system.  If you just want to search you don't need an account.  But if you want to request an item, or use any of the My Account features, you need to have an account and to login.

To set up an account, click the "Login" link to the right of the VuFind search box.   Then click "Create a new account."    Fill in the "Basic information" and then the "Library Catalog Profile" information.   Click "Submit" to create the account in the VuFind system.

After your Vufind account has been created, use the user name and password you selected to login to the system.   Unlike the Voyager online catalog, you don't need to use your 14-digit patron barcode to login.

If you later forget your VuFind user name or password, click the "Forgot your Password?" link on the VuFind Login page, and enter the email address you used to create your original account.   VuFind will send you an email containing your username and a generated password. Do NOT use Internet Explorer to logon with the new password you receive.  There is a bug in the software that affects only IE.  After you login with the new password, you can change it on the User Account screen to something easier to remember. You can also contact the CARLI Office for help recovering your VuFind account.

It is also possible to set up an additional VuFind account with a different user name and password, and with the same email address and 14-digit patron barcode you used for your original account.  If you do create multiple VuFind accounts with the same email address and  14-digit patron barcode, all the VuFind accounts will be associated with the same underlying Voyager account.    However, the "tags" and "favorites" features are part of the VuFind system, not the Voyager system.  Thus, you can only see the tags and favorites when you connect to VuFind with the VuFind account you used to create them.