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New and Improved eCard Registration Service

July 10th, we'll turn on the new eCard registration form. This is being LSTA funded through the MBLC for eight of the MA networks; CLAMS, CW/MARS, MVLC, MBLN, MLN, NOBLE, OCLN, and SAILS.  We've been allowing patrons to register for online cards for several years now, however we never had control over who was registering. Now we do, with the Quipu service. We've contracted with them to provide a basic user lookup, based on street address and last name. They will also check our system for duplicate cards. Much of the patron record will be updated automatically, and if the patron wants to come into the library to get a permanent card, other than their profile, the card will be properly filled out. Here are the basic rules for how this will work. Thank you to the circulation policy committee for helping fine-tune the process.

Who should be eligible to sign up for an eCard through SAILS?

  1. Massachusetts residents only:
    1. This is a change from the current online card signup form, which allows anyone to register for a card.
    2. Out-of-state residents who work and go to school in a SAILS community also will be ineligible. SAILS libraries have different policies on how to handle these patrons.
  2. Age requirements:
    1. Must be 13 or older to register
    2. Teens between the ages of 13-15 must supply a parent email address. A notification saying the new card was created, will be sent to this address.
    3. Ages 16 and up will get a standard eCard registration with no parental notification. 

What Profile Will Patrons Get? How will we manage physical lending for these accounts?

  1. For verified online registrants in a SAILS community:
    1. SAILSOU (SAILS Online User) profile
    2. Allow five holds and checkouts  (checkouts only circ for one day)
    3. One year expiration
  2. For verified online registrants outside of SAILS, but in MA:
    1. MASSOU (MASS Online User) profile
    2. Allow five holds and checkouts  (checkouts only circ for one day)
    3. One year expiration
    4. Different profile gives the library flexibility for preventing access to some online resources if desired.
  3. For provisional cards where the address is not verified:
    1.  OUREG (Online User Registration) profile
    2. Allow five holds and checkouts  (checkouts only circ for one day)
    3. Three week expiration
  4. The barcode prefix will match the library’s current prefix, but will start with a ‘5’ instead of a ‘2.’
    1. This will also make it easy for libraries to determine if they want to authorize an online card for local online content or not.
  5. When patrons visit the library, they will need to follow a similar process to what is done today to upgrade their card to a three-year card that borrows materials.

Which library will be assigned to each online patron?

  1. SAILS will continue to allow patrons to select a library. 

What data will be populated in the record for an online user?

  1. All name data we currently collect, with the option of adding a preferred name and checking a box to use that preferred name in all communications.
  2. The address that will be used for verification purposes will need to be entered as Address 1 and it must be in Massachusetts. 
  3. Email address (required), phone number, cell phone number (separate from phone number and used if the patron wants SMS notifications.)
  4. Date of birth - this will also be used for determining the user category 1.
  5. User category 2 will be based on the entered town/city of the address.
  6. NOHISTORY or ALLCHARGES - do you want to keep a history of the items you check out?
  7. Preferred notification method  - depending on this selection, they will be required to enter a cell phone or regular phone.

What data will not be populated in the record for an online user?

  1. Preferred language - only a few libraries have requested that this info be maintained.
  2. User groups
  3. Address 2
  4. Parent information in a ℅ field - only five libraries responding to the survey responded that they collect this information.
  5. Newsletter opt-in - varying policies among libraries. Even those who request this info from patrons don’t store it in Workflows.

Duplicate checking

Duplicate checking will be done by rejecting an account where there is an existing record matching the last name and date of birth. There are some edge cases where registrations will fail (e.g. twins), but, in Quipu’s experience, adding a first name to duplicate checking results in too many duplicate records being created.

Retaining patron information in eCard system?

Quipu stores 30 days of accepted and rejected registrations. This could be useful for troubleshooting.

Languages

Based on survey results. Brazilian Portuguese ranked high, but, after discussing the results with the Board, we agreed that it is close enough to European Portuguese to support just one Portuguese form. This makes room for both Russian and Hindi, which received an equal number of votes.

  • Portuguese
  • Spanish
  • Haitian Creole
  • French
  • Chinese
  • Arabic
  • Russian
  • Hindi

Holds for patrons – item in hand

Does this situation sound familiar? A patron calls to ask to put aside an item they "see" is on the shelf. You find the item, put it on hold for the patron, and immediately trap the hold for them. We've heard of a new problem that can happen with this scenario. If you don't select the item in hand, when trapping the hold, it's possible the first copy added to the system will be selected to fill the hold, get trapped, and appear on the owning library's hold shelf. This may not be your library.

Holds aren't placed on local copies unless they're copy specific holds. The safest thing to do, after placing the holds on the items, is to use the discharge wizard, instead of the trap hold wizard. The discharge wizard should then direct you to fill the hold with the item in hand. It seems using the trap hold wizard, even if entering the local copy, can lead to inadvertently selecting the first copy added to the system as the hold. That is how title level holds are placed - on a basically random copy. Then the system finds an appropriate copy to fill the hold. Since you have the item available, using this method should flag your item to fill the hold.

Question about search results

We received the following question and believe others are probably asking it as well.

Question: In "item search and display", when I look up "Summer of 69" by Elin Hilderbrand, and look at the detailed display, it lists 97 copies in the main search window. When I open the record and click on the red book widget in the upper left hand corner, it says there are 53 volumes. I had assumed that to mean that 53 libraries owned it and among them there were 97 copies in the system. I now realize that is wrong because when look up "It" by Stephen King, it lists 25 copies and 33 volumes which doesn't make sense. Could you please tell me how these two numbers factor into the system?

Answer: Here is the breakdown of how items are counted in the system.

Title = the bibliographic/cataloging record - there is only 1 based on edition/format/etc. 

Volume = number of call numbers in the system. To use your example, Summer of '69 - here is the display of volumes in the system:

If you then expand to view the items, here is where the 97 copies comes from:


So one volume can have several copies/barcodes/items attached to it.

For "It", there are 33 call number records, but only 25 copies are available - not set to lost, missing, discard, etc. That is where the number of copies in the results list comes from. 

Print sum of checked out item prices

"Total price of checked out items" field

A "Print sum of checked out item prices" option was added to due date and charge slips for the Checkout wizard. When enabled, this option causes WorkFlows to print a "Total price of checked out items" field on the patron's checkout slip. This field shows the total price of all the items that display on the checkout slip. 

  1. Right Click on Checkout
  2. Click on Print date due slips
  3. Check Print sum of checked out item prices 
  4. Update the receipt printer footer so there is an explanation.  

The message about the total amount of the items checked out always appears before the footer.  That message cannot be changed. Suggestions for footers (from the SAILS Circulation Policy Committee):

Look at how much you have saved by using XXXX Public Library today!

You saved this much by using the library today.

Email receipts can also be updated with this new message – contact support@sailsinc.org for more information.

Copy User Property Setting

If you want to see the "SMS Notice Contact Info" tab on the copy user wizard, you have to check "Show SMS Notice Contact Info Tab" in the Checkout wizard > Properties > Helpers > Register New User.

But yes, even once that is turned on, the information will still not be copied over from one user to the next. But at the very least this should enable you to turn it on. - From SirsiDynix

Blanket Holds Workaround

Copy level blanket holds result in 'Records in use' message

PROBLEM DESCRIPTION
When trying to place copy level holds for items attached to the same title in the blanket hold wizard, if the system is configured to dynamically update the holditem database (which is used in the onshelf items with holds wizard) the system will often fail to place some of the holds and display a 'records in use message'

SOLUTION DETAILS
This is a known issue, jira case number UNI-37094
Appears that when placing holds in the blanket hold wizard, on a system set to dynamically call the process to look for items that can trap the holds, all the holds with their catalog keys are sent at once to the pickholddm process. Appears that when holds for the same catalog key are sent all at once, the processes seem to conflict with each other and cause the 'records in use' message to appear.

WORKAROUND
As a workaround, one might consider the following. The concept of the blanket holds wizard was really based upon a situation where a user (for example) might like a number of different titles on a subject (perhaps they are researching an historical topic, need about 5 good books on the subject and want just the first different 5 titles they can get). The blanket hold function could be used to place 10 holds on different titles (where FIVE titles are needed) and then once 5 of the holds are trapped, the holds on the other 5 titles are removed.

When it comes to wanting a number of copies of the same title (perhaps for a book club where they need 10 copies of the same title), I would recommend not using the blanket hold function, but just placing 10 different title level holds on the same title. (The staff would simply need to override the prompt the user already has a hold on the title). Any 10 different copies of the same title could trap their holds so they would get the first 10 items that become available.

Auto-Renewal Info

1.  By Monday, August 20 SAILS will have made a change in all circulation rules that allow renewals so that the renewal due date will be from the original due date rather than from the date on which the item is renewed. This is viewed as a service to all patrons whether or not the library is offering AutoRenewal.  At the same time the rules will be updated so that patrons will not be able to renew items in Enterprise until 4 days before the item is due.  This is intended to prevent patrons from checking out an item and immediately renewing it in order to have it for an extended period of time.  Staff will be able to renew items at any time in Workflows. You may need to check the "seen" box to get an item to renew, if it is earlier than the original due date.
2.  By Tuesday, August 21 SAILS will have set up the necessary email and SMS reports to begin Auto Renewal for staff members from libraries that have opted in.  NOTE:  Auto Renewal is only available if the item type's circulation rules allow for a renewal and the patron has not reached the maximum number of renewals.

3. By Sept. 2nd, for public libraries who have opted in to this service, this is how it will work:

3 days before an item is due, the Autorenewal notices will generated.  Notices will be delivered either via Email or Text message.  Voice notification patrons will not receive a notice unless they have an email address in their record but their checkouts will be renewed as well if it is possible.
Only items that can be renewed and which have not reached their renewal limit are eligible for Autorenewal.  The due date of the Autorenewals will be based on the original checkout date.
Once the autorenewal notices are sent out a second reminder notice will be generated.  This will be different than the reminder notices that will go out to nonparticipating libraries because they will list items due in 3 days and specifically say they are no eligible for automatic renewal.  Voice notification patrons will receive a reminder notice if they have not opted out of the notices but they will still receive a generic reminder call.
Renewals will be based on where the circulation transaction took place not the home library of the patron.  The renewals take place immediately and are recorded as a circulation transaction.
Note: If you receive this error in workflows, you need to select the SEEN option in Renew to be able to do it in Workflows.
"Cannot renew at this time. This item will be available for renewal after: 8/20/18, 23:59"