4 LOANS

This chapter includes the following sections:
Before loaning any items to a patron, you should first check the system's loan options, and adjust them according to your needs.

5.0 SET UP LOAN OPTIONS

The "Set Up Loan Options" window determines the system's functionality when performing a loan transaction.

To activate this function, select Alephino/Options/Set Up Loan Options from the main menu. The following window will be displayed.



Display Circulation Note
Select this option to display the item's Circulation Note when the item is loaned. The Circulation Note field is in the Cataloging module (Items tab / Items List / lower pane / General Information (2) tab).

Display "Item(s) on Hold for this Patron" Message
Select this option to display a message if there is an item on hold waiting for the patron.

Display "Item is Requested" Message
Select this option to display a message if this item is requested by another patron.

Patron Verification Required
Select this option to require patron verification in order to perform the loan.

Display Item Process Status
Select this option to display the item process status when performing the loan. If the item is not in process this option has no effect.

Override Button as Default
This option determines whether the Override button or the Cancel Loan button is highlighted by default if the patron does not have permission to borrow the item in question. Select the option to set the Override button as the default.

Loan Receipt Printing
You can determine whether or not the system will automatically print loan receipts. To have the system automatically print receipts, you can choose whether they should be printed after each loan transaction or only at the end of a session with a patron. In the latter case, one receipt will be printed listing all of the loans made to the patron during the current session. The current session is ended either by pressing F4 or by entering another patron.

top

4.2 LOANING AN ITEM

4.2.1 Loan Checks

When loaning an item, the system checks both the patron and the item to verify that the loan can be performed. The system checks that:

4.2.2 Standard Loan

Select the Loan tab from the Circulation module's navigation pane. The Patron Information tab will be displayed in the upper pane and the Loan Session tab will be displayed in the lower pane.



Step 1:
Enter the patron's ID or barcode number in the Patron bar's Patron field.

Please note: When you call by patron ID, enter a ! at the end, so that the system knows, that the nummer is a Patron ID. If you don't enter a exclamation mark, Barcode number and Patron ID will not be differed, and the system searches barcode number at first. When no patron will be found, the system will search Patron ID.

Call by barcode number or Patron ID:



Call by patron ID:



Alternatively, invoke the Call Numbers List by clicking the list button .



Select an user from the List. (See the Patron List in the Patron Chapter for more details)

The patron details will be displayed in the right upper pane.



Step 2:
Enter the item barcode or call number in the Item bar's Item field. You may use the barcode reader to scan in the item barcode.



Alternatively, invoke the Call Numbers List by clicking the list button .



Select an item from the Call Numbers List. (For more details see the Items chapters).

If there are no hindrances (such as patron blocks) the Loan will be performed. Details about the patron will be displayed in the Patron Information tab (upper pane) and details about the loan will be displayed in the Loan Session tab (lower pane).



The buttons are (Patron Registration):

End Session
If the loan has not been performed yet but information has been entered in the Patron bar and/or the Item bar, clicking End Session will clear the screen.

If the loan has already been performed, the screen will be cleared and a loan receipt will be printed if the loan option Loan Receipt Printing was set to All Loans in One Receipt.

New Cash
You may register a cash transaction by clicking the New Cash button. A form will be displayed, enabling you to define the transaction as a debit or credit, write a descriptive note about the transaction, and link the transaction to a particular target, sublibrary, or item record.

Pay Cash
If the patron wants to pay some or all of the money he owes, enter the amount in the Pay field and click the Pay Cash button. You will be asked to confirm that the patron really does want to pay the specified amount. After confirmation, the system will register as paid as many transactions as can be covered by the amount paid, starting with the earliest unpaid transaction. (A given transaction may also be partially paid. In this case, the transaction will be split into two transactions, one for the paid portion and one for the unpaid portion.) Depending on how your Setup (Client) has set up the system, one or more receipts will be printed.

Patron's Cash
Click Patron's Cash to view the patron's cash transactions list.

Letter
Click Letter to print a letter to a patron. You will be able to select from a number of letter formats defined by your Library. This function is also used to print the patron's circulation list and library card.


Click on to send an e-mail message to the patron. The patron's e-mail address will automatically be inserted in the To field.

The buttons in the lower pane are (Circulation Session):

Print Session
Click Print Session to print a receipt for the loans performed during the current session with the patron.

Change Date
Click Change Date to change the due date for the current loan. A window will pop up enabling you to enter a new date.

Loan Notes
Click Loan Notes to enter a note that will appear on the Loan Details - Patron tab.

If there are patron blocks, they will be reported in the Blocks tab. In this case the Blocks tab will be displayed in the lower pane instead of the Loan Session tab.



Override
If the patron's privileges permit you to override the blocks and you have the librarian's privilege to override blocks, the Override button will be active. Select Override to perform the loan regardless of the blocks.

To edit the patron blocks, switch to Patron Tab . The Loans, Hold Requests, Copy , Cash and Permissions of the patron will be displayed here.

Click F4 to cancel the loan.

4.2.3 Loan History
To see a list of all the loan transactions performed on the station, select the History node on the Loan tab.



Print
Highlight the lines to be printed (multiple choice click Ctrl+Shift or Ctrl+Mouse) and select Print.

Clear All
Select "Clear All" to clear the loan history.

top

4.2.4 Fast Loan

The Fast Circulation function is used to perform a fast loan or a fast return from the same basic screen.

For the sake of speed, the item's bibliographic information, loan details or the return date and the patron's details are not retrieved and are therefore not displayed. There is also no access to the Patron List. Therefore the transactions are performed more quickly than when using the regular Loan and Return screens.

The same checks will be executed as in the regular Loan and Return window.

To perform a loan using Fast Circulation, open the regular Circulation client. From the main menu select Circulation / Fast Circulation. The following window will be displayed:



Select the Loan button. Fill in the Item Barcode (or call-number) and the Patron Barcode (or Patron-ID mit ! or Matrikelnummer and click on the Loan button.

4.2.5 Offline Loan

This function lets you record a loan transaction on your local computer in case there is a disruption with your computer's connection to the server. Your transactions will be saved in a file which you send to the server when the connection is re-established. The system will then check the transactions and produce a check report. The system checks if the item exists or not; if there is a patron record; if there are system problems in Loan/Return. If a cash transaction could not be registered when the item was returned late, the system will check if it was already on loan or if the item was declared as lost or claimed returned.

To perform a loan using Offline Circulation, open the regular Circulation client. From the main menu select Circulation / Offline Circulation. The following window will be displayed:



Click the Loan radio button.Choose the library and enter the Patron ID / Barcode, and Item Barcode (or the call-number). Click the Loan button.

Note:
For more information see the Offline-Circulation chapter.

top

4.3 RECALLING A LOANED ITEM

The Circulation Librarian can cmake a recall requisition, creating a hold request for the item and filling in the "Recall Typ" (normal or rush). The recall will be executed on "Start Recall" via Web-Service-Module.

The recall function in the List Of Items in the Items Tab enable you to recall items, without creating a hold request.

See the chapter Recall for more information.

top


Go to next section (Due Dates)