Circulation policies
Circulation policies define whether checkouts, requests and renewals are allowed, which notifications are sent and when, as well as which fees are charged. They apply to the Parton type and Item type, and even to the library.
Settings
Other settings for limiting the number of checkouts, late fees etc. can be configured in the patron types.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Name | Policy name, for interal identification. |
| Description | Policy description, for internal info. |
| Allow patron requests | If enabled, requests are allowed. |
| Pickup deadline in days | Defines the number of day(s) after which a validated request is cancelled if it hasn't been picked up. Leave blank to never cancel requests automatically. The pickup deadline is calculated to coincide with the opening day of the pickup library. It is displayed shown to the patron in the availability notice and in their account. |
| Checkout duration | Remove this field to disable the checkout. Enter 0 to allow the checkout until the end of the day. |
| Maximum number of renewals | Set to 0 to deny any renewal. Field forbidden if "checkout duration" is not specified. |
| Renewal duration in days | Field required if "Maximum number of renewals" is greater than 0. |
| Automatic renewal | Defines whether loans are automatically renewed by the system when they reach their due date. Automatic renewal only renews loans that are also renewable manually (taking into account existing limits and blocks). |
| Checkout duration | Defines loan duration. Only displayed if "Allow checkout" is enabled. |
| Maximum number of renewals | Set to 0 to deny any renewal. Only displayed if "Checkout duration" is specified. |
| Renewal duration in days | Only displayed if renewals are allowed. |
| Library level policy | A library-level policy applies only when the transaction library corresponds to the policy library, regardless of which library owns the item. It overrides any organization-level policy that addresses the same patron type/item type. |
| Reminders | Defines which circulation notifications should be sent to patrons and when. |
| Delay | Defines when to send a notification. For due soon, number of days before due date to send the notification. For overdue, number of days until the notification after due date. |
| Amount | Allows to add a per notification fee, which is charged to the patron account when a certain type of notification is sent. |
Patron + item types links
Every circulation transaction implies a patron and an item. These settings define the patron type/item type couples for which the policy should apply.
If no corresponding policy is found for a transaction, the default policy is applied, which is why that policy cannot be deleted.
Item types
Item types define the circulation category of each item. They are used to link item to a circualtion policy, in combination with patron types. Item types are not used for categorization by document type; this is done at the document level.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Name | Used to identify the type. This name appears in the public interface. |
| Description | Used only in the professionnal interface. |
| Type | Standard or online. When external content (e-books, e-audios, etc.) is integrated, it is automatically assigned an online type unique in each organization. |
| Mark the items of this cateogry as not available | If enabled, all items have the red availability chip. This is generally used for temporary circulation categories. When a request is made for a copy with a "Not available" temporary circulation category, this request is not displayed in the list of requests to be validated, and no notification is sent. |
| Displayed status | An explanatory text, e.g. "missing" displayed next to the availability chip in the public interface for unavailable items. |
| Circulation information | Item status displayed in the holdings/item status in the public interface. For example, it can tell the patron if items are available only for on-site consultation, or for checkouts to adults only. |
Patron types
Patron types define the category of each patron. They are used to link patrons to a circulation policy, in combination with item types.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Nom | Used to identify the type. |
| Description | Used only in the professionnal interface. |
| Yearly subscription | Enable this option to add yearly membership fees to patrons linked to this type. |
| Limits | These settings can be used to block checkouts: when a maximum number of checkouts is reached, when a late fee amount is reached, when a number of overdue items is reached, etc.. |