Weekly Update – August 2, 2011

Circulation Tip

The Circulation Committee has decided to put out a bi-weekly circulation tip on the evergreenresources@lists.in.gov listserv. Please look for the first tip starting this Thursday, August 4, 2011.

Below are some example topics which will be discussed in the circulation tips:

1) Canceling holds
2) Adding a billing to a patron’s record
3) Checking items in
4) Merging patron records
5) Claimed returns

Questions about the Evergreen Indiana circulation module or general circulation workflow questions can be posted to the listserv: evergreenresources@lists.in.gov or emailed to any circulation committee member.

Previous tips can be viewed online at: http://www.in.gov/library/4414.htm

If you have an idea for a tip, send it to sheaton@alex.lib.in.us.

Development on the check-out module

Many staff members requested the ability for the check-out date in the patron module to manually be set and stay the same for an entire check-out session. The Indiana State Library has entered into an agreement with Equinox to create this functionality. For example, there are 20 patrons whose materials need to be returned on a specific date. A staff member scans the first patron’s library card, sets the due date, hits the Save due date button, and checks-out the item(s). When the staff member moves onto the next patron, the due date stays the same unless he/she chooses Reset due date. This would behave similarly to Check-in using Amnesty Mode when the screen re-colors so that the staff member knows they are still applying the saved due date. Work will begin soon and is expected to take about four weeks to complete.

Catalog freeze

A modified catalog freeze is scheduled for Friday at 8am, August 19 to Tuesday at 8am, August 23. There can be no original cataloging in the system. Items can be added to existing bibliographic records but creation of new bibliographic records is prohibited. The cataloging freeze will be in preparation for four libraries to migrate into Evergreen Indiana on Tuesday, August 23: Tell City-Perry County Public Library (Perry County), Cannelton Public Library (Perry County), Greentown Public Library (Howard County), Osgood Public Library (Ripley County).