Special tasks and situations

Barring patrons

Barring Patrons - Updated Feb 24, 2021 by Smith
Anytime a library wishes to stop a user from being able to use a library card, their status may be manually set to Barred. Patrons may be Barred temporarily or more permanently.
This is different than a status of Delinquent, which indicates the patron has unpaid fines or overdue items, and is set by the system. A Delinquent patron may be blocked from checking out, depending on the total amount of unpaid fines. A Barred patron has been manually blocked from checking out.

Some examples of when patrons are set to Barred:
*Phone, email, or mail messages returned as invalid -- The account is barred until phone/email/address verified
*Patron complained of others using card – The account is barred, and then unbarred to checkout and rebarred after checkout is complete

How to Bar a Patron:
*Click the Modify/Renew User Wizard
*Either scan patron card (if available) or search for patron through the User Search helper.
*Type in Last Name, first initial of First Name. Press the Search button or hit the Enter Key
*Locate patron in hitlist (verify with birthdate and phone number if necessary)
*Highlight patron and click “Modify User”
*In user record, click on “Privilege” tab.
*In “Status” dropdown box, click the arrow and select “Barred”. Enter your override.
*Click on “Extended Info” Tab.
*In “Comment” box, write a note explaining why the status was set to Barred.
*Notes will vary based on circumstances: see Deceased Patron and Duplicate User Record for two other examples.
*It is extremely important that you include the library’s initials in the Note (ex: OS – Oshkosh Public Library), and be as detailed as possible, so that others can tell who placed the note in the record, and under what circumstances to unbar the card.

*Make other changes to user record as necessary (indicating Duplicate or Deceased, removing email addresses, etc).
*When finished, press Save to close the record.

To Unbar Patron:
*Click Modify/Renew User Wizard.
*Either scan patron card, or search for patron through the User Search helper.
*Type in Last Name, first initial of First Name. Press the Search button or hit the Enter Key
*Locate patron in hitlist (verify with birthdate and phone number if necessary)
*Highlight patron and click “Modify User”
*In user record, click on “Privilege” tab.
*In “Status” dropdown box, click the arrow and select “Okay”. Enter your override.
*Click on “Extended Info” tab.
*Remove any note in Comment box.
*Make other changes as necessary.
*When finished, press Save to close the user record.

Duplicate user records

Procedure—Duplicate User Records in the Database
--Updated 2/2022, Karla Smith

Users are to have only one library card for regular use.

The only exceptions are:

  • Children with divorced or separated parents whose parent(s) have requested separate cards.
  • Teacher cards

The library that discovers the duplicate-record problem is responsible for handling the records so the problem can get fixed.
When staff notice that there is more than one record for the user in the database, one of the records needs to be marked as a duplicate. How this is done depends on whether or not the user is present.

IF the user is present when the duplicate is noticed:
The user must decide which card he/she will keep. The other card or cards becomes the duplicate(s).
All fines must be paid off on the duplicate card(s), or manually added to the record the patron will be using.
The duplicate record must be edited to add the word DUPLICATE and the library’s initials and a comma before the user’s last name
Example: DUPLICATE NPL, SMITH, JOHN
The duplicate record’s Profile must be changed to REMOVE..
A note must be put in the record.
Example: Duplicate card. Do not use. See other Smith, John, BE ChrisK 10/2/2020.

IF the user is NOT present when the duplicate is noticed and BOTH cards are being used:
Bar both cards.
Put a note in both cards.
Example: Duplicate card. Do not use. See other Smith, John. NE NancyB 10/12/2019.

When patron decides which card to use, change the User Profile of the unused card to REMOVE and UN-Bar both cards. 

IF the user is NOT present when the duplicate is noticed and only one card is being used(ie, has no holds or checkouts):
The duplicate record must be edited to add the word DUPLICATE and the library’s initials and a comma before the user’s last name
Example: DUPLICATE NPL, SMITH, JOHN
The duplicate record’s Profile must be changed to REMOVE.This prevents the patron from using it again.
A note must be put in the record.
Example: Duplicate card. Do not use. See other Smith, John, BE ChrisK 10/2/2020.
If money is owed on the INACTIVE card, either waive/forgive them or re-create the bills on the active card and add a bill note. You can use the bill type of OLDFINE, or MISC. 

User profile of REMOVE
When the library has determined that a card will no longer be used, change the profile to REMOVE and make sure it is not barred, so that reports can be used to get the record out of the database.

Multiple Email addresses

A user can have more than one email address in his/her record.  Both addresses go in the email field.

Separate the two addresses with a comma, and no space:

Image of User Address with two emails, with a comma between the emails

Removing user-database records, Deceased, Moved, etc.

Procedure—Updated 2/19/2024 by Karla Smith

The database records do not get removed immediately from the database. But they should be edited promptly if you know that the patron will no longer be using their card.

Deceased patrons:

1) CATALOG:   Log into the catalog as the patron and go to their Favorite Author Tab.  Click "Uncheck All" and then Submit at the bottom of the page.

2) WORKFLOWS:

  • Add the word DECEASED and a comma before the last name of the user.
    Example: DECEASED, DOE, JOHN M
  • Change the User Profile to REMOVE.   
  • Do NOT set the patron record to BARRED.
  • Remove all holds.
  • Decide whether you plan to try to recover any material they have checkedout, or any $$ for outstanding bills.
    • If so, print out their list of checkouts/bills. Write their contact info on the printout. Follow up with them manually.
  • Discharge their checkouts & Forgive or Waive their bills.  . 
  • In the address, change the zip code to ????? and remove the Email Address & Phone Number. This will prevent notices from being sent.
  • On the extended Info Tab, enter a note to indicate which library made the change and the date of the change:
    Example: OPL-Deceased. Do not use. --OS, MattS, 6/24/2020

Be sure to save the changes after making the edits.

Patrons who have moved, are inactive, have requested to be removed:

1) CATALOG:   Log into the catalog as the patron and go to their Favorite Author Tab.  Click "Uncheck All" and then Submit at the bottom of the page.

2) WORKFLOWS:

  • Add the word REMOVE and a comma before the last name of the user.
  • Example: REMOVE, DOE, JOHN M
  • Change the User Profile to REMOVE.   
  • Do NOT set the patron record to BARRED.
  • Remove all holds.
  • Decide whether you plan to try to recover any material they have checkedout, or any $$ for outstanding bills.
    • If so, print out their list of checkouts/bills. Write their contact info on the printout. Follow up with them manually.​
  • Discharge their checkouts & Forgive/Waive their bills.
  • On the extended Info Tab, enter a note to indicate which library made the change and the date of the change:
    • Example: OPL-Moved. Do not use. --OS, BeckyS, 6/24/2004

Be sure to save the changes after making the edits.

Periodically, reports are run to remove older, unused records from the database, including the ones for deceased patrons.

DENIED patrons:

"DENIED" means they are not allowed to have a card.  It is NOT the same as BARRED--which just means they are prevented from using some services.  Most common usage: a patron applies online for a card but are out of our service area.  You could do nothing and the card will eventually expire after 30 days and the patron will be removed.  However, in the meantime they can be using your online resources (to which their tax dollars don't contribute).  If this concerns you and if want to be able to distinguish these patrons from other patrons being removed, you can use DENIED.

Add the word DENIED and a comma before the last name of the user.

Example: DENIED, DOE, JOHN M

Change the User Profile to REMOVE.   
Do NOT set the patron record to BARRED.
Remove all holds.
On the extended Info Tab, enter a note to indicate which library made the change and the date of the change:

Example: OPL-Denied. Do not use. --OS, BeckyS, 6/24/2004

Be sure to save the changes after making the edits.

Teacher cards and Deposit sites

Teacher Cards

WALS libraries have agreed that when Teacher cards are issued there is to be one card per teacher with one set of rules.
For the user profile of TEACHER:

  • Overdue Threshold:             50 items
  • Bill Threshold:                  $250
  • Charge Limit:                      150 items
  • Hold Limit:                            50 items
  • Billable for lost material:   Yes
  • Holds can be placed for the teacher card.
  • The TEACHER profile is fine exempt.
  • Loan Period:                         28 days with one renewal.
    Overrides can be used to reduce or extend the loan period at checkout depending on the type of material or the policy of the individual library.

These rules are for the checkout of any material at any WALS library.
The loaning library decides what and how much material may be checked out on the card at that library.

The teacher card is to be used for curriculum-related materials, not for personal reading or viewing interests. Problems with delayed return of materials or other abuses are to be handled by conversations with the teacher. Uncorrected abuses will result in cancellation of the card by the library.

The goal is get books into the hands of children and to support teacher that are doing just that. The simplified approach makes it easier for teachers regardless of which library or libraries they use.

Any WALS library can choose to use the teacher card profile to issue a card to a teacher, day care provider, or home-schooler. 

The service the library provides to teachers is separate from the issuing of teacher cards. Each library can determine the level of service provided to teachers. Some libraries pull collections and check things out in advance to speed pick up. Some libraries deliver materials.


Deposit Sites

Some libraries also provide deposit collections to day care centers.   These same rules apply to sites serving any age group.

The rules for any user with the profile of DEPOSIT are:

  • Overdue Threshold:                  50
  • Bill Threshold:                       $500
  • Charge Limit:                          200 items
  • Hold Limit:                                 25 items
  • Billable for unreturned items: NO
    The users with  the DEPOSIT profile are NOT sent notices and are not billed.  The items stay checked out on the DEPOSIT card unless handled individually by the library or removed by Winnefox using a report.
  • Holds can be placed for the deposit collection account.
  • The DEPOSIT profile is fine exempt.
  • Loan Period:                           60 days.
    Overrides can be used to reduce or extend the loan period at checkout depending on the type of material.

Guidelines for entering teacher cards

Before entering a teacher card record in the database, search to make sure a card hasn't already been issued.  There is only one Teacher card per person, regardless of how many libraries the patron uses.

If there is no existing record, enter a new one using the same process as a regular record, with these additional steps:

  • In the Alt ID field, enter the word TEACHER and the last four digits of the library card number
    Example:  A teacher being issued card 1000200300498 would have an Alt ID of TEACHER0498
    • If there’s already an Alt ID with those numbers (ie, the error message “Alternate ID already exists”), then the last five digits of the library card should be used to make the Alt ID unique.
  • Change the profile to TEACHER
  • In the Phone field, enter (T) after the phone number.  This is useful for libraries that call users for holds.
  • (optional, but helpful) In the Extended notes, enter your library abbreviation and the words "Teacher Card."  This helps identify the library that issued the card.   Example: PAPL-Teacher Card

 

Screenshot of sample Teacher Card