When an item goes missing or lost, and does not contain a price in its item record, the system charges the user a default price based on the general Item Type:

Item Categories are used to limit searches in the catalog.  They are also used to generate monthly statistics for libraries.

Item Category 1 is for the broad type of material.

Item Category 2 is for the age/reading level of the material:  ADULT, JUVENILE, or YA-TEEN.

Item Category 3 is for content of the material: FICTION, NONFICTION, or UNKNOWN

Item Category 4 is for how material circulates: whether the item is for CIRCulating,  or for INHOUSE use.  CIRC is for items that leave the building. INHOUSE is for items that do not leave the building and are not counted as circulation for statistics, but are checked out to patrons to keep track of them (ie, an INHOUSE laptop).

The list below shows item home locations sorted by the policy name in WorkFlows.  For most of the locations, the description is what displays in the catalog.  For a few, special programming is used to control the display in the catalog.  This is done especially for items that are local hold.

The ones with the strike through are not available as a selection option when an item is barcoded.  Some are for materials no longer being added to library collections, such as cassettes, and other are for locations used by the system, such as LOST-ASSUM.

An Excel file of the list is available if needed by a library to create  a list of just the locations used by the library.

The list below is sorted by how that location usually displays in the online catalog.  However, for some of the locations, special programming is used to control the display.  This is done especially for items that are local hold.

The ones with the strike through are not available as a selection option when an item is barcoded.  Some are for materials no longer being added to library collections, such as cassettes, and other are for locations used by the system, such as LOST-ASSUM.  Most of the ones that are not available for use start with Z.

Item Types are used to control the circulation of material.  There needs to be a circulation rule for each library for each Item Type in order to circulate an item with that Item Type.  Most of the libraries have a circulation rule for most of the Item Types.  Two exceptions are E-READER and GAMES.  If libraries add these types of material, they should contact Karla Smith smith@winnefox.org to have a circulation rule created.

Use Instructions for Creating Short Records for Electronic Readers to create short bilbiographic and copy records for adding e-Readers (Nook, Kindle, etc.) to the database. 

Currently, the Symphony policies for e-Readers automatically make them local hold.

Procedures for Handling Display Copies of Current Magazines

Checking Out to Magazine-C

To prevent the most recent issues of barcoded magazines from going on hold for users, WALS created a checkout process. This procedure works for libraries that put the newest issues on display until the next issue arrives.
 
The procedure is to check out the newest issues to MAGAZINE-C. When the next issue arrives, check it out and discharge the previous issue.

The user ID is MAGAZINE-C.

Issues checked out to this user display in the catalog as Current Issue, Non-Circulating.

The checkout does not count as circulation.

The due date is NEVER.

Handling In-process Items
June 23, 2014

Because items become Available as soon as they are barcoded, we will use an INPROCESS card to check out items while they are being physically processed.     We are using one card per library so each library can see the items currently in Tech at any given time.

The profile associated with the card is INPROCESS.  That profile is set to not increment the circulation counter.

When an item is checkout out on one of the INPROCESS cards, the current location becomes INPROCESS. 

The item may or may not display in the catalog depending on what get decided.

INPROCESS users:

Newly barcoded items in Tech should be checked out on the library’s INPROCESS card. 

When the item leaves Tech and goes to Circ, Circ should discharge it to make it available.

The document Transferring Titles shows how to transfer copies from one title record to another.

A checkout process is used to withdraw copies from the database.

There is a WITHDRAWN user for each library.  To withdrawn and item, simply check it out to that user.  The withdrawn checkouts do NOT count in the library's circulation. 

When an item is checked out to the libraries WD card, the current location becomes WITHDRAW.  This displays in the catalog as  Item Withdrawn, Unavailable.  

Statiscal reports are run at the twice each year counting everthing checked out on the library's WD card., one report in July for items withdrawn between January and the end of June, and anther in January for  July through December.  The two reports are the count of items withdrawn for the year.   

After the count reports are run, other reports process the items checked out to the WD user, removing them from the database.  If the last copy is removed, the bibliographic record is also removed.  Any copy that can't be removed because of fines is changed to a current location of DISCARD.  These also display in the catalog as Withdrawn, Unavailable.

The ID for the WITHDRAWN users:

WD-BE    Berlin
WD-BR    Brandon
WD-CA    Campbellsport
WD-CO   Coloma
WD-EN   Endeavor
WD-GR   Green Lake
WD-HA    Hancock
WD-KI      Kingston
WD-MA     Markesan
WD-MO    Montello
WD-NE    Neenah
WD-NES  Neshkoro
WD-NF     North Fond du Lac
WD-OA     Oakfield
WD-OM    Omro
WD-OS    Oshkosh
WD-OS2
WD-OS3
WD-OX    Oxford
WD-PA     Packwaukee
WD-PI      Pine RIver
WD-PL     Plainfield
WD-PO    Poy Sippi
WD-PR    Princeton
WD-RE    Redgranite
WD-RI     Ripon
WD-RI2  
WD-WA    Wautoma
WD-WE    Westfield
WD-WI     Wild Rose
WD-WN   WInneconne
WD-WX    WCTS/Winnefox

Circulation Sets.

Circulation Sets are a way of packaging several barcoded items together under 1 “master record” barcode so that they circulate as a set. Oshkosh has been testing this feature since June for their “Storytime in a Bag” sets. The goal was: how to get circ stats for the 5 titles that were in the storytime bag without making staff scan each one.

What they are for:

• They are for libraries that offer services like take-home storytimes, or teacher collections.
• They are for permanent collections that don’t change.
• They are for items that exist in the database and could circulate on their own.
• Tracking circ of multiple items

What they are NOT for:

• Keeping track of the parts of a kit of things*. Ie, parts that wouldn’t circulate except as part of a kit.
• “Set aside” collections for patrons that get created on the fly
• Anything consumable

Pros:

• Scan 1 barcode instead of 5
• If 1 of the member items doesn’t come back it stays on patron’s card.
• Circ stats for each item
• Each member item shows up on the patron’s checkout list in the catalog

Cons:

• Requires OPL Tech to create and maintain (perhaps WCTS at some point) because it involves editing the MARC Record.
• Not flexible—once a set is established, it isn’t easy to change.
• Need to know the title of the master record to find out what all is in the set.
• Can be confusing to patrons:
  • Each member item shows up on the patron’s checkout list (plus the master record).
  • Individual member items appear in public catalog as something patrons can checkout/hold/renew.
  • Unless there are other holdable copies, individual member items are not holdable. In some cases, if the item is CHECKEDOUT, the patron can place the hold, but will never get it.
  • Patrons need to renew each item + the master record/bag individually. This can lead to some items being renewed and some not.
• Staff can’t place holds in WF but can use the catalog to do so(at least until that bug gets fixed)
• Requires/recommends having a circulating copy also so that patrons can place holds

* This could change, with a little more testing. There might be a way to use Circulation Sets for parts….the individual parts would need to be given an Icat4 of INHOUSE (so that they don’t count towards State circ stats), and the items would need to be Shadowed(so that they don’t appear in the catalog). Not sure how that would appear on patron checkout list.

If you are interested in setting up Circulation Sets for something, email Stephanie Thomas <sthomas @ oshkoshpubliclibrary.org>  AND (Melissa Klein or Karla Smith).

Last updated 2-14-2022 by Karla Smith

Short Loan items are materials that are in high demand across the system.  These are titles which have more people waiting on hold than copies in the system to fill the holds.  Each Monday a report is emailed to each library with a spreadsheet indicating which items need to be set to SHORTLOAN or removed from SHORTLOAN. This spreadsheet has 2 tabs: 1) for items to put on SHORTLOAN, and 2) Items to take off of SHORTLOAN.  "Putting on" or "taking off" items from SHORTLOAN is accomplished by changing the item's Item Type. 

Setting Items to SHORTLOAN

Log in to WorkFlows

1. Go to Barcoding-->Global Item Modification
2. Use the dropwdown to change the Item Type to SHORTLOAN
3. Make sure the rest of the fields say "Will not be modified."
4. Scan, or cut-n-paste, the barcode into the Item ID: field

   5. Click "Modify" at the bottom of the screen.

Taking an Item Off SHORTLOAN

Once the holds have been filled or more copies have been purchased it is time to undo the process above.  Follow the exact same steps as above, except change the Item Type to match whatever circulation rule reflects that item--BOOK, NEWBOOK, CD-BOOK, etc. 

Be careful NOT to change any field other than Item Type! 

Library of Things Sub-Series CheatSheet