Revision as of 09:38, 25 April 2013

Circulation Related Procedures

Cards 101

Application Card Instructions ..101.1

Application Card Updates/Changes ...101.2

If a patron already has a card and wishes to do one of the following he/she needs only fill out the signature and date section of a new application card:

Add a proxy
Add internet access to a juvenile card
Get a replacement card due to a damaged card or a card that will not scan (Staff are to fill out the No. section, print the patron’s name on top left of application card, and write the current expiration date on the new application card.)

If a patron already has a card, the following is a list for which the patron needs to fill out a whole new application card:

Lost card
Expired Card
Address/Phone Number Change
Name Change
Patron Type Change

The following are the only statements that staff may write on the top front of the application card:

1st, 2nd, 3rd Replacement
Proxy Only
Internet Only
Update Expired
Address Change
Name Change
Patron Type Change (J to A, A to O)
Damaged Card

Issuing ...101.3

Step 1 – the Temporary Card

Patrons will initially be issued a Temporary Card that will be valid for 30 days and will allow the patron to have a total of three items checked out at any given time.

A. Patrons 18 and older must present proper identification: valid picture I.D. listing date of birth and current address. Social security number is optional. Patron must complete a yellow Application Card. If a patron cannot write, he or she may make an X and someone else, including staff, may complete the card.

B. Children under 18 must have the signature of a custodial parent or legal guardian. (Parent or guardian must present picture I.D. and a piece of personal mail postmarked within the past two weeks). If the parent or legal guardian already has a card, it must be in good standing (fines under $5.00) for the juvenile to get a card. The parent must complete the juvenile Application Card. If the parent legal guardian does not have a card, staff should offer them the opportunity to apply for a library card. Both the juvenile and the responsible party must be present when the card is issued.

C. If the patron has a temporary address such as a shelter, campground, hotel, or rehabilitation center, borrowing privileges will be limited to a maximum of three (3) items at any given time until the patron is able to provide proof of permanent address. A patron in this situation may renew his/her temporary card for a maximum of ninety (90) days. If a permanent address has not been obtained by the end of the 90-day period, borrowing privileges will be suspended. Please note that this is the only situation in which a temporary card may be renewed in this manner.

D. Patron must fill out an Address Verification Postcard with their name and current address. Check to make sure the address on the postcard matches the address provided on the Application Card. The Address Verification Postcard will be mailed to the patron. The patron will be issued a Permanent Library Card once he/she presents the postmarked card to the Circulation Desk.

E. Procedure for issuing the Temporary Card:

Check the patron’s name in the Circulation Database to determine that the patron does not already have an account. If no account exists, continue the process of issuing a Temporary Card. If the patron already has an account, the following rules apply:

a. If a patron needs a replacement for a temporary card, and he/she is in good standing, a replacement temporary card may be obtained for a fee of $1.00 for the first replacement and $5.00 for the 2nd replacement and every one after that. The patron must pay any utstanding fines before the replacement card can be issued.

b. Items must be returned and all fines must be paid before a new card can be issued.

c. A new application card and Address Verification Postcard must be filled out for replacement temporary cards.

Create patron account using a temporary library card.
Have the patron address the Address Verification Postcard and return it to you.
Verify that the addresses on the application and the postcard are the same.
Write the patron’s name, library location, and expiration date on a temporary card. Explain to the patron how the new card process works including the limit of a total of three (3) items checked out system wide at any one time.
File the application cards alphabetically by the patron’s last name in the New Card bin.
The patron will receive a permanent library card and full borrowing privileges upon returning the postmarked postcard and photo identification to the location where he/she applied for the card. The patron must return the temporary card so that staff may shred and discard it.

Step 2 – The Permanent Card

A. The Permanent Card will be made when the postmarked Address Verification Postcard is presented by the patron.

B. Accurately record all information into the Circulation Database.

Verify the spelling of the patron's name. Include Jr. Sr. I, II, etc.
Verify that the birth date is present and has been recorded accurately in circulation.
If a social security number is provided, verify its accuracy in circulation. Also be sure the social security number is listed in the alternate I.D. field.
All patron records should have a type, A-adult or J-juvenile.
All patron records must indicate a gender.
Verify that the address and phone number are present and recorded accurately in circulation. If patron does not have a phone, make sure the phone field states "NO PHONE."
If a proxy is listed on the application card, check that the proxy has been recorded in the field in circulation.
Verify that all information on the patron record is in CAPITAL LETTERS and that no periods have been used in the name or address.
If the card is a replacement card verify that the 1st or 2nd replacement card has been marked in the patron record.
If the patron is a juvenile verify that his/her responsible party is listed.
When making a juvenile card, go to the “Patron Record”, “Basic Info” tab and scan the guardian's barcode in the “responsible party” field. Then click on the set button and then click on “save.” If the “responsible party” does not have a PPL library card, offer to make one for him/her. Please note that a “responsible party” is not required to have a PPL library card in order to sign as the “responsible party” for a juvenile. After issuing a permanent library card, the clerk should inform the patron how many items can be checked out at one time. The limit is 25 items total per card. There is a limit of 5 videos (system wide) per ADULT card. A list of library hours should also be given to the patron.
When the Permanent Card is issued, the Temporary Card must be destroyed.

C. If the Address Verification Postcard is returned with a bad address notice:

a. Verify that the information was entered correctly

b. Block the patron’s account

c. The patron must complete a new Address Verification Postcard

d. A permanent card will not be issued until a valid Address Verification Postcard is presented

Expired - Almost Expired ...101.4

Expired adult account – patron needs to show valid picture I.D. and must complete new application card for renewal. Expired juvenile account - responsible party must complete new application card for juvenile.
- Staff must write “Update Expired” at the top front of the new application card. (See section 101.2).
Almost expired - treat like a current card; Adult – patron needs to show valid picture I.D. and verbally verify information. Juvenile - patron can verbally verify information after providing date of birth or phone number.

Replacement ........101.5

If a patron needs a replacement card, the patron must present valid picture I.D. with current address and date of birth and fill out a new application card.

If the old card is still in good standing the patron must pay $1.00 for 1st replacement and $5.00 for the 2nd (3rd, 4th, etc.) replacement card. This replacement fee must be paid before issuing replacement card.
All fines must be paid and all overdue items returned before issuing a replacement card.
Staff must write 1st, 2nd, or 3rd Replacement on the top front of the new application card. (See Section 101.2) The replacement number also needs to be marked in the “Patron Fields” tab in the “replacement card” value of the “Patron Record” tab.

The patron must pay for a lost card, except for a stolen purse/wallet, fire, tornado, flood, etc. staff should do the following:

Ask for police report, fire report, insurance claim, etc.
Upon viewing report staff do not charge for replacement card or mark replacement in “Patron Fields.”
If stolen, staff must type in comment area in the “Basic Info” tab “CARD STOLEN (279770005604023) 6/10/04 EB/NB.” in capital letters. This ensures that another person will not use the card.

Check in Date – Overriding ..102.1

The override check in date/time button should be used after a holiday/closing and while checking in the morning book drop. To override the check in date do the following:

Check/click the "Override Check In Date/Time" box.
Enter the override password.
The check in box will turn red.
Enter the last date open. (06/17/2004). The year must be 4 digits.
Enter the time as 8:00 a.m.

To turn off the override check in date, uncheck the “Override Check In Date/Time checkbox

Fines ........103

Amounts/Limits .103.1

Agency -$10.00 (Can only be waived by the Director)

Book Drop - $1.00

Copies - $0.10 a page

Damaged - $3.00 or Price of the item (see 106.5)

Disks - $1.00 for Floppy Disk, $15.00 for Zip Disk

Fax - PER PAGE $2.00 to send, $1.00 to receive, $6.00 to send outside the U.S.

ILL - $5.00 for non-pickup, $1.00 a day overdue, $50.00 plus price of item for lost,$3.00 for missing white band and bar code (see section 105.1 subsection I)

Lost - Price of the item

Overdue - $0.10 a day, $1.00 day for Videos/DVDs

Replacement Card - $1.00 for First Replacement, $5.00 thereafter

The maximum fine balance for an adult card is $5.00.

The maximum fine balance for a juvenile card is $3.00.

Accidental Waive/Tender ....103.2

If a fine is accidentally waived/tendered, the employee needs to initial the receipt and have their supervisor or the lead person initial it. A note should be left in the moneybag or cash drawer explaining that the deposit will be short and by what amount. Do not reenter the fine.

Fine Code Explanations .......103.3

A - Agency - For Collection Agency charges
BD - Book Drop - For videos being placed in the book drop
CP - Copies - For payment of printouts
D - Damaged - For damaged item charges
DISK - Disks - For floppy or zip disk purchase
FX - Fax - Fax charges
ILL - Interlibrary Loan - Charges related to ILL items
L - Lost - If an item is lost and charged to a patron’s account
LH - Local History - Fees for research, etc. in the Local History Department
M - Misc. - For discarded items, bad check charges, plastic book bags
OV - Overdue - For item overdue charges
RC - Replacement Card - For replacement card charges

Paying with a Check ............103.4

Checks must be made out to Portsmouth Public Library
The staff member who accepts the check must put their initials and branch initials on the upper left hand corner of the front of the check.
Staff members who accept checks must endorse the check by stamping it with the Portsmouth Public Library stamp.
The check should then be placed in the money bag/cash drawer.

Tendering ...........103.5

Always offer the patron a receipt upon completion of a transaction.
If a patron wishes to pay a fine click on the “charges” tab of the patron record.
If the patron wishes to pay for the whole account balance, be certain that the exact amount being tendered is visible in the “amount to tender” box, and then click on the “balloon pay/waive” button.
If the patron wishes to only pay for some of their charges, click an item the patron wishes to pay on in the “All charges for current patron” box when that item is highlighted, enter the amount he/she wishes to pay (if it is not the full amount) in the “Tender” box on the right side of the charges tab, then click the “individual pay/waive.” Repeat this for each item the patron wishes to pay for.
If a patron wants to pay for a certain amount but not the whole amount or on any specific item, then enter the amount to be paid in the “amount to tender” box, and click the “balloon pay/waive” button.

Waiving ..............103.6

Only a supervisor or staff member with an override password may waive fines.
Reasons for waiving, a fine include: Items found on the shelf, accidental charge, items checked out on a card that is almost expired, benefit of the doubt. Remember reasons for waiving a fine are at the discretion of your direct supervisor.
When waiving an account balance click on the charges tab of the patron’s record.
If you wish to waive the whole account balance, then click in the “amount to waive” box in the “patron’s total balance” section (make sure the “amount to tender” box contains 0.00) enter the total to be waived. Then click the “balloon pay/waive” button. Put the receipt in the money drawer/bag. (The receipt needs to be paper-clipped to the fines report and sent to the Deputy Clerk Treasurer.)

Holds .......104

Calling Patrons....104.1

Email Address Information ..104.2

If a patron would like to be contacted via email with holds notifications and overdue notices, he/she may add his/her email address to his/her circulation account.

To add an email address to a circulation account, go to the patron's account and click on patron record. Type the address in the email field and click SAVE. Next, go to the patron's phone number field. Beside the patron's phone number add /email. For example, the patron's phone number field will now read 555-5555/email. This allows staff to know a patron has been notified by email when a holds slip is printed and they do not need to call him/her again.

When a hold arrives for a patron that has been notified via email simply put it on the holds shelf for 3 days.

Explained ...........104.3

ILL – Explained .................105.1

Item .........106

Adding On-The-Fly ..............106.1

It is the procedure of PPL to add any item to the fly that a patron may present for check out regardless of condition. Staff must then place a recall message on the item so the item is sent directly to the Cataloging department at check in and not returned to the shelves.

NOTE: Items can also be added on the fly by accessing the Item/Title information (F4) tab of the circulation system.

The following information will need to be added in ALL CAPS TO AID IN INDICATING THE ITEM IS ON-THE-FLY.

Under Title Information complete the following fields:

Title
Author
Format (choose one from drop-down menu)

Under Item Information complete the following fields:

Call# Class (call number of item or type in FIC, BIOGRAPHY, etc.)
Cutter (first 3 letters or author or title entry)
Owning location (choose from drop-down menu)
Coll (choose from drop-down menu)
Price

Check in .............106.2

Prior to check in, always review all materials internally and externally.
- If you are checking in book drop items, you need to override the check in date (see Section 102.1).
- If there are damages do not check item in and give the item to one of the following: Branch Manager, Extension Services Coordinator, Youth Services Coordinator, Circulation Supervisor, or Audiovisual Supervisor.
Clean the item(s) if needed.

Check out ...........106.3

All patrons must present a valid library card in order to check out.
Adult patrons may present a current valid picture ID in order check out, 1 time
- Checking out with a valid picture ID is noted in the comment field (ex: Used id 2/14/03 ERB).
- The comment is erased the next time the patron checks out using their library card.
If a juvenile patron does not present a card, he or she may check out after verifying their address, phone number or date of birth.
- If juvenile cannot verify any information then a parent or legal guardian must be present to verify the information.
After scanning a patron card, scan each item while watching the screen to ensure that the items check out properly.
Make the patron aware of all fines and overdue items.
Offer patron a print out of fines and overdue items.
Take security off if needed.
Always tell patrons when their videos are due and what time the library closes.
If problems arise during check out, please ask supervisor for assistance.

Check out Limitations ..........106.4

Check out limit is 25 items total
Only 5 DVDs/videos (System wide, not per location)
Only 3 ILLs
Juvenile patrons may not check out DVDs or Videos
Homebound patrons may not check items out and any library location.
The limit on overdue items is three (3). If the patron has four (4) he/she will not be able to check out any more items. (See section 103.1)

Damage/Repair ...106.5

If a patron returns an item that has been damaged or needs repaired DO NOT CHECK THE ITEM IN. The item should be given to the branch manager or the patron accounts manager with a note taped to the front of the item that states the date the item was returned, a short description of the damage, the patrons name, the words NOT CHECKED IN, and the staff members initials.

The branch manager/patron accounts manager will determine if the item has been damaged and needs to be charged to the patron’s account or if the item simply needs repaired with no charge to the patron.

If an item is found in poor condition on the shelf and not currently checked out that item may be given to the branch manager or adult reference with a note that describes the condition (ex. spine loose), the date, and the staff member’s initials.

Donations............106.6

In Transit ............106.7

Items that are in transit to other locations are placed in rounds. An item will have the status of "T" (transit) when it is on hold and needs to be pulled from the shelf, belongs to another location, or is a new item coming from cataloging. Rounds are picked up at every location and taken to the needed locations. When placing items in rounds make sure you do the following:

Bind a maximum of three items together with a rubber band.
Use the appropriate slip (routing or recall - always initial recall slips).
Items being sent to cataloging must have the supervisor's initials and date.
Make sure the crate is clearly labeled with its destination.

Lost ...106.8

When checking in Lost or Missing items the catalog is updated but the patron's record is not. Upon check in the Lost or Missing item will change from a Lost (L) or Missing (M) status to an In (I) status in the system but the patron record continues to show the returned item as Lost and charges the patron for the item.

Non-Supervisors

When checking in, if a message appears stating, that the "item has been previously indicated as Lost or Missing," please notify your supervisor immediately.
- If your supervisor is not available and the patron wishes to pay his or her fines, please call a supervisor from another location. After the items have been paid for, please fill out an Items Marked Lost and Paid form. This form is faxed to the Reference Department.
- If the items are returned in the book drop, or the patron does not wish to pay his or her fine at that current time, please fill out a Returned Lost Item Log Sheet. The information needed to fill out the sheet is the title, author (if any), barcode number, patron's name, library card barcode, and date returned. All this information comes from the returned item and the check in screen. Please hold the items being returned and give to supervisor with the "Returned Lost Item Log Sheet".
When checking out and a message appears stating, "Lost or Missing," check item out but please write down the title and barcode on the "Returned Lost Item Log Sheet." On this sheet also state the item was "FOUND ON SHELF."

Supervisors

Supervisors need to determine the due date of the item and count the number of days overdue. As the Library's policy states, any overdue item will incur a fine of 10 cents per day. This does not include videos, which are $1.00 per day. Please note to count all days including Sundays and holidays per the policy manual (Charges for overdue and lost books section). You may roughly estimate that overdue fines are $3.00 a month for all items except videos. For example, if an item is overdue approximately 4 months, the item will have $12.00 in fines.
- If the amount of fines equal or exceed the cost of the item, the cost of the item will be the amount of fines.
- If the overdue fines are less than the cost of the item, waive the difference (while the item is in the Lost (L) status).
After waiving, change the comment to read "NR returned on MM/DD/YY" Also include staff initials, and change the status code from Lost (L) to Overdue (OV).
On the waive slip, write "Lost item returned, waived difference between cost and fines." Initial the waive slip.
After the items have been paid for, please fill out an Items Marked Lost and Paid form. This form is faxed to the Reference department.

Problem Checking out/SQL Error on Check out ...........106.9

This situation generally occurs when trying to check out/in an item that is on hold. If you are unable to resolve the problem write your name, the patron’s barcode (if applicable), location, and the exact error message/description of problem; tape it to the book and send it to the Technology Coordinator.

Renewing ...........106.10

Long Overdue – Explained 107.1

Messages – Explained ........108.1

PIN – Issuing ....109.1

Proxy – Authorization ........110.1

Other Procedures

Accident Form ..200.1

Incident Form ...201.1

Bank Deposit ....202.1

Computer .203

Filter Guidelines/Disabling ..203.1

Patron Sign up ....203.2

Patron Suspension/Viewing of Inappropriate Material ..203.3

Donations (Monetary).........204.1

Golden Buckeye Cards .......205.1

Internet permission for patrons under the age of 18 ....206.1

Ohio Kids Cards .................207.1

Panic Button Use/Testing ...208.1

Phone Operations/Answering ..............209.1

Reserves Database...............210.1

Sick Line .211.1

Teacher Cards ...212.1

Unattended Child ...............213.1

Voter Registration ..............214.1

Report Procedures

Expired Holds ...300.1

Lost ..........300.2

Transit .....300.3

General Information

Holding Code List ..............400.1

Web Addresses .400.2

Updating a Procedure..........400.3

@@ Line 288: / Line 288: @@
 ======Problem Checking out/SQL Error on Check out ...........106.9======
+This situation generally occurs when trying to check out/in an item that is on hold. If you are unable to resolve the problem write your name, the patron’s barcode (if applicable), location, and the exact error message/description of problem; tape it to the book and send it to the Technology Coordinator.
 ======Renewing  ...........106.10======

Procedure Manual