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Home → Circulation in Evergreen → Printer Friendly Version

Circulation in Evergreen

This is a living document that incorporates many elements of Evergreen Community Documentation under Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode) and is available to share under the same license.
  • 1. Useful Resources
    • 1.1. NC Cardinal resources
    • 1.2. External Resources
    • 1.3. Circulation Training Module
    • 1.4. Glossary of Common Terminology for Evergreen and NC Cardinal
  • 2. Checking Items Out
    • 2.1. Check Out
    • 2.2. Checking Out Open Circulations
    • 2.3. Email Checkout Receipts
    • 2.4. Pre-Cat Checkouts
    • 2.5. Changing Due Dates
    • 2.6. Renewing Items
    • 2.7. In-House Use
  • 3. Checking Items In
    • 3.1. Check In
    • 3.2. Backdating Checkins
    • 3.3. Checkin Modifiers
  • 4. Item Management for Circulators
    • 4.1. Item Attributes for Circulators
    • 4.2. Editing Shelving Locations
    • 4.3. Changing the Item Status
    • 4.4. Editing Call Numbers
    • 4.5. The Item Status Screen
    • 4.6. Item Alerts
    • 4.7. Marking Items Missing or Damaged
    • 4.8. Long Overdue Items
    • 4.9. Claims Returned Items
    • 4.10. Lost Items
    • 4.11. Item Inventory
  • 5. Booking Module
    • 5.1. Creating a Booking Reservation
    • 5.2. Reservation Pull List
    • 5.3. Capturing Items for Reservation
    • 5.4. Picking up Reservations
    • 5.5. Returning Reservations
    • 5.6. Canceling a Reservation

1. Useful Resources

1.1. NC Cardinal resources

Niche Academy

Self-Paced Modules

The NC Cardinal Circulation Training unit is made up of 8 lessons focused on basic Circulation functions and workflows. Topics include Circulation Policies, Checking Items Out, Checking Items In, Renewals, Non-Standard Circulations, Managing Items from teh Item Status Screen, Chanigng Barcodes, and Managing Items from the Patron Account.

 

1.2. External Resources

Training Resources from other Consortia

Evergreen Indiana Circulation video playlist

BC Libraries Cooperative/Sitka "Viewing Your Circulation Policies"

Additional Training Resources

ABLE Collection Development and Public Services sequences: http://libraries.idaho.gov/page/able

Youth Services sequences and other special handling sequences: http://libraries.idaho.gov/page/library-learning-online

CREW weeding method: https://www.tsl.texas.gov/ld/pubs/crew/index.html

Evergreen web client documentation: http://docs.evergreen-ils.org/reorg/3.2/circulation/

Evergreen Conference Presentations

Patron Exceeds Fine Threshold: An End-User Look at Patron Billing Presented by Dawn Dale, PINES Helpdesk Manager, Georgia Public Library Service and Erica Rohlfs, Education Librarian, Equinox Software (2014 Evergreen Conference) 

 

1.3. Circulation Training Module

NC Cardinal Circulation Training

NC Cardinal has a 3-part circulation training series in Niche Academy that new staff and staff at migrating libraries may find useful. Staff will be required to register in Niche Academy to access the training.

1.4. Glossary of Common Terminology for Evergreen and NC Cardinal

Glossary of Terms

AACR2 (Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules, Second Edition): AACR2 is a set of cataloging rules for descriptive cataloging of various types of resources.  http://www.aacr2.org/

Acquisitions: Processes related to ordering materials and managing expenditures.

Age-hold protection: Allows libraries to prevent holds on newly cataloged materials (on an item-by-item basis) from outside the owning library's branch or system for a designated amount of time.

Authority record: Records used to codify and control the contents of MARC fields.

Balance stop percent: A setting in acquisitions that prevents staff from making purchases when only a specified percentage of the fund remains.

Barcode: The code/number attached to an item or patron record.  This is not the database ID. Barcodes are added to items to facilitate the checking in and out of an item. Barcodes can be changed as needed. Physical barcodes that can be placed on items can follow several different barcode symbologies.

Bibliographic record: The record that contains MARC data about a work, such as title, author, and copyright date.

Billing types: Various categories of system-generated and staff-applied billing.

Booking: Processes relating to reserving cataloged and non-bibliographic items.

Buckets: This is a container of items. See also Record Buckets and Item Buckets.

Call number: A brief string of letters and or numbers used to provide identifying information about an item.

Call number record (sometimes also called volume record): One or more item records may be attached to a call number record.

Catalog: The database of titles and objects

Cataloging: The process of adding materials to be circulated to the system.

Check-in: The process of returning an item.

Check-out: The process of loaning an item to a patron.

Circulation: The process of loaning an item to an individual.

Circulating library: The library which has checked out the item.

Circulation library: The library which is the home of the item.

Circulation limit sets: Refines circulation policies by limiting the number of items that users can check out.

Circulation modifiers: Circulation modifiers pull together Loan Duration, Renewal Limit, Fine Level, Max Fine, and Profile Permission Group to create circulation rules for different types of materials. Circulation Modifiers are also used to determine Hold Policies.

Claims Returned: A fine stop reason in Evergreen, not an item status. The item status of the item that the patron claimed to return is still Checked out, which means it is still OPAC visible and holdable, and will remain on the patron account (not accruing fines or changing to Lost status) until the item is Checked in.

Closed Dates Editor: Used to specify dates within a library’s normal hours of operation in which the library is closed for a special reason. Ex: Holidays, staff workdays.

Community: In the open-source world of software development, community refers to the users and developers who communicate and collaborate to develop and enhance software.

Consortium: A consortium is an organization of two or more individuals, companies, libraries, consortiums, etc. formed to undertake an enterprise beyond the resources of any one member.

Consortial Library System (CLS): An ILS designed to run a consortium. A CLS is designed for resource sharing between all members of the consortium, it provides a union catalog for all items in the consortium.

Copy: see Item

Default search library: The default search library setting determines what library is searched from the advanced search screen and portal page by default. Manual selection of a search library will override it.

Distribution formulas: Used to specify the number of copies that should be distributed to specific branches and item locations in Acquisitions.

Due date: The date on or before which an item must be returned to the library (usually to avoid being charged an overdue fine).

Electronic Data Interchange (EDI): Transmission of data between organizations using electronic means. Used for Acquisitions.

Evergreen: Evergreen is an open-source ILS designed to handle the processing of a geographically dispersed, resource sharing library network.

FIFO (First In First Out): In a FIFO environment, holds are filled in the order that they are placed.

Fund tags: Tags used in acquisitions to allow you to group Funds.

Funding sources: Sources of the monies to fund acquisitions of materials.

Funds: Allocations of money used for purchases.

FRBR (Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records): See https://www.loc.gov/cds/downloads/FRBR.PDF [Library of Congress FRBR documentation]

Hatch: A additional program that is installed as an extension of your browser to extend printing functionality with Evergreen.

Hold: The exclusive right for a patron to checkout a specific item.

Hold boundaries: Define which organizational units are available to fill specific holds.

Holdings Import Profile: Identifies the Import Item Attributes definition.

Holding subfield: Used in the acquisitions module to map subfields to the appropriate item data.

ILS (Integrated Library System): The Integrated Library System is a set of applications which perform the business and technical aspects of library management, including but not exclusive to acquisitions, cataloging, circulation, and booking.

ILL (Inter-Library Loan): Inter-Library Loan is the process of one library borrowing materials for a patron from another library (outside the shared consortium).

Import item attributes: Used to map the data in your holdings tag to fields in the item record during a MARC import.

Insufficient quality fall-through profile: A back-up merge profile to be used for importing if an incoming record does not meet the standards of the minimum quality ratio.

ISBN (International Standard Book Number): A publisher product number that has been used in the book supply industry since 1968. A published book that is a separate product gets its own ISBN. ISBNs are either 10 digits or 13 digits long. They may contain information on the country of publication, the publisher, title, volume, or edition of a title.

ISSN (International Standard Serial Number): A unique 8-digit number assigned by the International Serials Data System to identify a specific serial title.

Item: The actual item.

Item barcode: A unique identification number for each item in the catalog.

Item buckets: A contained list of item records upon which actions may be performed in batch.

Item Status: A core Evergreen feature that provides a great deal of information about a barcoded item linked to both the title record and recent patron activity involving the item.

Juvenile flag: A setting used to specify whether a user is a juvenile for circulation purposes.

KPAC (Kids' OPAC): Alternate, simplified version of the OPAC that is child-friendly.

LaunchPad: LaunchPad is an open source suite of tools that help people and teams to work together on software projects. LaunchPad brings together bug reports, wishlist ideas, translations, and blueprints for future development of Evergreen. https://launchpad.net/evergreen

LCCN (Library of Congress Control Number): A system of numbering catalog records at the Library of Congress.

Loan duration (loan period): The length of time a given type of material can circulate.

MARC (Machine Readable Cataloging): Standards for the representation and communication of bibliographic and related information in machine-readable form.

MARC batch export: A process of mass exporting copies of MARC records from Evergreen.

MARC batch import: A process of mass importing MARC records into Evergreen.

Match score: Indicates the relative importance of specified match points as Evergreen compares an incoming record to an existing record.

Metarecord: Compilation of individual bibliographic records that represent the same work (possibly in different formats). This compilation allows for several records to be represented on a single line on the search results page and allows the broadest number of potential copies to fill a patron hold for the first available copy of selected formats.

Minimum quality ratio: Used to set the acceptable level of quality for a record to be imported.

Monograph parts: A means of providing additional granularity within bibliographic records, primarily to enable patrons to place holds on individual parts of a set of differing items encompassed by the same published title.

NC Cardinal: A consortium of North Carolina libraries that share a single Evergreen catalog and transit materials between member libraries to fulfill patron hold requests.

Non-cataloged: Items that are not cataloged within Evergreen.

Non-cataloged Types Editor: A means of defining circulation rules for non-cataloged items.

OPAC (Online Public Access Catalog): An online interface to the database of a library's holdings, used to find resources in their collections. It is possibly searchable by keyword, title, author, subject or call number. The public side of the catalog.

Organizational units (Org Unit): Organizational Units are the specific instances of the organization unit types that make up your library's hierarchy. They should be the proper names for libraries and will be visible to patrons in the OPAC.  Ex: Main Street Branch, Townsville Campus

Organization unit type: The organization types in the hierarchy of a library system.

Overlay/merge profiles: During a MARC import this is used to identify which fields should be replaced, which should be preserved, and which should be added to the record.

Owning library: The library branch to which an item’s call number record is attached (usually the purchasing library).

Parent organizational unit: An organizational unit one level higher in the hierarchy; policies may be inherited by its child units.

Parts: see Monograph Parts

Patron: A user of the ILS. Patrons in Evergreen can include both library staff and public users.

Patron barcode/account/library card number: A unique identification number assigned to each patron used to label and retrieve their library account.

Permission groups: A grouping of permissions granted to a group of individuals, i.e. patrons, cataloging, circulation, administration. Permission Groups also set the depth and grantability of permissions.

Pickup library: Library designated as the location where requested material is to be picked up.

Preferred Library: The library that is used to show items and URIs regardless of the library searched.  It is recommended to set this to your Workstation library so that local copies always show up first in search results.

Print templates: Templates that Evergreen uses to print various receipts and tables.

Printer settings: Settings in Evergreen for selected printers which may utilize HATCH functionality.

 Propagate funds: Create a new fund for the following fiscal year with the same parameters as the current fund.

Providers: Vendors from whom a library orders materials. Set in the Acquisition module.

Purchase Order (PO): A document issued by a buyer to a vendor, indicating types, quantities, and prices of materials.

Quality metrics: A mechanism for Evergreen to measure the quality of records and to make importing decisions based on quality. 

RDA (Resource Description & Access): A set of cataloging standards and guidelines based on FRBR and FRAD. RDA is the successor for AACR2. http://rdatoolkit.org/

Record bucket: A contained list of bibliographic records upon which actions may be performed in batch.

Record match sets: When importing records, this identifies how Evergreen should match incoming records to existing records in the system.

Recurring fine: The term for daily or other regularly accruing overdue fines.

Register Patron: The process of creating a new patron account within Evergreen.

Rollover: Used to roll over remaining encumbrances and funds into the same fund the following year.

SAN (Standard Address Number): An identification code for electronic communication within the publishing industry.

Shelving location: The area within the library where a given item is shelved.

SIP (Standard Interchange Protocol): A communications protocol used within Evergreen for transferring data to and from third-party devices, such as RFID and barcode scanners that handle patron and library material information. Version 2.0 (also known as "SIP2") is the current standard.

Staff client: The graphical user interface used by library workers to interact with the Evergreen system. Staff use the staff client to access administration, acquisitions, circulation, and cataloging functions.

Standing penalties: Serve as limiters when patron activity meets certain criteria, commonly a specified amount of overdue items or fines. Standing penalty blocks will prevent circulation and hold transactions. 

Statistical categories (stat cats): Used to label select patrons and holdings for record-keeping purposes.

Transit: The movement of items between libraries, usually to fulfill patron hold requests.

URI (Universal Resource Identifier): A string of characters that identify a logical or physical resource. Examples are URL and URN.

URL (Universal Resource Locator): The web address used to access a resource.

URN (Universal Resource Number): A standard number to identify a resource. Examples of URNs are ISBN, ISSN, and UPC.

UPC (Universal Product Code): A unique barcoded number assigned to an item by the manufacturer.

Wiki: The Evergreen Wiki can be found at https://wiki.evergreen-ils.org and is a knowledge base of information about Evergreen.

Workstation: The unique name associated with a specific computer and library branch.

Z39.50: An international standard client/server protocol for communication between computer systems, primarily library and information related systems.

 

2. Checking Items Out

2.1. Check Out

Checking Out Regular Items


On This Page

Staff can check out materials to patrons from the Check Out tab in the patron account. After checking out all requested items, clicking the Done button will trigger a receipt.


Navigating to the Checkout Interface

All checkouts happen from with the patron's account. Staff can access the checkout interface in the patron's account through three routes:

  • Click Check Out Items from the Circulation and Patrons toolbar on the home page, or select Check Out from the Circulation drop down menu.
    Check Out is the first option listed in the Circulation dropdown menu.
  • Locate the Checkout icon and link on teh spalsh page
  • Look up the patron by name or other identifying details in the Patron Seach. You can access the patron search from the search menu.
 

Checking Out Items

Once you've navigated to the checkout interface:
  1. Scan or enter patron’s barcode and click Submit if entering barcode manually. If scanning, number is submitted automatically. (If searching for the patron using the patron search, enter their details and select the correct person from the results grid.)
    Patron Barcode field
  2. This will take you into the patrons account. If there are alearts on the account, click on the tab labeled Check Out after addressing any alerts that may impact the patron's ability to borrow materials.
  3. In teh Check Out tab, scan or enter item barcode manually, clicking Submit if manual.
    Item barcode field under Check Out tab in patron account
  4. The Item will appear in the grid below the barcode field.
  5. Continue to scan or enter barcodes until all requested material has been checked out.
  6. When all items are scanned, click the Done button to generate slip receipt or trigger an email receipt if requested. This will exit the patron record if not printing slip receipts.
 

2.2. Checking Out Open Circulations

Open Circulation Already Exists


On This Page

If patrons find items on the shelf that weren't properly checked in, staff can process the checkout and check the item in from the riginal transaction at the same time from the patron's checkout screen,


If a patron brings an item to the desk to check out that is already checked out by a different patron, the circulation will initially fail with the following error message:
"There is an open circulation on the requested item. This item was checked out by another patron on MM/DD/YYYY."

Proceeding with Checkout

In most cases, you should proceed to check the item out to the patron. This situation typically arises when the item was found on the shelf after not being checked in properly by staff when the previous patron returned it. 

  1. Check the Forgive fines? box to avoid charging the previous patrons overdue fines.
  2. Click the "Normal Checkin then Checkout" button.

The item will appear in the patron's checkout grid, with a normal due date. The item will have been checked in automatically by this process, and will no longer appear on the previous patron's account.

Checking Out a Claims Returned Item

If an item was mistakenly reshelved without being checkd in, and the patron subsequently had the item marked Claims Returned, the error message will state:

"Requested circulation is marked claims returned."

Proceeding with Checkout of a Claims Returned Item

In most cases, you should proceed to check the item out to the patron. Fines will be forgiven or applied based on settings related to the Claims Returned process, so there is no "Forgive FInes" box. SImply click the "Force Action" button.

The item will appear in the patron's checkout grid, with a normal due date. The item will have been checked in automatically by this process, and will no longer appear on the previous patron's account.

 

2.3. Email Checkout Receipts

Email Checkout Receipts

This feature allows patrons to receive checkout receipts through email at the circulation desk and in the Evergreen self-checkout interface. Patrons need to opt in to receive email receipts by default and must have an email address associated with their account. Opt in can be staff mediated at the time of account creation or in existing accounts. Patrons can also opt in directly in their OPAC account or through patron self-registration. This feature does not affect the behavior of checkouts from SIP2 devices.

Staff Client Check Out

When a patron has opted to receive email checkout receipts by default, an envelope icon representing email will appear next to the receipt options in the Check Out screen. A printer icon representing a physical receipt appears if the patron has not opted in to the default email receipts.

Staff can click Quick Receipt and the default checkout receipt option will be triggered—an email will be sent or the receipt will print out. The Quick Receipt option allows staff to stay in the patron account after completing the transaction. Alternatively, staff can click Done to trigger the default checkout receipt and close out the patron account. By clicking on the arrow next to the Quick Receipt or Done buttons, staff can select which receipt option to use, regardless of the selected default. The email receipt option will be disabled if the patron account does not have an email address.

Self Checkout

In the Self Checkout interface, patrons will have the option to select a print or email checkout receipt, or no receipt. The radio button for the patron’s default receipt option will be selected automatically in the interface. Patrons can select a different receipt option if desired. The email receipt radio button will be disabled if there is no email address associated with the patron’s account.

The Email receipt option has been selected in this example Self Checkout screen.

Opt In

Staff Mediated Opt In At Registration

Patrons can be opted in to receive email checkout receipts by default by library staff upon the creation of their library account. Within the patron registration form, there is a new option below the Email Address field to select Email checkout receipts by default?. Select this option if the patron wants email checkout receipts to be their default. Save any changes.

Staff Mediated Opt In After Registration

Staff can also select email checkout receipts as the default option in a patron account after initial registration. Within the patron account go to Edit and select Email checkout receipts by default?. Make sure the patron also has an email address associated with their account. Save any changes.

Patron Opt In – Self-Registration Form

If your library offers patrons the ability to request a library card through the patron self-registration form, they can select email checkout receipts by default in the initial self-registration form:

The Email checkout receipts by default? checkbox in the patron self-registration form

Patron Opt In - OPAC Account

Patrons can also opt in to receive email checkout receipts by default directly in their OPAC account. After logging in, patrons can go to Account Preferences→Notification Preferences and enable Email checkout receipts by default? and click Save.

The Email checkout receipts by default? box has been checked in this example patron OPAC account.

Email Checkout Receipt Configuration

Email checkout receipts will be sent out through a Notifications/Action Trigger called Email Checkout Receipt. The email template and action trigger can be customized by selecting  Local Administration from the Administration menu, navigating to Notifications/Action Trigger and finding Email Checkout Receipt.

 

2.4. Pre-Cat Checkouts

Checking Out Items that Aren't in the Catalog


On This Page

If patrons find items on the shelf that fail to scan at checkout, staff may check the item out as a "Pre-Cat" checkout. This allows the patron to take the item out, and Evergreen will automatically route it to cataloging upon checkin. To use this function, staff should supply as much detail as possible in the checkout modal, and must include a circulation modifier to ensure the item circulates following the appropriate policy.


If a patron brings an item to the desk to check out that does not scan properly, staff should first re-scan the item, or enter the barcode manually, to ensure it was not mis-scanned. After verifying that the barcode is not connected with an item record in the system, staff may check out the item to the patron using the automatic pre-cat chekout modal.
  1. Go to patron’s Check Out screen.
  2. Scan the item barcode.
  3. At prompt, enter the required information.
  4. Click Precat Checkout.
Precat Checkout popup window
 

Required Information

Staff should enter at least the Title. Ideally, staff should enter any additional identifying information, including the author and an item identifier. This is labeled as ISBN in the modal, but may be the UPC or other standard identifier depending on the type of item being checked out.

Staff must enter the Circulation Modifier. The checkout will not work without this modifier, as it is used to identiy the correct circulation policy.

This screen does not respond to the enter key or carriage return provided by a barcode scanner when the cursor is in the ISBN field. This behavior prevents pre-cataloged items from being checked out before you are done entering all the desired information.

Routing the Item to Cataloging

On check-in, Evergreen will prompt staff to re-route the item to cataloging. Staff should never edit the UNCATALOGED item record attached to TCN -1 for these pre-cataloged circulations. There are instructions for correctly transferring the barcode to an appropriate bib record in the Moving Pre-cataloged Items to the Correct Bib Record page of the Item Cataloging knowledge book.

2.5. Changing Due Dates

Setting Non-Standard Due Dates


On This Page

If staff need to manually set a different due date, there are two methods for doing so manually: at the time of checkout or after checkout has been completed. To set a non-standard due date at checkout, staff should use the Specific Due Date function in the chekout interface. To change a due date after an item has been checked out, staff should use the Edit Due Date feature in the Items Out action menu.


Circulation periods are pre-set. When items are checked out, due dates are automatically calculated based on the duration set in the appropriate circulation policy. Irregular closures for holidays are considered and accounted for in this calculation. These dates are inserted into circulation records with no required action or calculation on the part of the circulation staff. However, in instances where a transaction requires a non-standard due date, staff may set this in one of two ways, either at the point of checkout using the Specific Due Date function, or after checking the item out, using the Edit Due Date action.

Setting a Specific Due Date at Checkout

The Specific Due Date checkbox allows you to set a different due date to override the pre-set loan period.

To set a custom due date at checkout:

  1. Open the Date Options drop-down menu.
  2. Select Specific Due Date from the menu.
  3. Enter the date in yyyy-mm-dd format or select it using the calendar widget.

Note: This date applies to all items within a single patron transaction unless you change the date, de-select the Specific Due Date option from the Date Options menu, or quit the patron record.

Making a Specific Due Date "Sticky"

It is possible to set a specific due date and leave it set across all patron transactions for the whole day. To do this:

  1. Open the Date Options drop-down menu.
  2. Select Use Specific Due Date Until Logout from the menu.
  3. This will automatically check the Specific Due Date option as well.
  4. Enter the date in yyyy-mm-dd format or select it using the calendar widget.

Use this feature with caution. The due date you select will be applied to all transactions, regardless of circulation policy, until you actively log out of Evergreen. 

Changing a Due Date After Checkout

In some instances, a due date may need to be adjusted manually after the checkout has already occurred. To change a due date after checkout:

  1. Navigate into the Items Out tab of the patron account.
  2. Check the box next to the title in the grid to select the item to be adjusted.
  3. From the Actions menu, select Edit Due Date.
  4. Enter the new date in the pop-up modal or select it using the calendar widget.
  5. Click OK.

Note: In the event of an emergency or unplanned closure, the Emergency Closing function will automatically adjust all affected due dates. The manual due date editor s only necesarry for one-off changes.

2.6. Renewing Items

How to Renew Checked-out Items


On This Page

If a library's circulation policies are set to allow autorenewals, a renewal attempt will be made on the due date. If autorenewals aren't allowed, or fails for an unexplained reason, staff may renew manually from the patron's account, the renewal option from the Circulation menu, or the Item Status screen. Patrons may also attempt manual renewals from their accounts in the OPAC.


Checked-out items can be renewed if your library’s policy allows it. REnewals may happen automatically if set to do so, or can be completed manually if autorenewals aren't set, or if an autorenewal fails.

Autorenewals

Circulation policies are set to include the number of times an item may be renewed. Optionally, libraries may set how many of these renewals should happen automatically. For example, a policy with a duration rule of 21D_2R_2A means any items that cirulate on this policy will checkout for 21 days (21D) with 2 available renewals (2R), both of which may happen automatically. All renewals, including autorenewals, will be for the same duration as teh initial checkout.

When an item circulates on a policy with autorenewals, sometime between midnight and 3 am of the item's original due date, Evergreen will attempt to renew the item on behalf of the patron. After an autorenewal attempt, patrons will receive an email detailing which materials were successfully renewed and which should be returned to avoid potential late fines.  

Autonrenewals may fail for any of the following reason:

  • If there are holds on the item
  • If the patron account exceeds a set threshold, such as too many items overdue or too much owe in fines
  • If there are no remaining renewals available (according to the selected circulation modifier of the item),

In some cases, an autorenewal may fail even though the account was in good standing. This may happen if the item would have fufilled a hold, but another item is captured to fulfill that hold between the time of the autorenewal failure and the time the item is returned. In rare instances, autorenewals fail due to an issue in the software itself. If a patron contacts the library about a failed autorenewal, NC Cardinal recommends attempting a manual renewal, then submitting the patron barcode and item barcode via a help desk ticket for further investigation.

Renewing in the Staff Client

If autorenewals are not set in your library or for a specific item type (determined by Circulation Modifier), staff may attempt manual renewals.

Renewing in the Patron Account

  1. Retrieve the patron record and go to the Items Out screen.
  2. Select the item you want to renew. Select Renew from the Action menu.
  3. If you want to renew all items in the account, click Renew All instead.
  4. If you want to specify the due date, click Renew with Specific Due Date. You will be prompted to select a due date. Once done, click Apply.

 

Renewing by Item Barcode

  1. To renew items by barcode, select Renew Items from the Circulation menu.
  2. Scan or manually enter the item barcode.
  3. If you want to specify the due date, click Specific Due Date and enter a new due date in yyyy-mm-dd format.
Screenshot 1 of 2 showing the renew Items screen.

 

Screenshot 2 of 2 showing the Specific Due Date box has been checked, with a date of 2015-01-30.

Renewing from the Item Status Screen

Renewing from the item status screen allows staff to renew multiple items at once. This can be particularly useful when renewing items in use by the library, such as for programming, or related to outreach efforts. It's also useful when a list of items to be renewed has been generated from a report.

  1. Scan the barcode in the Item Status screen or upload a list of barcodes for batch renewals..
  2. Select all items to be renewed from the results grid.
  3. Choose Renew Items from the Action menu.
 

Renewing in the OPAC

Patrons may attempt their own renewals by logging into their account in the OPAC.

  1. Under the Items Checked Out tab, they will see a list of all items currently checked out to their account.
  2. Check the box for any titles to be renewed.
  3. Make sure the drop down menu at the top is set to Renew Selected Titles.
  4. Click the Go button.
  5. A pop-up dialog will ask if you're sure you want to renew the selected items. Click Ok.
  6. The item will renew if eligible.

2.7. In-House Use

Recording In-house Use


On This Page

Libraries can keep track of usage statistics for items that's don't circulate to patrons, such as reference materials and technology by recordings in-house use. This otion is avilable in the Circulation menu, and can be used with both barcoded items and non-barcoded items, as long as there is an associate type.


When recording usage on an item that cannot be removed from the library, such as reference materials or some types of technology, some libraries choose to record usage of these materials as In-house Use. 

  1. Select Record-In House Use from the Circulation menu or press F6.
  2. Choose either barcode or non-cataloged type from drop-down menu, and click Submit.
  3. Enter number of uses, scan or type barcode if necesarry, and click Submit.

Screenshot 1 of 2. Circulation dropdown menu with Record In-House Use highlighted in yellow.

 

Screenshot 2 of 2. The # of Uses field appears to the left of the item Barcode field.

Settings

There are two independent library settings that will allow copy alerts to display when scanned as In-house Use:

  • Display copy alert for in-house-use set to true will cause an alert message to appear, if it has one, when recording in-house-use for the copy. 
  • Display copy location check in alert for in-house-use set to true will cause an alert message indicating that the item needs to be routed to its location if the location has check in alert set to true.
The Barcode dropdown menu lists non-cataloged types of items.

Note: The statistics of in-house use are separated from circulation statistics. The in-house use count of cataloged items is not included in the items' total use count. There are several report templates to get in-house use statistics in the Centralized Report Templates →  In House and Non-cataloged Templates folder.

3. Checking Items In

3.1. Check In

Regular check in


On This Page

When materials are returned, they can be checked in from a variety of interfaces in Evergreen, including the Checkin screen, Item Status, and directly from Patron Accounts.


When items are returned to the library, they must be checked in to close out the circulation transaction. Staff may check in items from a variety of interfaces.

Checkin Interface

For standard patron returns, staff should use the checkin interface:

  1. Click Check In Items from the Circulation and Patrons toolbar, or select Check In from the Circulation menu.
    Check In is the second option listed in the Circulation dropdown menu.
  2. Scan item barcode or enter manually and click Submit.
    Item Barcode field
  3. If there is an overdue fine associated with the checkin, an alert will appear at the top of the screen with a fine tally for the current checkin session. To immediately handle fine payment, click the alert to jump to the patron’s bill record.
    Example Fine Tally of $5.00 for an overdue checkin

Checkin from Item Status Interface

This is useful when checking in lots of items at once, particularly items used by the library, such as for programming or storytime. It' also useful individually when you want to check on the status of an item or make edits to it prior to checkin or after checkin.

  1. Navigate to the Item Status page.
  2. Scan the barcode(s) or upload a CSV file with the full barcode list.
  3. After checking statuses or performing other actions on the items, select them from the grid.
  4. Choose Checkin Items from the Actions menu.

Checkin from an Item Bucket

This is useful when checking in items that already exist in a bucket.

  1. Navigate to Item Buckets from the Cataloging menu.
  2. Select the correct bucket from the drop-down list.
  3. Select all items in the bucket that you wish to check in.
  4. Choose Open in Item Status from the Actions menu.
  5. Follow the remaining steps from the Checkin from Item Status section above.

Checkin from the Patron Account

If a patron brings an item up to the desk and you would like to check it in from their account, you can do so by:

  1. Navigate to the Items Out tab.
  2. Select the item(s) to be returned.
  3. Choose Check In Items from the Actions Menu.

Receipts

If a patron brings in an item to return and would like a receipt, you can print one from the Item Checkin screen by clicking the Print Receipt button under the grid:

 

3.2. Backdating Checkins

Backdated check in


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If items are returned during a time when staff are unable to check them in, and the library wishes to apply an earlier checkin date, there are options to both backdate checkins at the point of checkin and after the checkin has been completed.


To change effective check-in date, select Check In Items from the Circulation menu. In the Effective Date field enter the date in yyyy-mm-dd format.

The Effective Date field appears to the right of the Item Barcode field in the Checkin Items screen.

The new effective date is now displayed in the red bar above the Barcode field.

Example Backdated Check in 11/30/14 message appears in red above the Item Barcode field.

Move the cursor to the Barcode field. Scan the items. When finishing backdated check-in, change the Effective Date back to today’s date.

Backdate Post-Checkin

After an item has been checked in, you may use the Backdate Post-Checkin function to backdate the check-in date.

Select the item on the Check In screen, select Backdate Post-Checkin from the Actions menu.

Backdate Post-Checkin is the second option listed in the Actions dropdown menu.

In the Effective Date field enter the date in yyyy-mm-dd format. The check-in date will be adjusted according to the new effective check-in date.

Effective Date field in the Backdate Already Checked-In Circulations popup window
 

3.3. Checkin Modifiers

Applying Modifiers when Checking In Materials


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Staff can impact how Evergreen interacts with materials upon checkin by applying checkin modifiers. THese modifiers can impact everything from how an item is routed for tranit or shelving to how it interacts with the holds module. Modifiers are sticky and will remain applied until they are removed, even when a user has logged off.


When checking in materials, staff can impact the way that Evergreen interacts with those materials to change how they are routed or considered for holds. THis is done by applying one or more Checkin Modifiers. At the right bottom corner of the checkin screen, there is a Checkin Modifiers drop-down menu. The options are:

  • Ignore Pre-cat Items: No prompt when checking in a pre-cat item. Item will be routed to Cataloguing with Cataloguing status.
  • Suppress Holds and Transit: Item will not be used to fill holds or sent in transit. Item has Reshelving status.
  • Amnesty Mode/Forgive Fines: Overdue fines will be voided if already created or not be inserted if not yet created (e.g. hourly loans).
  • Auto-Print Hold and Transit Slips: Slips will be automatically printed without prompt for confirmation.
  • Clear Holds Shelf: Checking in hold-shelf-expired items will clear the items from the hold shelf (holds to be cancelled).
  • Retarget Local Holds: When checking in in process items that are owned by the library, attempt to find a local hold to retarget. This is intended to help with proper targeting of newly-catalogued items.
  • Retarget All Statuses: Similar to Retarget Local Holds, this modifier will attempt to find a local hold to retarget, regardless of the status of the item being checked in. This modifier must be used in conjunction with the Retarget Local Holds modifier.
  • Capture Local Holds as Transits: With this checkin modifier, any local holds will be given an in transit status instead of on holds shelf. The intent is to stop the system from sending holds notifications before the item is ready to be placed on the holds shelf and item will have a status of in-transit until checked in again. If you wish to simply delay notification and allow time for staff to process item to holds shelf, you may wish to use the Hold Shelf Status Delay setting in Library Settings Editor instead. See Local Administration section for more information.
  • Manual Floating Active: Floating Groups must be configured for this modifier to function. The manual flag in Floating Groups dictates whether or not the "Manual Floating Active" checkin modifier needs to be active for a copy to float. This allows for greater control over when items float.
  • Update Inventory: When this checkin modifier is selected, scanned barcodes will have the current date/time added as the inventory date while the item is checked in.

These options may be selected simultaneously. The selected option is displayed in the header area.

Checkin Modifiers dropdown list in the Checkin Items screen

 

Please be aware that checkin modifiers are "sticky", which means they will stay on until you uncheck them again, even after you log out of Evergreen completely and log back in later. So, it is important to clear out any checkin modifiers before you close out the tab or move on to something else. (Make sure all the checkin modifiers have an orange 'x' beside them.)

4. Item Management for Circulators

4.1. Item Attributes for Circulators

Editing Item Attributes from Circulation


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Circulators may edit Item Attributes for locally owned copies. Items may be edited from the Holdings Editor, which can be accessed from the Item Table in the Bibliographic Record, or from the Actions Menu in the Item Status screen.


Only certified Item Catalogers and Bib Catalogers can add or delete items, but Circulators have permissions to edit Item Attributes such as the Barcode, Call Number, Shelving Location, or Item Status of items, and may do so as determined by their local library system. 

There are several ways to access the Holdings Editor - the interface to edit all holdings data - including via the Bibliographic Record or the Actions menu on the Item Status screen.

Accessing the holdings editor from the Bibliographic Record

The bibliographic record detail page displays library holdings, including the call number, shelving location, and item barcode. Within the Item Table tab in the staff client, the list of holdings displays two links, view and edit, underneath the item barcode(s).

Item Table in the Bibliographic Record with Edit | View highlighted in yellow

Clicking on the view link opens the Item Status screen for that specific item.

Clicking on the edit link opens the Holdings Editor screen for that specific item.

Item Status Screen

If circulators wish to make changes to multiple items at once, they can do so from the Item Status screen. Select all the items to be edited and select an option from the Edit section of the Actions menu.

Edit lets you edit Call Numbers, Items, Replace Barcodes, and Manage Item Alerts.

  • Clicking on Call Numbers will open the Holdings Editor.
  • Clicking on Items will open the Item Attributes editor.
  • Clicking on Call Numbers and Items will open the Holdings Editor (duplicate of the Call Number).
  • Clicking on Manage Item Alerts will open a pop-up where you can add Item Alert or edit/delete existing alerts.

4.2. Editing Shelving Locations

Changing Shelving Locations for Circulators


On This Page

Circulators may change an item's Shelving Location regardless of the item's status. This change may be made from the Item Status screen or an Item Bucket. Shelving Locations may be changed on multiple copies at once.


Circulation staff can edit the Shelving Location of items either individually or in batch using the Item Status screen or in an item bucket. Staff may change the Shelving Location of an item regardless of status, including those that are in a Checked out, In transit, or On Holds Shelf status. 

Changing Shelving Locations from the Item Status Screen

To change an item's shelving location from the Item Status screen:

  1. Scan the barcode.
  2. Select the item(s) to be changed.
  3. From the Actions menu, select Items from the Edit Section.
  4. This will open the Holdings Editor in a new tab. Locate the Shelving Location in the second column of the editor.
  5. Click on the current shelving location. This will open a field with a drop-down menu listing all possible Shelving Locations.
  6. Select the new shelving location from teh Drop Down menu.
  7. Click the Apply button.
  8. Click the Apply All, Save & Exit button in the bottom right of the screen.

You may skip the individual Apply button under the edited field and simply Apply All, Save & Exit, but NC Cardinal recommends applying individually so you can check your work and verify that the correct shelving location is listed before saving.

Changing Shelving Locations from an Item Bucket

In some cases, multiple items requiring the same change may be added to a bucket over time and changed as needed. For example, items put on display may be added to an Item Bucket when the display is created. Then, when the display is taken down, all items may be reverted to their permanent shelving location, regardless of their status at the time the display is removed. Even if the item is checked out, and therefore not in hand physically, staff can easily change the shelving location.

  1. Navigate to the Item Bucket (see Adding Items to an Item Bucket for details on how to create a bucket for these purposes).
  2. Select the item(s) to be changed.
  3. Select Edit Selected Items from the Actions menu.
  4. This will open the Holdings Editor in a new tab. Locate the Shelving Location in the second column of the editor.
  5. Click on the current shelving location. This will open a field with a drop-down menu listing all possible Shelving Locations.
  6. Select the new shelving location from teh Drop Down menu.
  7. Click the Apply button.
  8. Click the Apply All, Save & Exit button in the bottom right of the screen.

Changing Shelving Locations of Multiple Items at Once

Staff may change the shelving location for multiple items from both the Item Status Screen and the Item Bucket. If the current shelving locations match, follow the same instructions listed above (for either Item Status or Item Bucket).

Changing All Items to the Same New Location

If the current shelving locations are different, but all items will be changing to the same new location:

  1. Select the items from either the list in the Item Status Screen or the Item Bucket and navigate to the Holdings Editor as instructed above.
  2. Click on any of the currently listed shelving location to open an editable field.
  3. All current Shelving locations will be listed, and the boxes next to them will be checked. Keep the boxes checked.
  4. Select the new location from the drop-down menu, Apply, and Save.

Changing All Items to Different New Locations

If the current shelving locations are different, and the items will be changing to different new locations:

  1. Select the items from either the list in the Item Status Screen or the Item Bucket and navigate to the Holdings Editor as instructed above.
  2. Click on any of the currently listed shelving location to open an editable field.
  3. All current Shelving locations will be listed, and the boxes next to them will be checked. Only keep the boxes checked for those items that will changing to the same new location.
  4. Select the new location from the drop-down menu and click Apply.
  5. Repeat the process for the other current shelving locations to be changed to a different new shelving location.
  6. Click Apply.
  7. After making all the necesarry changes, click Apply All & Save.

Note: At this time, items currently sharing a shelving location may only be batch edited to a single new location. If items sharing a current Shelving Location (such as Adult Fiction Display) need to be moved to multiple different locations (such as one to Adult Fiction, another to Adult Large Print Fiction), they must be edited individually.

4.3. Changing the Item Status

How to Change an Item's Status


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Circulators may change an item's status in theHoldings Editor ifthe current status is not included in an unclosed transaction (meaning checked out, o the holdshelf, in transit, or lost) and the item is owned by a branch in the CIrculator's library system.


Circulators may manually change an item's status:

  1. Open the item in the holdings editor.
  2. Click in the Item Status box to open the editable field.
  3. Select the new status from the drop down menu.
  4. Click the Apply All, Save & Exit button in the bottom right of the page.

Limitations

While Circulators have permission to change an item's status, there are some limitations to this permission.

Current Status

Before staff manually change any item's status, the item must be in the staff member's hands and already be in an Available or Reshelving status (or checked in first, to achieve an Available/Reshelving status). Do NOT manually change the item status from Checked out, In transit, Long Overdue, Lost, Lost and Paid, or On holds shelf to another status using the Item Editor screen, as this simply relabels the items and does not close the underlying transaction correctly in the patron account (for Checked Out, Lost, Long Overdue, or Lost and Paid); or target a new item to fill the patron hold (for In transit or On holds shelf items).

For example, you would never want to manually change an item from a Checked out status to Available (or any other item status, for that matter) instead of checking in the item, because that manual action does not close out the open circulation transaction on the patron account. The same would be true for a manual status change from In transit or On Holds Shelf to something else (such as Available). Evergreen needs to close out those automated processes and transactions during checkin. 

 Items marked Missing that cannot be found should also be checked in to an Available or Reshelving status before staff change to Discard/Weed status or delete the item. This prevents the items from continually showing up on missing items reports.

Item Statuses that may not be changed manually include:

  • Checked out: Open transaction in which an item is assigned to a patron account. 
  • Lost: Open transaction in which an item is assigned to a patron account and marked as lost based on patron report or a time interval designated by the library system.
  • Long Overdue: Open transaction in which an item is assigned to a patron account and marked as long overdue based on interval designated by the library system. 
  • Lost and Paid: Open transaction in which an item marked lost has been paid for.This removes the item from the patron's account, but may not be manually changed.
  • In transit: Open transaction in which an item is moving from one library branch to another.  
  • On holds shelf: Open transaction in which an item is waiting for a specific patron to pick up the item from the library. 

Location

Items must be owned by the same system where the staff user is logged in. Circulators may not change the status on items owned by other systems. Circulators may change the status of itemsowned by other branches in their system.

4.4. Editing Call Numbers

Changing Volume-Level Data in the Holdings Editor


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Circulators may make small changes to existing volumes, including editing the call number, adding pre-determined prefixes and suffixes, and changing the Classification scheme. All changes may be made in the Holdings Editor.


Circulators may change the Call Number associated with a volume, including adding, removing, and changing the prefix or suffix. These fields are applied to the volume.

  1. Click on the Actions menu and select Edit Call Number
  2. Make your changes.
  3. Click Apply All, Save & Exit at the bottom of the screen.

Circulators may make changes to the following fields in the Holdings Editor:

  • Classification: The system used to organize materials. This is commonly Dewey for non-fiction materials, but many libraries use different schemas. When applying a local classification scheme (such as a genre-based method), utilize Generic.
  • Prefix: A label used in front of the standard call number. This may be used to designate genre (such as Mystery or Romance), or may be used to highlight specific sub-collections shelved within the larger collection (such as Local History).
  • Call Number Label: This is the official call number, as assigned based on your library's classification scheme.
  • Suffix:  A label used after the standard call number that might give patrons a better idea of where an item is shelved, designate a sub-collection or genre, or call out award winners.
  • Item Number: If your library owns multiple copies of a title, each copy can be assigned a number.
  • Part: Items with multiple individual parts that may circulate seperately (such as individual dics of a DVD set) should label those parts following a standard set of guidelines. Learn more about parts labels in the Monographic Parts chapter of the Bibliographic Cataloging book.

 

To Update Call Numbers

  1. Navigate to the holdings editor for the volume you want to edit.
  2. Update the Call Number Label.
  3. Add or edit any prefixes or suffixes using the pre-selected labels available in teh drop-down menus.
  4. Click "Apply All, Save & Edit."

 

4.5. The Item Status Screen

Working with Items in the Item Status Screen


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Circulation staff may access information about an item, including how it's cataloged and limited circulation information from the Item Status screen. There are multiple ways for staff to access this screen, including directly from the bibliographic record or patron account, or from multiple menus throughout the staff client.


Accessing the Item Status Screen

As is true with many actions in Evergreen, there are multiple ways to navigate to the Item Status screen. The quickest and easiest is to use the keyboard shortcut F5 to open the Item Status interface, and then scan barcodes to view the item records in a list. However, it's also possible to navigate to the Item Status screen, either for specific items, or to a blank screen where the user can scan barcodes.

From the Item Table

If viewing a title in the Title Record, staff can access the Item Status screen for a specific copy from the Item Table tab.

  1. Locate the copy to view in the table.
  2. Click on the View link underneath the barcode.

Beneath the Barcode in the Item Table, View is highlighted in yellow.

 

From the Search menu

  1. Open the Search menu.
  2. Select Search for copies by Barcode.
    Search for Items by Barcode is the second option listed in the Search dropdown menu.

From the Circulation Menu

  1. Open the Circulation menu.
  2. Select Item Status.

From the Cataloging Menu

  1. Open the Cataloging menu.
  2. Select Item Status.
     
From a Patron AccountIf a patron has any items checked out, a staff user can navigate directly to them:
  1. Open the patron's account.
  2. Navigate to the Items Out tab.
  3. Made sure the Barcode column is visible.
  4. Click on the barcode for the item you want to view.

Looking Up Items in the Item Status Screen

Once in the Item Status screen, you can look up items by:

  1. Scan the barcode for your item or type it and click Submit. The current status of the item is displayed with selected other fields. You can use the column picker to select more fields to view.
    Item Status search screen with the Detail View toggle button highlighted in yellow.
  2. Click the Detail View toggle button and the item summary and circulation history will be displayed.
  3. Click List View to toggle back to the list.

Note: Choose File allows you to load multiple items saved in a csv file on your local computer. The file contains a list of the barcodes in text format. To ensure smooth uploading and further processing on the items, it is recommended that the list contains no more than 100 items.

Viewing past circulations

Click on the Recent Circ History tab to see the two most recent circulations displayed.

Recent Circ History tab

You can also select the Circ History List tab to see more circulation history. The number of items that displays in the Circ History List can be set in the Local Administration interface, under Library Settings Editor.

To retrieve the patron(s) of the last circulations, click on the name of the patron. The patron record will be displayed.

Note: You can also navigate to the Item Status screen from the patron’s Items Out screen and from the Check In screen.

4.6. Item Alerts

Adding and Managing Item Alerts


On This Page

Circulators may add and manage Item Alerts from the Item Status page. Item Alerts may be permanent or temporary. When adding new alerts, staff may select an Alert Type to determine what transactions will trigger the alert to appear.


Item Alerts are pop-up messages that alert staff to information or actions they should take. Item Alerts may be triggered by specific actions in the staff client. Most alerts will be applied to Normal checkin and Normal checkout. Other types include:

  • Normal renewal
  • Normal checkout at circ lib
  • Normal checkin at circ lib
  • Normal renewal at circ lib
  • Normal checkout at owning lib
  • Normal checkin at owning lib
  • Normal renewal at owning lib
  • Checkin of lost copy
  • Checkin of missing copy
  • Checkin of lost-and-paid copy
  • Checkin of damaged copy
  • Checkin of claims-returned copy
  • Checkin of long overdue copy
  • Checkin of claims-never-checked-out copy
  • Checkout of lost copy
  • Checkout of missing copy
  • Checkout of lost-and-paid copy
  • Checkout of damaged copy
  • Checkout of claims-returned copy
  • Checkout of long overdue copy
  • Checkout of claims-never-checked-out copy
Staff can find the buttons to add or manage Item Alerts at the bottom of the far left column on the Item Status screen. Staff can also make these changes in the Holdings Editor screen (see the Items Alerts page in the Item Cataloging Knowledge Book). 

Adding Item Alerts from the Item Status Screen

  1. Open the Detail View of the item to which an alert will be added.
  2. At the bottom right, click the "Add" button in the Item Alert row.
  3. Select the Alert Type from the drop-down menu.
  4. Type the text for the Alert in the Alert Note box.
  5. If the Alert only needs to appear once, check the "Temporary" box.
  6. Click the "Add New" button.
  7. Click the "Apply Changes" button.

Managing Item Alerts from the Item Status Screen

  1. Open the Detail View of the item to which an alert will be added.
  2. At the bottom right, click the "Manage" button in the Item Alert row.
  3. If the Alert Type needs to be changed, select the new type from the drop-down menu.
  4. Edit the text for the Alert in the Alert Note box.
  5. Click the "Apply Changes" button.

 

 Removing Existing Item Alerts

  1. Open the Detail View of the item to which an alert will be added.
  2. At the bottom right, click the "Manage" button in the Item Alert row.
  3. Click the "Remove" link.
  4. Click the "Apply Changes" button.

 

4.7. Marking Items Missing or Damaged

Marking Items Missing or Damaged


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Items that are not currently listed as checked out to any patrons, but cannot be located on the shelf or are found damaged may be marked Missing or Damaged from the Item Status Screen.


Circulators may mark items damaged or missing from the Item Status screen.

  1. To mark items Damaged or Missing, retrieve the item on the Item Status screen.
  2. Select the item. Click on Actions → Mark Item Damaged or Mark Item Missing. 
  3. Depending on your library’s policy, when marking an item Damaged, bills (cost and/or processing fee) may be inserted into the last borrower’s account. 

Action dropdown menu scrolled to the "Mark" subsection, indicated in red.

Note: If items will remain in the collection, they should not be marked Damaged, but staff can apply a temporary status of Repair. (See Editing Call Number and Item Records section)

4.8. Long Overdue Items

Items Marked Long Overdue


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Items that have passed a library's Long Overdue threshold will go into the status of "Long Overdue." This may impact how much a patron is billed for the ite, Circulators should also be aware of how to handle Long Overdue items that are checked in. Library settings may require long overdue items to be sent back to a home library for processing before being checked out or fulfilling a hold request.


Libraries may determine a specific number of days past the due date that they would like to mark items as Long Overdue. This period will be applied by a member of the NC Cardinal team as a Library Setting.

Once an itemreaches the configured threshold, Evergreen will mark the item long overdue in the borrowing patron’s account.This will be done automatically through a Notification/Action Trigger.

When the item is marked long overdue, several actions will take place:

  1. The item will go into the status of “Long Overdue”
  2. The accrual of overdue fines will be stopped
  3. The patron may be billed (billing is optional, and may include multiple components)

Checking in a Long Overdue item

If an item that has been marked long overdue is checked in, an alert will appear on the screen informing the staff member that the item was long overdue. Once checked in, the item will go into the status of “In process”. Optionally, the item price and long overdue processing fee can be voided and overdue fines can be reinstated on the patron’s account. If the item is checked in at a library other than its home library, a library setting controls whether the item can immediately fill a hold or circulate, or if it needs to be sent to its home library for processing.

Long Overdue Checkin

Notification/Action Triggers

Evergreen has two default Notification/Action Triggers that are related to marking items long overdue. The default triggers are configured for 6 months. These triggers can be configured for any amount of time according to library policy and will need to be activated for use.

  • Default Triggers

    • 6 Month Auto Mark Long-Overdue—will mark an item long overdue after the configured period of time
    • 6 Month Long Overdue Notice—will send patron notification that an item has been marked long overdue on their account
 

4.9. Claims Returned Items

Working with Claims Returned Items


On This Page

Staff can mark items as "Claims Returned" to stop the accrual of fines. Items that are located and checked in will be automatically backdated based on the claims returned date provided when staff mark the item.


  1. To mark an item Claims Returned, retrieve the patron record and go to the Items Out screen.
  2. Select the item, then select Mark Claims Returned from the dropdown Actions menu.
  3. Enter date in yyyy-mm-dd format.
  4. Click Submit.
  5. The Claimed Returned item now displays in the Other/Special Circulations section of the patron record.
  6. The Claimed Returned item adds to the count of items that are Claimed Returned in the patron summary on the left (or top) of the screen. 
Screenshot 1 of 4. Mark Claims Returned is the sixth option listed in the Actions dropdown menu.

 

 

Screenshot 3 of 4. Claims Returned item under Other/Special Circulations tab

 

More on Claims Returned Items 

  • The date entered for a Claims Returned item establishes the fine. If the date given has passed, bills will be adjusted accordingly.
  • When a Claims Returned item is returned, if there is an outstanding bill associated with it, the item will not disappear from the Items Out screen. It will disappear when the outstanding bills are resolved.
  • When an item is marked Claimed Returned, the value in Claims-returned Count field in the patron record is automatically increased. Staff can manually adjust this count by editing the patron record.
    Claims-returned count section of a patron record in the Edit screen
  • Claims Returned is a fine stop reason in Evergreen AND an item status. The item status of the item that the patron claimed to return is set to Claimed Returned, which means it is no longer OPAC visible nor holdable. The item will remain on the patron account (not accruing fines or changing to Lost status) until the item is checked in. 
  • The library setting that governs any given Claims Returned is the library setting at the library where the item circulated. 

Claims returned Policies and Best Practices

Currently, it is up to each library system to determine how they choose to handle their own claims returned items and patrons. In Evergreen, the item remains on the patron record until the item is checked in, either because it is found/returned by the patron, found/discarded by the library, or formally marked lost and subsequently paid for.

If the item is owned by a different system and was checked out to the patron via resource sharing, any action to discard the item should be left to the owning library. There is not currently a consortium-wide policy for handling resource-sharing items that have been marked as claimed returned in a patron record. Each resource-sharing situation would need to be handled on a case-by-case basis, with the system that checked out the item contacting the owning library system to see how they can amicably resolve the situation.

Note: If library policy requires claims returned items to show as checked-in, staff should manually change the status, as the Claims Returned flag does not properly close the open circulation transaction on the patron account. Checking in the item is the only correct way to close the open transaction for an item marked Claims Returned.

 

4.10. Lost Items

Marking Items Lost


On This Page

Items may be marked lost through an automatic process when they reach a certain threshold of overdue, or manually by staff within the patron record. Lost items will result in a system generated bill.


Once an item has been overdue for the (configurable) amount of time established by your library system, Evergreen will mark the item Lost in the borrowing patron’s account. This will be done automatically through a Notification/Action Trigger. The Lost item is still "checked out" to the patron and that circulation transaction remains open until the item is returned or the bill for the item is paid.

When the item is marked Lost, several actions will take place:

  1. The item will go into the status of “Lost”
  2. The accrual of overdue fines will be stopped

Optionally the patron can be billed for the item price, a lost processing fee, and any overdue fines can be voided from the account. Lost items can be included either in the "Items Checked Out" or "Other/Special Circulations" sections of the "Items Out" view of a patron’s record. These options are all controlled by library settings. Patrons can also be sent an email or print notification that the item was marked lost and billed to their library account.

Mark Items Manually

  1. To mark items Lost manually, retrieve patron record and click Items Out.
  2. Check the box to the left of the item to select it.
  3. Select Mark Lost (by Patron) from the Actions menu.
  4. The lost item now displays as lost in the Other/Special Circulations section of the patron record.
  5. The lost item also adds to the count of Lost items in the patron summary on the left (or top) of the screen.
 

Lost Item Billing 

Marking an item Lost will automatically bill the patron the replacement cost of the item as recorded in the price field in the item record or based on the default item price and possibly a processing fee as determined by the library settings of the item's owning/circulating library. If the lost item has overdue charges, the overdue charges may be voided or retained based on the library settings of the item's owning/circulating library.

A lost-then-returned item will disappear from the Items Out screen only when all bills linked to this particular circulation have been resolved. Bills may include replacement charges, processing fees, and manual charges added to the existing bills.

The replacement fee and processing fee for lost-then-returned items may be voided if set by the library settings of the item's owning/circulating library. Overdue fines may be reinstated on lost-then-returned items if set by the library settings of the item's owning/circulating library.

Refunds for Lost Items

If an item is returned after a lost bill has been paid and the library’s policy is to void the replacement fee for lost-then-returned items, there will be a negative balance in the bill. A refund needs to be made to close the bill and the circulation record. Once the outstanding amount has been refunded, the bill and circulation record will be closed and the item will disappear from the Items Out screen.

Void lost max interval

This is the cutoff point at which Evergreen will no longer automatically void lost billing and is determined by the library setting of the item's owning/circulating library. The void lost max interval starts running as of the due date, not the marked lost date.

If you need to resolve a bill with a negative amount, first be sure that the item has either been checked in or is no longer eligible to be returned (lost and past the void lost max interval). Then, staff can either manually adjust the bill or use the adjust to zero feature available in the Actions dropdown menu. Do not use the adjust to zero to remove positive amounts. Before using Adjust to Zero, ensure all other matters related to billing for the item have been resolved, otherwise you could end up creating a bigger problem, rather than a solution.

Actions dropdown menu with Adjust to Zero highlighted in yellow

4.11. Item Inventory

Inventory Dates


On This Page

Circulators may inventory items on the fly using the Update INventory checkin modifier while checking in returns, or from the Item Status screen, using the Update Inventory action.


In addition to the dedicated Inventory process outlined in the Item Cataloging book, circulators may also engage in on-the-fly inventory of items as they are returned or otherwise brought to the circulation desk. 

From the Checkin Screen

During an ongoing inventory process, libraries may wish to apply an inventory date to all items as they are checked in. To do this, circulators should apply the Update Inventory check in modifier to their checkin screen. When selected, scanned barcodes will have the current date/time added as the inventory date while the item is checked in. 

Please note that changing the Effective Date will not change the Inventory Date.

From the Item Status Screen

  1. Scan the items that you wish to mark as inventoried.
  2. Selected all the relevant items from the grid.
  3. From the Actions menu, select Update Inventory.

This will automatically timestamp the invnetory with the date and time the inventory action was taken.

Update Inventory is the thirteenth option listed in the Actions dropdown menu.

 

 

Note: If a library intends to use an inventory wand in conjunction with their RFID, existing SIP accounts can be utilized for the inventory wand.

 

5. Booking Module

5.1. Creating a Booking Reservation

How to Create a Booking Reservation

Only staff members may create reservations. A reservation can be started from a patron record, or a booking resource. To reserve cataloged items, you may start from searching the catalog, if you do not know the booking item’s barcode.

To create a reservation from a patron record

1) Retrieve the patron’s record.

2) Select Other → Booking → Create Reservations. This takes you to the Reservations Screen.

Other drop down menu in patron account with Create Booking indicated with an arrow.

3) For non-catalogued items, select Choose resource by Type, then search for your resource in the Search by resource type search box, or select one from the drop down list. 

Choose resource by type highlighted in yellow with Search by resource type indicated with an arrow.

4) For catalogued items, select Choose resource by barcode and enter the barcode of a cataloged, bookable resource in the Search by resource barcode box.

Booking cataloged resources by searching for barcodes.

5) Select the date and time for the reservation in I need this resource… area. Click the date field. A calendar widget will be displayed for you to choose a date. Click the time field to choose time from the dropdown list.

Reservation date widget.

6) Once a resource is selected, open the List Action Item menu and select Create Reservation. Fill in any remaining details in the pop up confirmation box, including specific start and end times and reservation location. Include any notes, and check the box to notify the patron by email if that is their preferred method.

Confirmation Reservation Detail pop up.

9) Click Confirm Reservation to finish the booking.

 

To create a reservation from a booking resource

You need to know the barcode of the patron when you create a reservation for him/her from a booking resource.

1) From the Booking menu, select Create Reservations

Create Reservations is the first option listed in the Booking dropdown menu.

2) Choose a Bookable Resource Type and click Next or enter the barcode of a cataloged resource and click Next.

Choose a Bookable Resource Type screen

3) For non-cataloged resources, a screen showing the Bookable Resource Type and the items associated with the type will appear.

Example bookable non-cataloged resource type of Laptop with item named Laptop A

For cataloged resources, the title and item will appear.

4) Enter the user’s barcode in the Reserve to patron barcode box. The user’s existing reservations, if any, will appear at the bottom of the screen.

Existing reservations for example patron highlighted in blue

5) Select the date and time for the reservation in I need this resource… area. Click the date field. A calendar widget will be displayed for you to choose a date. Click the time field to choose time from the dropdown list.

Date and time fields highlighted in red under I need this resource...

If incorrect date and time is selected, the date/time boxes will appear in red. For example, if the time for which the reservation is set has already passed, the boxes will appear in red. The times must be set correctly for the reservation to be created. There must be at least 15 minutes between the creation of the reservation and the start time of the reservation.

6) For non-cataloged resources, patrons may specify special feature(s), if any, of the resource. The With these attributes: allows you to do so. For example, if a patron is booking a laptop they can choose between PC and Mac and even choose a specific operating system if they need to. Click the dropdown arrow to select your option from the list.

Laptop OS attribute options including ANY, Win10, and OSX

7) Select the pickup location from the dropdown list.

Choose the pickup library for this reservation dropdown menu

8) If there are multiple copies of the resource and any item listed is acceptable, click Reserve Any. To choose a specific item, select it and then click Reserve Selected.

The Reserve Selected and Reserve Any buttons appear in the bottom left-hand corner of the reservation window.

9) A message will confirm that the action succeeded. Click OK on the prompt.

10) The screen will refresh and the reservation will appear below the patron’s name at the bottom of the screen.

Newly created reservation highlighted in blue under Existing reservations for example patron
 

Search the catalog to create a reservation

If you would like to reserve a cataloged item but do not know the item barcode, you may start with a catalog search.

1) In the staff client, select Cataloging → Search the Catalog or keyboard shortcut F3 to search for the item you wish to reserve. You may search by any bibliographic information.

2) Click the title to display the record summary. In the Copy Summary, select Copy Details in Actions column.

3) The Copy Details will appear in a new row. In the barcode column, click the book now link.

4) A screen showing the title and barcodes of available copies will appear.

5) Enter the user’s barcode in the Reserve to patron barcode box. The user’s existing reservations, if any, will appear at the bottom of the screen.

6) Select the date and time in I need this resource… section. If the date and time set is incorrect the boxes appear in red. For example, if the time for which the reservation is set has already passed, the boxes will appear in red.

7) Select pickup location. If there are multiple copies and any of the listed items is acceptable, click Reserve Any. To choose a specific item, select it and then click Reserve Selected.

8) A message will confirm that the action succeeded. Click OK on the prompt.

9) The screen will refresh, and the reservation will appear below the user’s name.

 

Note: Reservations on cataloged items can be created on Item Status (F5) screen. Select the item, then Actions for Selected Items → Book Item Now.

 

5.2. Reservation Pull List

Reservation Pull List

Reservation pull list can be generated dynamically on the Staff Client.

1) To create a pull list, select Booking → Pull List.

Booking dropdown menu with Pull List indicated

2) You can change the number of days in advance you would like to pull reserved items. Enter the number of days in the Number of days to fetch box. For example, if you would like to pull items that are needed today, you can enter 1 in the box, and you will retrieve items that need to be pulled today.

Number of days to fetch field

4) To print the pull list, select Print Pull List from the List Action menu.

List action menu for pull list with Print Pull List indicated

 

5.3. Capturing Items for Reservation

Capturing Items for Reservations

Reservations must be captured before they are ready to be picked up by the patron.

Always capture reservations in the Booking Module. The Check In function in Circulation does not function the same as Capture Resources.

1) In the staff client, select Booking → Capture Resources.

Booking dropdown menu with Capture Resources indicated

2) Scan the item barcode or type the barcode.

Resource barcode field in Booking Capture

3) The resource will appear in the Captured today list.

Captured today list

5.4. Picking up Reservations

Picking Up Reservations

Always use the dedicated Booking Module interfaces for tasks related to reservations. Items that have been captured for a reservation cannot be checked out using the Check Out interface, even if the patron is the reservation recipient.

From the Patron Account 

Ready-for-pickup reservations can be listed from the patron account under Other → Booking → Pick Up Reservations within a patron record or Booking → Pick Up Reservations.

"Other" drop down menu in patron account with "Bookings: Pick up Reservations indicated"
 

From the Bookings Menu

Scan the patron barcode if using Booking → Pick Up Reservations.

Bookings drop down menu with Pick up Reservation indicated. Field for scanning patron barcode in bookings pick up page.

3) The reservation(s) available for pickup will display. 

Ready for pick up list
Note: If the item has not yet been captured, it will not show up in this list by default. You can click the Show Only Captured Resources box to include them.
Show Only Captured Resources click box in Booking Pickup screen.
 
4) Select those you want to pick up, then either click on the "Pick up Selected" button above the Items list, or open the List Action Menu and choose Pick Up Selected.
Pick Up Selected button above Patron barcode
List Action dropdown menu with Pick Up Selected indicated with an arrow

4) The item will move from the Ready for Pick Up list to the Already Picked Up List.

Already picked up list
Note: If the patron is trying to pick up an item before their reservation time, the Pick Up function will not work.

 

5.5. Returning Reservations

Returning Reservations

When a reserved item is brought back, staff must use the Booking Module to return the reservation.

1) To return reservations, select Booking → Return Reservations

Booking drop down menu with Return Reservations indicated with an arrow

2) You can return the item by patron or item barcode.

Patron barcode field under By patron tab

To return via patron barcode, scan or type the barcode into the field. A list of the bookable items the patron currently has will populate. Click the item to be returned and either click the Return Selected button or choose Return Selected from the List Action drop down menu.

Items ready to return list with Return Selected button indicated and List Action menu with Return Selected option indicated.

 

 

Reservations can be returned from within patron records by selecting Other → Booking → Return Reservations

Other drop down menu from patron account with Booking: Return Reservations indicated with an arrow

5.6. Canceling a Reservation

How to Cancel a Reservation

A reservation can be cancelled in a patron’s record or reservation creation screen.

Cancel a reservation from the patron record

1) Retrieve the patron’s record.

2) Select Other → Booking: Manage Reservations

Other drop down menu in patron account indicating Booking: Manage Reservations

3) A list of Reservations will populated. Select the reservations you wish to cancel. Open the Action Item list and choose Cancel Reservation.

Reservation management page with List Action menu opened and Cancel Reservation indicated with an arrow.
 

Use Shift or Ctrl on your keyboard and mouse click to select multiple reservations if needed.

5) A pop-up window will ask you to confirm the cancellation.

Confirm Cancelation pop up.

6) A notification will pop up in the bottom right of the page confirming the cancellation.

Reservation Cancellation confirmation note.

 

Cancel a reservation on reservation creation screen

1) Access the reservation creation screen by selecting Booking → Manage Reservations

Booking drop down menu with Manage Reservations indicated with an arrow.

2) Select your search method: By Patron, By Item Barcode, or By Type.

Filter reservations section of the Bookings Management Screen.

3) Scan or type in the patron barcode in Reserve to Patron box then hit Enter.

4) Regardless of the type of search you choose, the search will populate a list of current reservations for that item or that patron.

5) Select those that you want to cancel, then choose Cancel Selected from the List Action drop down menu.

Cancel Selected is the first item in the List Action drop down menu.

6) Again, you will see a pop up box confirming that you want to cancel this reservation.

The Confirm Cancellation pop up asked you "Are you sure you want to cancel the reservation?" and you can choose either Confirm or Cancel.



NC Cardinal is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the federal Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA), as administered by the Library of North Carolina, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.