Documentation: Items out enhancements

[working/Evergreen.git] / docs / circulation / circulating_items.txt

Circulating Items
-----------------

Check Out (F1)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Regular Items
^^^^^^^^^^^^^

1) To check out an item press *F1*, click *Check Out* on the Circulation
toolbar, or select *Circulation* -> *Check Out Items*.

image::media/checkout_menu.png[]

2) Scan or enter patron's barcode and click *Submit* if entering barcode
manually. If scanning, number is submitted automatically.

image::media/retrieve_patron.png[]

3) Scan or enter item barcode manually, clicking *Submit* if manual.

image::media/checkout_item_barcode.png[] 

4) Due date is now displayed.

image::media/due_date_display.png[]
 
5) When all items are scanned, hit the *F1* key or click the *Check Out* button
on the Circulation toolbar to generate slip receipt or to exit patron record if
not printing slip receipts. 

Pre-cataloged Items
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

1) Go to patron's *Check Out* screen by clicking *Circulation* -> *Check Out
Items*.

2) Scan the item barcode.

3) At prompt, click *Pre-Cataloged*. 

image::media/pre_cat_alert.png[]

4) Enter required information and click *Check Out*.

image::media/precat.png[]
 
[TIP]
On check-in, Evergreen will prompt staff to re-route the item to cataloging.

Due Dates
^^^^^^^^^

Circulation periods are pre-set. When items are checked out, due dates are
automatically calculated and inserted into circulation records if the *Specific
Due Date* checkbox is not selected on the Check Out screen. The *Specific Due
Date* checkbox allows you to set a different due date to override the pre-set
loan period.

Before you scan the item, select the *Specific Due Date* checkbox. Use the 
calendar widget to select a date. Or click in day, month or year, then use the 
up or down arrows to make the change or simply delete the data, then enter 
again. Time is used for hourly loan only. This date applies to all items until 
you change the date, de-select the *Specific Due Date* checkbox, or quit the 
patron record.

image::media/specify_due_date1.png[]

image::media/specify_due_date2.png[]
 
Check In (F2)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Regular check in
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

1) To check in an item, select *Circulation -> Check In Items*, click *Check In*
on the Circulation toolbar, or press *F2*.

image::media/check_in_menu.png[]

2) Scan item barcode or enter manually and click *Submit*.

image::media/checkin_barcode.png[]
 
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.

image::media/overdue_checkin.png[]

Backdated check in
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

This is useful for clearing a book drop.

1) To change effective check-in date, select *Circulation* -> *Check In Items*,
or press *F2*. Use the calendar widget to choose the effective date.

image::media/backdate_checkin.png[]

2) The top green bar changes to red. The new effective date is now displayed in 
the header.

image::media/backdate_red.png[]

3) 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.

1) Select the item on the Check In screen, click Actions for Selected Items -> 
Backdate Post-Checkin.

image::media/backdate_post_checkin.png[]

2) Use the calendar widget to select an effective check-in date. Click Apply. 
Overdue fines, if any, will be adjusted according to the new effective check-in 
date.

image::media/backdate_post_date.png[]

Checkin Modifiers
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
At the right bottom corner there is a *Checkin Modifiers* pop-up list. The 
options are:

- Ignore Pre-cat Items: no prompt when checking in a pre-cat item. Item will be
routed to Cataloging with Cataloging 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.

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

image::media/checkin_options.png[]

  
Renewal and Editing the Item's Due Date
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Checked-out items can be renewed if your library's policy allows it. The new due
date is calculated from the renewal date. Existing loans can also be extended to
a specific date by editing the due date or renewing with a specific due date.

Renewing via a Patron's Account
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

1) Retrieve the patron record and go to the *Items Out* screen.

image::media/items_out_click.png[]

2) Select the item you want to renew. *Click on Actions for Selected Items* -> 
*Renew*. If you want to renew all items in the account, click *Renew All*
instead.

image::media/renew_action.png[]

3) 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*.

image::media/renew_specific_date.png[]
 
[TIP]
Renewal can also be done on the *Item Status* screen. See the section called
<<itemstatus,Item Status (F5)>> for more information.

Renewing by Item Barcode
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
1) To renew items by barcode, select *Circulation* -> *Renew Items* or press 
*CTRL-F2*.

2) Scan or manually entire the item barcode.

image::media/renew_item.png[]

3) If you want to specify the due date, click *Specific Due Date* and select a
new due date from the calendar.

image::media/renew_item_calendar.png[]

Editing Due Date
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

1) Retrieve the patron record and go to the *Items Out* screen.

2) Select the item you want to renew. Click on *Actions for Selected Items* -> 
*Edit Due Date*.

image::media/edit_due_date_action.png[]

3) Select a new due date in the pop-up window, then click *Apply*.

[TIP]
You can select multiple items by pressing down the CTRL key on your keyboard and
clicking each items you want to edit.

[NOTE]
Editing a due date is not included in the renewal count.

Marking Items Lost and Claimed Returned
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lost Items
^^^^^^^^^^
1) To mark items Lost, retrieve patron record and click *Items Out*.

2) Select the item. Click on *Actions for Selected Items* -> *Mark Lost (by 
Patron)*.

image::media/mark_lost.png[]

3) The lost item now displays in the *Other/Special Circulations section of the
patron record, unless otherwise customized through the Items Out display setting
available in the Library Settings Editor.

image::media/lost_cr_section.png[]

4) The lost item also adds to the count of *Lost* items in the patron summary on
the left (or top) of the screen. 

image::media/patron_summary_checkouts.jpg[]

[NOTE]
.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, and a processing
fee as determined by your local policy. If the lost item has overdue charges,
the overdue charges may be voided or retained based on local policy.
- 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 local policy. Overdue fines may be reinstated on 
lost-then-returned items if set by local policy.
========================

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.

[NOTE]
.More on Negative Balances
========================================
Evergreen sites can prevent negative balances from occurring on fully-paid
transactions with the _Do not change fines/fees on zero-balance LOST
transaction_ setting available through the Library Settings Editor.  It will 
also prevent negative balances due to fully-paid, long overdue materials being 
returned. Negative balances will continue to occur when partially-paid lost
items are reutnred.
========================================

If you need to balance a bill with a negative amount and close the linked lost
circulation record without making a refund (removing the item from the *Lost,
Claimed Returned, Long Overdue, Has Unpaid Bills* panel on the *Items Out*
screen), you need to add a dummy bill to the existing bill equal to the absolute
value of the negative amount. To do so:

1) Select the billing with the negative balance.

2) Choose **Actions for Selected Transactions** --> **Add Billing**.

3) Click Yes.

4) Enter the absolute value of the negative balance. 

Claimed Returned Items
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
        
1) To mark an item Claimed Returned, retrieve the patron record and go to the
*Items Out* screen.

2) Select the item, then select *Actions for Selected Items* -> *Mark Claimed 
Returned* from the dropdown menu.

image::media/mark_claims_returned.png[]

3) Select a date and click *Apply*.

image::media/claimed_date.png[]

4) Any overdue fines associated with the transaction will now be based on the 
Claimed Returned date.

5) The Claimed Returned item now displays in the *Other/Special Circulations*
section of the patron record, unless otherwise customized through the Items Out
display setting available in the Library Settings Editor.

image::media/lost_cr_section.png[]

6) The Claimed Returned item adds to the count of Check Outs that are Claimed 
Returned in the patron summary on the left (or top) of the screen. It also adds 
to the total *Claims-returned Count* (including those that are current Check 
Outs and those that have since been returned) that is displayed when editing the
patron's record. 

image::media/patron_summary_checkouts.jpg[]

[NOTE]
.More on Claimed Returned Items
====================================
- The date entered for a Claimed Returned item establishes the fine. If the date
given has passed, bills will be adjusted accordingly.
- When a Claimed 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.
- Marking a lost transaction Claimed Returned will not remove a lost item 
billing or lost item processing fee unless the _Void lost item billing when
claims returned_ and/or the _Void lost item processing fee when claims returned_
settings are enabled. Both settings are available via the Library Settings
editor.
====================================

Enhancements to Items Out
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

By default, the *Items Out* interface in the patron's account is divided into two sections beneath the patron information: *Items Out* and *Other/Special Circulations*.  In previous versions of Evergreen, all circulations appeared in the *Items Out* portion of the interface except for those marked LOST, LONGOVERDUE, or CLAIMSRETURNED, which appeared in the *Other/Special Circulations* portion of the interface.

This enhancement enables you to customize the placement of items in the LOST, LONGOVERDUE, or CLAIMSRETURNED statuses in the top or bottom list.  The value of this enhancement includes increased control over and organization of the Items Out interface.

1) Three new org unit settings enable you to control the placement of these items.  To access these settings, click *Admin* -> *Local Administration* -> *Library Settings Editor*, and search for the following settings:

* Items Out Lost Display Setting

* Items Out Long-Overdue Display Setting

* Items Out Claims Returned Display Setting

The value for each setting is a numeric code describing the list in which the circulation should be placed when the item is checked out, and whether the circulation should appear in the bottom list when checked in, regardless of the state of the transaction. For example, an item may be checked in but the circulation may remain open because fees or fines are owed by the patron.

2) Enter the appropriate value, and click *Update setting*.

1 = Top list, then bottom list
2 = Bottom list, then bottom list
5 = Top list, then do not display
6 = Bottom list, then do not display

To Hide the bottom list entirely, set the value for all special statuses to "5".

Note that if all of the special statuses are hidden, then the interface more accurately represents a patron's items out instead of a combination of items out and items with special circumstances.  Alternatively, if all items out and items with special statuses display in the top list, then the bottom list is hidden, and more screen space exists to display a patron's items out.


Mark an Item Long Overdue
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*Marking an item Long Overdue*

Once an item has been overdue for a configurable amount of time, Evergreen can
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:

. The item will go into the status of “Long Overdue” 

. The item will be moved to the “Lost, Claimed Returned, Long Overdue, Has
Unpaid Billings” section of the Items Out screen in the patron’s account

. The accrual of overdue fines will be stopped

Optionally the patron can be billed for the item price, a long overdue
processing fee, and any overdue fines can be voided from the account. Patrons
can also be sent a notification that the item was marked long overdue.
 
image::media/long_overdue1.jpg[Patron Account-Long Overdue]


*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.
 
image::media/long_overdue2.jpg[Long Overdue Checkin]
 
*Notification/Action Triggers*

Evergreen has two sample Notification/Action Triggers that are related to
 marking items long overdue.  The sample 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.

* Sample 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

*Library Settings* 

The following Library Settings enable you to set preferences related to long 
overdue items:

* *Circulation: Long-Overdue Check-In Interval Uses Last Activity Date* —Use the
 long-overdue last-activity date instead of the due_date to determine whether 
the item has been checked out too long to perform long-overdue check-in 
processing. If set, the system will first check the last payment time, followed 
by the last billing time, followed by the due date. See also 
circ.max_accept_return_of_longoverdue 

* *Circulation: Long-Overdue Items Usable on Checkin* —Long-overdue items are 
usable on checkin instead of going "home" first

* *Circulation: Long-Overdue Max Return Interval* —Long-overdue check-in 
processing (voiding fees, re-instating overdues, etc.) will not take place for 
items that have been overdue for (or have last activity older than) this amount 
of time 

* *Circulation: Restore Overdues on Long-Overdue Item Return*

* *Circulation: Void Long-Overdue item Billing When Returned*

* *Circulation: Void Processing Fee on Long-Overdue Item Return*

* *Finances: Leave transaction open when long overdue balance equals zero* 
—Leave transaction open when long-overdue balance equals zero. This leaves the 
lost copy on the patron record when it is paid

* *Finances: Long-Overdue Materials Processing Fee*

* *Finances: Void Overdue Fines When Items are Marked Long-Overdue*

*Permissions to use this Feature*

The following permissions are related to this feature:

* COPY_STATUS_LONGOVERDUE.override

** Allows the user to check-in long-overdue items thus removing the long-overdue
 status on the item

In-house Use (F6)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1) To record in-house use, select *Circulation* -> *Record-In House Use*, click 
*Check Out* -> *Record In-House Use* on the circulation toolbar , or press *F6*. 

image::media/record_in_house_action.png[]
 
2) To record in-house use for cataloged items, enter number of uses, scan 
barcode or type barcode and click *Submit*.

image::media/in_house_use.png[]

[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.

[[itemstatus]]
Item Status (F5)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Item Status screen is very useful. Many actions can be taken by either 
circulation staff or catalogers on this screen. Here we will cover some 
circulation-related functions, namely checking item status, viewing past 
circulations, inserting item alert messages, marking items missing or damaged, 
etc.

Checking item status
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

1) To check the status of an item, select *Search* -> *Search for copies by 
Barcode* or *Circulation* -> *Show Item Status by Barcode*; click the *Item 
Status button* on the circulation or cataloging toolbar; or press *F5*.

image::media/item_status_menu.png[]

2) Scan the barcode 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.

image::media/item_status_barcode.png[]

3) Click the *Alternate View* button, and the item summary and circulation 
history will be displayed.

image::media/item_status_altview.png[]

4) Click *List View* to go back.

image::media/item_status_list_view.png[]

[NOTE]
If the item's status is "Available", the displayed due date refers to the 
previous circulation's due date.

[TIP]
Upload From File allows you to load multiple items saved in a 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
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
1) To view past circulations, retrieve the item on the *Item Status* screen as 
described above.

2) Select *Actions for Selected Items* -> *Show Last Few Circulations*.

image::media/last_few_circs_action.png[]

3) The item's recent circulation history is displayed.

image::media/last_few_circs_display.png[]

4) To retrieve the patron(s) of the last circulations, click the *Retrieve Last 
Patron* or the *Retrieve All These Patrons* button at the bottom of the above 
screen. Patron record(s) will be displayed in new tab(s).

[TIP]
The number of items that displays in the circulation history can be set in Local
 *Administration* -> *Library Settings Editor*.

[NOTE]
You can also retrieve the past circulations on the patron's Items Out screen and
from the Check In screen.

Marking items damaged or missing and other functions
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
1) To mark items damaged or missing, retrieve the item on the *Item Status* 
screen.

2) Select the item. Click on *Actions for Selected Items* -> *Mark Item Damaged
* or *Mark Item Missing*.

image::media/mark_missing_damaged.png[]

[NOTE}
Depending on the library's policy, when marking an item damaged, bills (cost 
and/or processing fee) may be inserted into the last borrower's account. 

3) Following the above procedure, you can check in and renew items by using the 
*Check in Items* and *Renew Items* on the dropdown menu.

Item alerts
^^^^^^^^^^^

The *Edit Item Attributes* function on the *Actions for Selected Items* dropdown
 list allows you to edit item records. Here, we will show you how to insert item
 alert messages by this function. See cataloging instructions for more 
information on item editing.
1) Retrieve record on *Item Status* screen.

2) Once item is displayed, highlight it and select *Actions for Selected Items* 
-> *Edit Item Attributes*.

3) The item record is displayed in the *Copy Editor*.

image::media/copy_edit_alert.png[]

4) Click *Alert Message* in the *Miscellaneous* column. The background color of 
the box changes. Type in the message then click *Apply*. 

image::media/copy_alert_message.png[]

5) Click *Modify Copies*, then confirm the action.