The Circulation module manages user records, item records, charge records, hold records, and bill records. These records work together to perform a variety of circulation functions. Circulation policies are the parameters which ensure that a library charges out material to properly registered users and correctly receives and processes returned material.

Click the Circulation Configuration Wizards group button to display the following wizards. Use these wizards to set up the Circulation module for the materials in your library.

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Bill Reason Wizard

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Billing Structure Wizard

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Circulation Rule Wizard

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Hold Map Wizard

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Hold Reason Wizard

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Item Type Wizard

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Loan Period Wizard

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Circulation Map Wizard

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Payment Type Wizard

How do I check out an item?

Use the Checkout Wizard to check out an item to a user.

To check out an item

On the Circulation toolbar, click the Checkout wizard.

In the User ID box, scan the user’s ID.

n the Item ID box, scan the item’s barcode.

Repeat step 3 until all items are checked out.

Click Close to close the wizard.

For more information, go to FAQs: Checking Out Materials.

How do I check in an item?

Use the Discharge/Checkin Wizard to discharge items from the user and check them back into the library’s collection.

To check in an item

On the Circulation toolbar, click the Discharge/Checkin wizard.

In the Item ID box, scan the item’s ID.

Click the Discharge Item button to discharge the item you scanned.

Repeat step 3 until all items are discharged from the user.Click Close to close the wizard.

For more information, go to FAQs: Checking In Materials.

How do I check in bookdrop items?

Use the Checkin Bookdrop Items Wizard to check in items that were returned in the library’s bookdrop.

To check in items returned in the bookdrop

On the Circulation toolbar, click the Checkin Bookdrop Items wizard.

Under Enter Date of Discharge, in the Date box, use the Calendar gadget to select a check in date.

Under Identify Item, scan the Item ID in the Item ID box.

Repeat step 3 for each item you want to check in from the bookdrop.

Click Close to close the wizard.

For more information, go to FAQs: Checking in Bookdrop Items .

How do I renew items for a user?

WorkFlows has two wizards for renewing items. The one to use depends on how many items are to be renewed, and how you decide to renew the items.

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Use the Renew Item Wizard if you are simply renewing one item for the user. This wizard is useful if the patron comes to the Circulation Desk with the item in hand and asks to renew the item.

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Use the Renew User wizard if you are renewing several or all items that a user currently has checked out. This wizard is useful if the patron has many items to renew, or if the patron is permitted to renew items by phoning the library.

To renew an individual item

On the Circulation toolbar, click the Renew Item wizard.

In the Item ID box, scan the item’s ID.

If the Review Items Before Renewing check box is selected in the wizard properties, the Renew This Item? dialog box displays. Click Renew This Item to continue the renewal process, or click Do Not Renew to close this dialog box.

Click Close to close the wizard.

For more information on renewing an individual item, go to FAQs: Renewing a Single Item.

To renew multiple or all items that a user currently has checked out

On the Circulation toolbar, click the Renew User wizard.

In the User ID box, scan user’s ID.

Do one of the following:

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To renew all eligible items, select the Select All check box.

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To renew selected items, select the Renew check box next to the item or items you want to renew.

Click Renew Selected Items.

Click Close to close this wizard.

For more information on renewing a number of items for a user, go to FAQs: Renewing a User’s Charges.

How do I place a hold on an item?

Use the Place Hold Wizard to place a hold on an item for a user.

To place a hold

In the Holds group, click the Place Hold wizard.

In the User ID box, scan the user’s ID.

In the Item ID box, scan the item’s ID.

Under Hold Info, specify the hold information, such as the hold expiration date and hold level.

Click Place Hold.

For more information about placing holds on items, go to FAQs: Placing Holds.

How are holds filled in my library?

The order in which holds are filled depends on how you library’s Demand Management policies are configured for holds.

Demand Management allows libraries to have flexible control over placing and satisfying holds on their items. By defining various policies, libraries can control whether or not a hold can be placed on an item, and which user will receive the item when it becomes available. Instead of considering holds only in the order they appear in the hold queue, a library in a multilibrary system can give priority to its own users so that they receive the items first. A library in a multilibrary system can give priority to users in its library group, or prevent holds from being placed on its available materials.

Libraries have the ability to temporarily suspend a user’s hold. Suspending a hold prevents the hold from being filled for a specified period of time. Even though the hold cannot be filled or trapped during the designated time period, the hold retains its place in the hold queue. When the suspension period ends, the hold can be filled when the item becomes available and the hold is the first qualified hold for the item.

Demand Management also allows library staff to clear the Holds shelf of items with canceled or expired holds, so that material can be given to another user in the hold queue or returned to its usual shelf location.

For more information on Demand Management, go to Getting Started in Demand Management.

How do I check an item’s status?

Use the Check Item Status Wizard to see if the item is on hold for someone, should be discharged and re-shelved, returned to its home location, placed on the Holds shelf, or put into transit to another library (multilibrary systems only).

To check an item’s status

On the Circulation toolbar, click the Check Item Status wizard.

In the Item ID box, scan the item’s ID.

Click OK to display the Current Status of Item window.

The window displays information about the item, the proposed action, and the status of the item.

Click Close to close this wizard.

What do I do when an item is reported as missing or lost?

If a user reports that he or she has misplaced the item, use the Mark Item Missing Wizard to give the user and staff some time to look for the item, and to shadow the item so other users cannot find it in the public catalog.

To mark an item as MISSING

In the Items group, click the Mark Item Missing wizard.

Use the Item Search helper to locate the item you want to mark as MISSING.

Click Mark Item Missing.

Repeat steps 2 and 3 until all missing items are marked.

Click Close to close the wizard.

For more information on marking items as MISSING, go to FAQs: Marking Items as MISSING.

If a user reports that he or she lost the item and cannot find it, use the Mark Item Lost Wizard.

To mark an item as Lost

In the Items group, click the Mark Item Lost wizard.

Use the Item Search helper to locate the item you want to mark as lost.

Click Mark Item Lost.

If the Automatically Bill for Lost Item check box is selected in the wizard properties, the Billing for Lost Item/Processing Fee window appears. Do one of the following:

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If you want to bill the patron for the lost item and processing fee, click Bill User.

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If the user wants to pay the lost item bill immediately, click Pay Now.

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If you want to waive the bill for the user, click Cancel Lost Item Bill.

Repeat steps 2 through 4 for each item until all lost items are marked.

Click Close to close the wizard.

For more information on marking items as Lost, go to FAQs: Marking Items as Lost.

What do I do if a user claims to have returned an item?

Use the User Claims Returned Wizard to mark the item as Claims Returned. When you use this wizard, the Claims Returned value in the user record is increased by one. The Claims Returned field contains the number of times a user has claimed to have returned items. Because this number is a historical counter, the value does not decrease if the items are later found and checked in, or marked as MISSING or LOST. This historical counter can be useful in determining if a patron is abusing his or her library privileges.

To mark an item as Claims Returned

In the Special Circulation Functions group, click the User Claims Returned wizard.

In the User ID box, scan the user’s ID. The title and date due for all items checked out to the user display.

In the Claimed Returned field of the title you want to mark claims returned, enter the date that the user claims to have returned the item, and then press ENTER.

Click Mark Items Claimed Returned.

Click Close to close this wizard.

For more information, go to FAQs: Managing User Claims of Returned Items.

In a multilibrary system, how are items in transit between libraries managed?

If your library is part of a multilibrary system, items can be put into transit to move items between libraries to fill holds or to be re-shelved in their home locations in their owning libraries. Various Circulation wizards are designed to check the status of an item before using the item in some circulation function. If the item is needed at another library, or should be returned to the owning library, the wizards will alert the library staff to put the item into transit. For more information, go to Transit Overview.

The Pending Transits displays a list of items that are currently in transit to your library to be shelved or to be picked up for a hold.

To view items in transit to your library

In the In-Transit Items group, click the Pending Transits wizard.

The library that the items were routed to, the total number of items in transit, and the number received from transit display.

To receive an item (take the item out of transit), select the item from the List of Items in Transit, and click Receive Item.

Repeat step 2 until you have finished receiving items.

Click Close to close the wizard.

Go to FAQs: Displaying Items in Transitfor more information.

The Receive Transit Wizard takes items out of transit at your library, and specifies what action to take for the item (put on the Holds shelf, or return it to its home location).

To take items in transit to your library out of transit

In the In-Transit Items group, click the Receive Transit wizard.

In the Item ID box, scan the item’s ID.

Click Receive Item to take the item out of transit.

Repeat steps 2 and 3 until you have finished receiving items.

Click Close to close the wizard.

Go to FAQs: Receiving Items in Transit for more information.

How do I register a user?

Use the New User Registration Wizard to add a user to your patron database.

To register a user

In the Users group, click the New User Registration wizard.

In the User ID box, scan the user’s ID.

In the Profile Name list, select the user profile you want.

Click OK.

Click each tab in the User Registration window and add information about a user and his or her access.

Do one of the following:

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If the Duplication Checking option is not selected in the wizard properties, click Register User.

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If the Duplication Checking property is selected in the wizard properties, click Check Duplicate User.

Click Close to close the wizard.

For more information, go to FAQs: Registering New Users.

How do I modify a user’s record?

Use the Modify User Wizard to make changes to a user’s record, such modifying address information or changing the user’s assigned profile.

To modify a user’s record

In the Users group, click the Modify User wizard.

In the User ID box, scan the user’s ID. The user record displays.

Click each tab, as needed, to make changes to the existing user record.

When you have finished changing the user information, click Modify User.

Click Close to close this wizard.

For more information, go to FAQs: Modifying User Information.

How do I display a user’s record?

Use the Display User Wizard to view a user’s record.

To view a user’s record.

In the Users group, click the Display User wizard.

In the User ID box, scan the user’s ID. The user record displays.

Click each available tab in the Display User window to access user information.

Click Close to close this wizard.

For more information, go to FAQs: Displaying User Information.

How do I accept payment from a user for fines and other bills?

Use the Paying Bills Wizard to accept money and apply the received amount to the user’s unpaid bills.

To accept payment for bills

Click the Paying Bills wizard.

In the User ID box, scan the user’s ID. Information about the user and bill(s) displays.

Note: If the Deletion of Items with Bills feature is enabled and an item associated with a bill has been deleted from the catalog, the item ID field for that item will be blank.

If you are applying payment to the total amount owed:

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Under Total Bills and Payments, type the payment amount in the Payment box (for example, 1.75, $1.75, .50, or $.50).

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In the Payment Type list, select the payment type.

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Click Pay Bills.

When the payment is applied to the total bill, bills are paid in chronological order, from the oldest bill to the most recent.

If you are applying payments to an individual bill:

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Under Individual Bills and Payment, select the bill to be paid.

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To change the payment type, click the Payment Type field on the selected bill to display a drop-down list, and select the payment type.

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Click the Payment field. With the field selected, type the payment amount (for example, 5.00).

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Click Pay Bills.

Click Close to close this wizard.

For more information, go to FAQs: Paying Bills.

How do I renew a user’s library privileges?

Use the Renew Privilege Wizard to renew a user’s library privileges when the privileges have expired or are about to expire.

To renew a user’s library privileges

In the Users group, click the Renew Privilege wizard.

In the User ID box, scan the user’s ID. The user record displays.

Under Privilege Info, select the renew privilege option you want. You may select Normal or Special.

If you select Special, you can select an expiration date.

Click Extend Privilege.

Click Close to close the wizard.

For more information, go to FAQs: Renewing a User’s Library Privileges.

What do I do if a user loses a library card?

Use the User Lost Card Wizard to issue a replacement library card to the user.

To replace a user’s library card

In the Special Circulation Functions group, click the User Lost Card wizard.

Use the User Search helper to identify the user who lost the card.

In the New User ID box, scan or type the new library card ID, and then click Assign New Card.

Click Close to close the wizard.

For more information, go to FAQs: Replacing a User’s Lost Library Card.