Borrow By Mail Circulation

With Polaris Borrow by Mail, you can request library materials for patrons and have the requested materials delivered by mail. A patron can also select the Borrow by Mail feature when placing a request from the PAC if the patron’s branch enables this option. Libraries can restrict Borrow by Mail options by patron code, establish a fee for the service, and allow exceptions to the fee for some patrons, such as homebound (Outreach Services) patrons.

Your library system may process Borrow by Mail items in a central location or during normal circulation procedures. In central processing, one or more branches are designated as Borrow by Mail processing centers in Polaris Administration. (A processing center may also be a separate workstation set up as a “branch” in Polaris Administration.) When a Borrow by Mail request is placed, the pick-up location is automatically set to the designated processing center, and the item is routed to this location by normal holds routing procedures. Alternatively, your branch may handle both normal and Borrow by Mail requests by establishing itself as a processing location. In this case, a message alerts you to a Borrow by Mail request when the item is trapped An item is said to be trapped for a hold when an item that fills a request is scanned at circulation and the system links the item to a specific request, either automatically or by displaying a message that prompts you for a decision. at circulation.

After Borrow by Mail items are trapped and checked out to the requesting patron, each item is packaged with an accompanying letter, mailing label, and return address label. They are then shipped to the patron, and a tracking number can be entered in the Hold Request workform.

The default values and available options for Borrow by Mail are set in Polaris Administration. See Setting Up Borrow by Mail Circulation.

Note:
If your system does not include the Polaris Borrow by Mail license, the features described in this unit are not available.