Check-Out Blocks and Messages

Messages and blocks may appear during check-out and renewal:

Note:

Specific permissions are required to override many types of circulation blocks.

Patron and Item Blocks

• Patron blocks - You may see the Patron Blocks dialog box during check-out. Patron blocks relate to patron record conditions, such as overdue fines or the need to verify patron data. The Patron Blocks dialog box may also list blocks on associated patron records. See Manage patron blocks at circulation.
• Patron has unread messages - If a patron has unread messages, an alert message appears in the Patron Blocks dialog box. You can continue the check-out operation or cancel it, and you can also click the block text to open the Patron Status workform - Notes view. The alert message does not place any blocks on patron activity in the PAC. For more information about patron messages, see Posting Patron Messages.
• Item blocks - During check-out, you may see the Item Blocks dialog box. An item block may indicate that an item should not be checked out, or that it requires special handling. See Manage item blocks at circulation.
• Non-circulating items - You may see a message regarding restricted circulation. Your library may designate some items as non-circulating to all patrons, or may allow some items to circulate only to certain patrons. You can override the library policy and continue the check-out, or cancel the check-out for this item.

Overdue Fines

• Overdue Fine dialog box - This dialog box appears if there is a fine on an item that has already been checked out. You can accept payment and renew, waive the fine and renew, charge the patron’s account and renew, or cancel the transaction. For details, see Resolve a fine at renewal. If the fine is on another patron’s account, the Pay option is not available.
• Automatic fine waivers - Your library may choose to automatically waive overdue fines at check-out. For example, a patron may check out an item, and a message indicates the item is already checked out to another patron. If the item is also overdue, the library may want to simply forgive the fine. If Polaris is set to waive the fines, the Overdue Fine dialog box does not appear during check-out.

Checkout/Renewal Charge

• Patron checkout charge dialog box - Opens when you scan an item at checkout or renewal, the item’s assigned branch has placed a charge on the item for checkout or renewal, and your library has set this dialog box to appear. You can accept payment and continue the transaction, waive the charge and continue the transaction, charge the patron’s account and continue the transaction, or cancel the transaction. If your library charges for renewals, and you are renewing an overdue item, the Renew chargeable overdue item dialog box opens. See Renew Overdue Items - Resolve Fines and Renewal Charges.
• Renew chargeable overdue item dialog - If your library has set the Check Out: Charge Options Patron Services parameter to charge for renewals and prompt the user regarding the charge, the renewal charge appears on the same dialog box as the overdue charge when renewing overdue items. Renew Overdue Items - Resolve Fines and Renewal Charges.

Item Belongs to Another Library

You may see the following messages regarding an item’s assigned branch:

• This item is assigned to library. Do you want to continue with this transaction? - The item does not belong to your branch. You can continue or cancel the check-out. If you cancel the check-out, a message asks if you want to put the item in-transit to the assigned branch. You can put the item in-transit to the item’s assigned branch, or you can keep the item at your branch.
• This item is in transit to library. - The item’s status indicates that it has been put in-transit to its assigned branch. However, you can still continue the check-out, or cancel it.

Holds Messages

During check-out or renewal, the following messages may appear relating to holds (see Working with Hold Requests):

• This item satisfies a hold...Do you want to hold the item? - The item satisfies a hold request for another patron. You can designate the item to fill the request (and stop the check-out), or override the request and continue with check-out. If you override the hold, a message asks if you want to reactivate the hold request for the patron whose hold request was overridden. This message will only display if the hold request option “Trap at check-out” is set for your branch. If your library has not set this option, the item will check out to the patron and the hold request will remain as it was for the requesting patron.

Note:

If you trap the item to fill the request, and hold slips are printed from the Check Out workform, a hold slip prints at the end of the check-out session. For information on setting your workstation to print hold slips, see Setting Up Receipt Printing from Workforms.

• This item cannot be checked out, because it is being held - The item is being held for another patron. You can override the hold and continue with check-out, or stop the check-out process. If you override the hold, a message asks if you want to reactivate the hold request for the patron whose hold request was overridden.
• Transfer this item to library for hold? - The item fills a hold request for a patron at another library. You can override the hold and continue with check-out, or stop the check-out process and transfer the item. If you override the hold, a message asks if you want to reactivate the hold request for the patron whose hold request was overridden. This message will only display if the hold request option “Trap at check-out” is set for your branch. If your library has not set this option, the item will check out to the patron and the hold request will remain as it was for the requesting patron.

Note:

If you transfer the item, and in-transit slips are printed from the Check Out workform, an in-transit slip prints at the end of the check-out session. For information on setting your workstation to print in-transit slips, see Setting Up Receipt Printing from Workforms.

Circulation Messages

You may see the following messages related to item circulation:

• Item is over the renewal limit - Renew the item anyway, or cancel the renewal.
• The item is already checked out to this patron - Renew the item, or cancel the renewal.
• This item is already checked out to another patron - Check in the item and then check it out to the current patron, or cancel the check-out. For information about check-in, see Doing Normal Item Check-Ins.
• Item has an unexpected status - Items with a status such as Withdrawn must be checked in before checking out.
• Item is due at library closing time - Allow the item to circulate overnight, or make the item due at closing time.
• Item is on reserve for two or more courses - Select the course for which the item is being checked out, or select no course.
• Routed serial item - If you try to check out a routed serial item, you receive an error message. Check the item in to change its circulation status from Routed to In (see Doing Normal Item Check-Ins), and then check it out. Or, go to the Notes view on the linked Issue record and change the issue’s status to Returned or blank Change an Issue or Part’s Status). The item record’s circulation status will be changed to In.
• Dispensing unit - If your library circulates certain items from a media dispenser, you may see an alert message (Please retrieve items from the dispensing unit or a similar message) when a dispenser item is checked out. Click OK to acknowledge the message, remind the patron to go to the dispenser unit to pick up the item, and continue.
• Resolve lost/billed item dialog box - This dialog box appears when an item has been declared lost, but the item is found at circulation. See Resolve a lost-and-unpaid item at circulation and Resolve a lost-and-paid item at circulation.

Outreach Services Patrons

You may see the following messages related to Outreach Services patrons.

See Outreach Services Processing.

• If a specific item has been checked out to an active outreach services patron in the past, a message appears. You can continue to check out the item, or cancel the check-out.
• Your library may display a prompt to update an active Outreach Services patron’s next service date if the item is not on the patron’s pick list. If you choose to update the next service date from the prompt, the patron’s Next Service Date and Last Service Date are updated based on the Outreach Services delivery schedule set for that patron. If no prompt is displayed, or if you choose not to update the service date, the patron’s next service date is not affected.