Deleting Patron Records
When you delete a patron record, you permanently remove the record from the Polaris database. (A deleted record cannot be recovered.) Patron records can be deleted manually or automatically, as well as individually or as a group. Automatic deletion occurs overnight, when the system finds and deletes patron records that have been inactive for a period of time as specified by your library in Polaris Administration. See Setting Options for Deleting Patron Records. Manual deletions require the appropriate permissions for the patron’s registered branch. See
Important:
If you do not want a patron record to be deleted under any circumstances, select the Do not delete patron record check box on the Patron Registration workform - General view.
Blocks to Deleting Records
A patron record may be blocked from deletion under certain conditions. Some blocks occur because a condition defined in Polaris Administration is met. Set blocks for patron record deletion. Other blocks are due to circulation processes, linked records, and system-assigned blocks. When you attempt to delete a patron record, detailed messages inform you if there are blocks to deletion.
You can override these types of blocks if you have the permission Patron registration: Override blocks to delete for the patron’s registered branch:
- Patron record - Library assigned block, free text block, patron note, associated patron records, link to a routing list, verify patron data block
- Patron account - Recent charge, amount due, credit, deposit
Some types of blocks prevent record deletion until the blocking condition is corrected. For example, if you attempt to delete a patron record that is associated with another patron record, a message is displayed, but you can continue to delete the record. However, if you attempt to delete a patron record that is linked to a hold request with a Held or Shipped status or an interlibrary loan request with a Received status, you must cancel the record deletion.
See also: Delete a Patron Record Manually.