Polaris Patron Services Overview
Patron Services in Polaris includes features and functions for staff to create and modify patron records; manage patron accounts; circulate items; put items on hold; and perform other circulation tasks. See the following topics for more information:
Getting Started in Patron Services
Overview of patron services functions; patron records and how to find and display them.
Creating, modifying, merging, and deleting patron records; patron photos; patron reading histories; posting and managing patron messages; patron associations; deleting and merging records; generating patron mailing labels.
Creating record sets to bulk-change multiple patron records.
Circulation Workstations: Receipts, Sounds, Smart Cards
Setting up the workstation for receipt printing, sound alerts for messages and blocks, and smart card use.
Check-out blocks and messages; check-out and renewal; circulating on-the-fly uncataloged items; overview of item records.
Resolving patron and item blocks at circulation; adding and deleting patron blocks.
Checking in items; bulk check-in; managing fines at check-in; checking in new shelf-ready items; in-house usage.
Creating quick-circ (ephemeral) items for circulation; quick-circ check-out and check-in.
Inventorying items on the shelf; inventory reports.
Assigning a claim status to an item when a patron claims she returned the item or never had it; resetting a patron’s total claims count; estimating fines on claimed and lost items.
Processing items that are declared lost, and items that have been declared lost but turn up at circulation.
Displaying and printing items out for a patron; estimating fines on currently checked out items; notice histories; patron accounting, including assigning, paying, and waiving charges; refunding and crediting payments; credit card processing; making and reconciling deposits; using collection agencies.
Placing, modifying, and cancelling holds; the holds queue; processing requests-to-fill; filling hold requests at circulation.
Working with Interlibrary Loans
The interlibrary loan process, from creating and exporting an ILL request to receiving an ILL item and returning the ILL item.
Placing Borrow by Mail requests; processing Borrow by Mail items for shipment.
Setting up outreach (homebound) patron profiles; suspending and reactivating service; creating title selection lists; processing multiple outreach services patrons; working with reader ratings.
Setting up course records; placing items on reserve; circulating reserved items, including templates for instructor-owned or temporary course reserve items; notices for instructors.
Patron Services/Circulation Shortcut Keys
List of shortcut keys formatted for convenient printing and clipping.