Doing Normal Item Check-Ins
When a patron returns an item to the front desk, you typically check in the item in normal mode, using the Check In workform - Normal view. As you are checking in items, you can do the following if you have the required permissions:
- Resolve a fine at check-in
- Change item information or barcode at check-in
- Check in items with missing parts
- Check in a held item with a changed pickup location
In certain situations, such as when an item does not have a barcode label, you do not have the item in front of you, or the item record was created with a status other than In, you can check it in from the Item Record workform. If you are working with a patron record, you can also check in an item from the Patron Status workform - Items Out view. Whether you check in an item in normal mode, from the item record, or from the Patron Status workform, alerts may appear during processing. For example, an item may have a block on it, or an item may be overdue. When alerts appear, you must decide how the item should be processed.
Note:
If you want to do a quick check-in of many items, such as a load of materials from the book drop, do a bulk check-in. This process eliminates most alerts. See Doing Bulk Item Check-Ins. If you are working with Polaris offline, you can only do a bulk check-in.
Shelving Status
If there are no special circumstances, the item’s circulation status changes immediately to In when you check it in, although it may not be returned to the shelf for several hours. This can be confusing for a patron who finds the item in PAC, notes that it is In, but cannot find it because it is still on the book truck. Your library can set a period during which the checked-in item’s In status is displayed as Shelving, or another description. For that period, the shelving status description is displayed for the item in the PAC, Find Tool search results, the PAC preview in the bibliographic record, and the list of linked items available from the bibliographic record or any linked item record. See
Free Days at Check-In
When an overdue item is checked in, free days A value applied at normal and bulk check-in, renewal, and offline that allows you to omit a specified number of days from the overdue fine calculation. are days omitted from the overdue fine calculation so that patrons are not charged for overdues when the library is closed. You can set special free days for normal and bulk check-in. For example, if the library was unexpectedly closed for a day due to a storm, you might permit one or two free days. The default values for normal and bulk free days are set in Polaris Administration. See
Floating Collections and Check-In
Your library system or certain branches within the system may use floating collections, where certain items remain at the branch where they were last checked in. If an item is called to another branch, for example to fill a hold request, the item will stay at that branch when it is returned. The items move among branches as they are used, not according to a rotation schedule. See
Floating collection processing takes place at check-in. The process happens automatically; if the item is not over limits set in Polaris administration, no message is displayed to the staff member when the item floats to its new assigned branch, the check-in branch. The item takes on the circulation parameters of its new assigned branch and remains there until it is checked in at (“floats” to) another branch.
Check-In Dialog Boxes, Messages, and Blocks
The following dialog boxes, messages, and blocks may appear during check-in.
Fine dialog box
The Fine dialog box may appear during check-in if there is a fine on the item. See Resolve a fine at check-in.
In Polaris Administration, the Patron Services parameter Check in: auto-charge fine from item work form and find tool context menu controls whether overdue fines are automatically charged to the patron account when overdue items are checked in from the Item workform, the Find Tool context menu, or the Patron Status workform - Items Out view. If the parameter is set to Yes, the Fine dialog box does not appear.
Item Blocks dialog box
The Item Blocks dialog box appears during check-in if there are blocks on an item. See Manage item blocks at circulation.
Holds Messages
The following messages related to holds may appear during check-in. See Working with Hold Requests:
- This item satisfies a hold...Do you want to hold the item? - You can designate the item to fill the request, or override the request. See Filling Holds at Circulation. If you fill the hold, and you have set up printing for hold slips from this workform, the slip is automatically printed. See Setting Up Receipt Printing from Workforms. You can reprint a hold slip for a held item by checking in the held item a second time, keeping the Held status for the item.
- Transfer this item to library for hold? - The item fills a hold request for a patron at another library. You can override the hold, or transfer the item. See Filling Holds at Circulation. If you transfer the item, and you have set up printing for in-transit slips from this workform, the slip is automatically printed. See Setting Up Receipt Printing from Workforms.
Resolve Lost/Billed Item Dialog Box
Your library may set this dialog box to appear 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.
Circulation Messages
You may see the following messages related to item circulation:
- Item does not belong to this branch - Your library may set this message to appear when an item does not belong to your branch. If you choose to put the item in-transit to the item’s assigned branch, and you have set up printing for in-transit slips from this workform, the slip is automatically printed. See Setting Up Receipt Printing from Workforms. If you choose to change the item’s status to In and keep the item at your branch, the item’s assigned branch does not change to your branch.
- Item is over your suggested limit - If your system uses floating collections with material type limits, this message may appear when you check in a floating item from another branch that exceeds your branch’s limits for floating items of this material type associated with the same bibliographic record. You can continue to check in the item and override the limit, if that is your branch’s policy. Alternatively, you choose to put the item in-transit to its home branch, or you can cancel the check-in.
- Collection floating limit reached - If your system uses floating collections with load-balanced collection limits, this message may appear when you check in a floating item from another branch that exceeds your branch’s limits for floating items based on load-balanced collections. You can select Yes to continue to check in the item and override the limit, if that is your branch’s policy. Alternatively, you select No to put the item in-transit, or you can cancel the check-in. If you choose to put the item in-transit, it floats to the branch with lowest ratio of the number of items to collection limit.
- Item was withdrawn message - Displayed when the item has been withdrawn from circulation. You can continue to check in the item, or you can cancel the check-in.
- Course reserve messages - If your library uses Polaris course reserves, and an item is on reserve for a course, a message informs you that the item is on reserve. You may also see a message if the reserve item is intended for use in the library only. Click OK and put the items in the appropriate areas for reserve items. See Managing Course Reserves.