Setting Up Patron Photos

From the Patron Photo view in the Patron Record workform, staff members can take a photo, replace an old photo with a new one, upload an existing image file, or delete the photo from the patron record. If the workstation is set to display the photo, it also appears on the Check Out workform with the other patron information. (The patron’s photo does not appear in the PAC.)

Workstations used to process patron photos require a Windows-compatible webcam and associated software. Follow the installation instructions that accompany the webcam.

Note:
You cannot install webcam software on a thin client (terminal server environment) or use it via Remote Desktop, so you cannot take new patron pictures by these means. However, if the pictures are loaded from another source or captured on a conventional workstation with webcam software, they are displayed normally in terminal server and Remote Desktop environments.

For information about taking and editing patron photos, see Working with Patron Photos.

System Administration Settings

The Patron Services profile Display photo ID controls the display of patron photos in the Patron Record workform and the Check Out workform. It also controls whether patron photographs are displayed in the Patron Registration workform in the Polaris Web App (Leap). The profile is available at the system, library, branch, and workstation levels, and is set to Yes by default.

The following system-level Circulation permissions control the ability to work with patron photos in the Patron Photo view of the Patron Registration workform:

Modify photo IDs
Delete photo IDs

The permissions are not automatically granted at installation, so you must specifically assign them or supply a supervisor override. (The permissions do not affect the photo display in the Check Out workform.)

Importing Photos from an Existing Database

A set of existing patron photos can be imported into Polaris in a batch. Imported or uploaded images are limited to one megabyte (1 MG) each. Contact your Polaris Site Manager for more information.