Patron Account (My Account) in Mobile PAC

To make the My Account link available, set the Mobile PAC profile Navigation: Patron account to Yes. This profile is available at the system, library, and branch levels. After the patron clicks the My Account link and logs in, the Account Summary screen opens.

The top portion of the screen displays account information: patron name, barcode, registered branch, account expiration date, telephone number, email address, and any current blocks on the account. The lower portion displays links to the other patron account pages if these are enabled: messages, items checked out, hold requests, fines and fees, saved searches, reading list (reading history), update account information and preferences, and saved title lists.

Messages

This link appears if you have enabled patron messages in the Polaris staff client. When the patron taps the Messages link, current messages from the library are listed. The patron can mark messages as read and delete them.

For more information about setting up patron messaging in Polaris Administration, see Setting Up Patron Messages. For information about posting messages to patron accounts, see Posting Patron Messages.

Items Checked Out

This patron account page lists all items currently checked out to the patron. To make this page available, set the Mobile PAC profile Navigation: Items out to Yes. This profile is available at the system, library, and branch levels. The system uses the setting for the patron’s registered branch.

The patron can renew items by selecting the appropriate checkboxes and tapping Renew. If there is a charge for renewal, the item is marked with a dollar icon DollarIcon.gif. As in other Polaris PAC applications, if the renewal is allowed, a message with the new due date appears. If the renewal fails, an appropriate message appears.

Note:
Mobile PAC shares the Polaris Administration settings for renewals, renewal charges, and blocks on renewals with Polaris PowerPAC. To allow renewals, set the PAC profile Patron access: Renewals. To set charges for renewals, see Charging for Checkout and Renewal. To set blocks on renewals from PAC (and ebook circulation), use the Patron Services profile Patron-initiated circulation: Blocking conditions. For more information, see Defining Patron-Initiated Circulation Blocks.

When you select an item in the Items Out list, detailed information about the item is displayed. The patron can also renew the item from this screen if the renewal is allowed.

If the patron has currently checked out overdue items, the Items Out list also offers an option to estimate overdue fines. The patron taps Estimate Overdue Fines to display a view with a date option. The patron leaves today’s date or specifies a date in the future and taps Estimate Overdue Fines. The calculated accrued fines are displayed according to the specified date. (This feature is also available from the Fines and Fees page).

Note:
If the library has opted to include lost or claimed item overdue amounts in the estimate, these are included in the calculation. For details about estimated accrued fines settings, see Calculating, Blocking for, and Displaying Estimated Accrued Fines.

Hold Requests

This patron account page lists the patron’s hold requests. To make this page available, set the Mobile PAC profile Navigation: Requests to Yes. This profile is available at the system, library, and branch levels. The system uses the setting for the patron’s registered branch.

The patron can select requests with the appropriate status and cancel, suspend, or renew them.

When the patron taps a title in the Hold Requests list, detailed information about the request is displayed. The patron can also cancel, suspend, or reactivate a request with the appropriate status from this detail page.

All Polaris Administration settings for PAC hold requests apply to Mobile PAC. For more information, see Setting Up Hold and ILL Loan Request Processing.

Fines and Fees

This patron account page summarizes fines and fees on the patron account. To make this page available, set the Mobile PAC profile Navigation: Fines & Fees to Yes. This profile is available at the system, library, and branch levels. The system uses the setting for the patron’s registered branch.

When the patron taps an item in the Fines and Fees List, detailed information about the transaction is displayed.

If the connection branch and the patron’s registered branch accept credit card payments for fines and fees, the patron can select and pay charges from the Fines and Fees page. See Credit Card Payments from Mobile PAC.

If the patron has overdue items, this page offers an option to estimate accrued fines, also available on the Items Out page. See Items Checked Out.

Claimed and Lost

This patron account page lists the patron's claimed and lost items. To make this page available, set the Mobile PAC profile Navigation: Claimed and Lost to Yes. See Enable display of claimed and lost items in Mobile PAC.

Saved Searches

This page shows the patrons’ saved searches, if the Search Agent has been enabled in Polaris Administration. For details, see Saved Searches (Search Agent) in Mobile PAC.

The patron can select saved searches and delete them from this page. When the patron taps a search name, details about the saved search are displayed. The patron can edit the name, notes, notification e-mail address and format, frequency, and number of times to run the search, and save the settings. (The saved search cannot be run manually from Mobile PAC.)

Reading History

This page shows the patron’s reading history, if reading histories have been enabled in Polaris Administration. See Setting Reading History Options.

Tip:
If you enable reading histories, a patron can start or stop a reading history on the Update Account and Preferences page. See Update Account and Preferences. Reading histories are always enabled for Outreach Services patrons.

When the patron taps a title in the reading history, detailed information about the title is displayed.

To allow patrons to remove individual items from the reading history, set the PAC profile Patrons can remove reading history to Yes. This setting also applies to Polaris PowerPAC. The system uses the setting for the patron’s registered branch. The patron can check individual items and click Delete Selected, or click Delete All. When a patron removes an item from the reading history, the item is also removed from the reading history list in the staff client (Patron Status workform - Reader Services view).

Saved Lists (Title Lists)

This page is available if you allow patrons to create and save title lists. The patron can copy or move titles from list to list, see details about and place requests for titles on a saved list, and e-mail selected titles or entire lists. For details, see Title Lists in Mobile PAC.

Update Account and Preferences

This page is available if you allow patrons to request updates to their accounts in Polaris Administration. Set these features with the PAC profile Patron access options (Update Info tabbed page). Your setting also applies to Polaris PowerPAC. For more information, see Set up online patron account updates.

The Update Account page also offers a link to update preferences. These options can include email address, phone numbers, the ability to start and stop the reading history, email format, preferred language, preferred notification method, and e-receipts preference.

Note:
If the preferred notification method is set to email, an email address must be supplied. If the preferred method is phone, the patron must indicate the phone number to use for notification. If the patron chooses TXT Messaging or text message e-receipts, the patron must indicate the phone number to be used for TXT messages, and select a carrier for that number.