How Sierra Calculates the Due Date for a Checkout
When you check out an item to a patron, the system calculates the due date for the loan as follows:
| Special Condition | Due Date Calculation |
|---|---|
| <none> | The system calculates the projected loan period by consulting the Code and Normal Loan Period loan rule elements. |
| Bookings | If there is a booking on the item and the beginning of the booking period falls within the projected loan period, the system blocks the checkout. If you override this block, the system prompts you with a due date just before the beginning of the booking period. |
| Days Closed | If the projected due date falls on a day that the item's location is closed, the system uses the Days Closed table to set the due date to the first day after the projected due date that the location is open.
The system retains only a one-year calendar of days and hours closed. If the calculated due date is 365 or more days from the current date, the system cannot determine whether the library is closed on that date. As a result, items can be due on a day when your library is closed. |
| Expired Patron | If the Check-out: Limit due date to expiration date circulation option is set to "YES" and the patron's library privileges expire before the item's calculated due date (i.e., the projected due date is after the patron record's EXP DATE), the system sets the item due date to the expiration date. If the library is closed on the patron record's EXP DATE, the system sets the due date to the first day after the EXP DATE that the library is open. |
| Holds | If the number of holds on the item exceeds the threshold specified in the Holds: Number of holds before minimum use used for due date circulation option, the length of the loan period is set to the Minimum Use loan rule element.
The system displays an alert when the loan period has been shortened: There are outstanding holds on this title, so the loan period may be shorter than normal. Check out item anyway? |
| Hourly Loan | If the item is an hourly loan, and the projected due time falls at an hour when the item's location is closed per the Hours Open table, the item is due either at closing time that same day or one hour after opening time the next day, depending on whether the loan rule allows the item to be borrowed overnight (i.e., depending on the setting of the Code loan rule elements).
An hourly loan rule can specify that the loan period is to be calculated for:
|
| ILL | If the item is an ILL item that needs to be returned to its supplying institution, the system calculates the due date based on ILL-specific considerations. |
| INN-Reach | If the item is an INN-Reach item, the system calculates the due date based on INN-Reach-specific considerations. |
| Renewals | If the checkout is a renewal (i.e., the patron currently has the item checked out), the system extends the loan period based on the loan rule's renewal variables. For more information, see How Sierra Calculates the Due Date for a Renewal. |