Adding Fines to Patron Records
The system can add several types of fines and charges to patron records, such as overdue fines, bills, and manual charges. Each time a fine is added to a patron's record, the system updates the patron record.
Types of Fines and Charges
The table below lists the types of fines that can be assessed automatically and the actions that trigger them:
| Type of Charge | Added When | For More Information |
|---|---|---|
| Overdue fine | Checking in or renewing an overdue item | Charging Overdue Fines |
| Bill | Preparing, sending, and clearing the highest level of overdue notice for an overdue item, marking an item lost, or marking an item damaged | |
| Adjustment charge | Checking in, checking out, or renewing a billed item | Adjusting Charges for Returned Billed Items |
| Rental charge | Checking in, checking out, or renewing a rental item | Renting Items |
| Annual fee | The patron record expires | Charging Patrons an Annual Fee |
| Notice printing charge | Printing (rather than emailing) an overdue notice for the patron | Notices: Amount and ptypes for overdue notice charge |
| Request charge | Placing a request in WebPAC | Charging Patrons for Requests |
| ILL charge | Placing an ILL request in WebPAC | Using Interlibrary Loan Requesting in the WebPAC |
| Unclaimed hold charge | Clearing the holdshelf | Charging Patrons for Unclaimed Holds |
| Collection agency charge | Sending the collection agency report | Agency Fee (Collection Agency Settings) |
If you want to charge a patron for a reason other than those listed above, you can do so by adding a manual charge to the patron's record.
How the System Updates Records when Adding Fines
When the system adds a fine to a patron's record, it makes the following updates:
- Determines how much to charge the patron. The amount of the fine depends on your library's settings for the type of charge being assessed.
- Assigns an invoice number to the fine. Invoice numbers range from 1 to 999999 and are assigned sequentially. When the system reaches invoice number 999999, it repeats the invoice numbering, starting again at 1.
- Records the fine's description, assessed date, charge location, and charge type.
- Adds an entry for the fine in the patron's Fines tab.
- Adds the amount of the fine to the total fines in the MONEY OWED field in the patron record.
- See also:
- Fining and Penalizing Patrons
- Fines Display