Adding a Manual Charge

To add a manual charge, you must be assigned the following permissions:

  • To view the Fines tab, you must be assigned permission 94 (View patron record in check-out).
  • To select the Add Charge button, you must be assigned permission 44 (Circulation financial functions).

In addition to system-generated charges such as overdue fines, bills, and adjustments, you can add a manual charge to a patron's record. Unlike other types of fines, manual charges are not associated with items, and the system does not calculate the charge amount automatically. Instead, you choose the amount and purpose for the charge when adding the charge to the patron's record. For example, you can use a manual charge to fine a patron for replacing a lost library card, for using interlibrary loan services, or for printing.

To add a manual charge to a patron record:

  1. Select Circulation Desk from the Function list.
  2. Retrieve the patron record.
  3. Do one of the following to view the Fines tab:
    • Select the Fines tab.
    • Select Go | Circulation | Circulation Desk | Fines.
  4. Click Add Charge. The Add Charge dialog displays.
  5. Enter the following information:
    Predefined
    If your library has created predefined manual charges, you can select a predefined charge from the drop-down list. By default, a predefined charge is not selected. When you select a charge, the system populates the Amount and Reason fields with the data for that charge. You can still edit the Amount and Reason fields if you select a predefined charge.
    Amount
    The amount of the charge. You cannot enter a negative charge.
    Reason
    The reason for the charge. The maximum length for the reason is 100 characters.
    Marking Items as Damaged

    If you chose the Mark Damaged and Add Charge option while using the Marking Items as Damaged functionality, Sierra automatically populates the Reason field with the following text:

    Damaged <Item barcode> <Item title/description>

    Where:

    • <Item barcode> is the BARCODE field from the damaged item's item record.
    • <Item title/description> is the TITLE field from the damaged item's bibliographic record.

    If you selected a predefined charge from the Predefined Charge drop-down list without manually editing the Reason field, the system saves the reason as:

    <Predefined charge> Damaged <Item barcode> <Item title/description>

    For example, an item with the description "Stardust/Neil Gaiman" has a barcode of "2033280328". If you follow the steps outlined on Marking Items as Damaged to mark this item as damaged and add a manual charge, the default text in the Reason field displays as:

    Damaged 2033280328 Stardust / Neil Gaiman.

    If you choose a Predefined charge from the drop-down list with the amount and description "1.00 Rebind charge", the system automatically appends the Predefined charge reason to the current default, resulting in the following reason text:

    Rebind charge 2033280328 Stardust / Neil Gaiman.

    Add GST to charge?
    If your library charges General Sales Tax, the system asks you whether you want to add the GST. To apply the GST, select the Yes radio button. If you do not want to apply the GST, select the No radio button.
    If the General Sales Tax feature is not enabled, this prompt does not display in the Add Charge dialog.
    Location
    The library location to associate with the charge. The system suggests a location based on your login's locations served value:
    • If the login's locations served value is a list of valid locations, the system suggests the first location from the list.
    • If the login's locations served value is a list of invalid locations or is set to "none", the system suggests the location from the patron record's HOME LIBR field. If the patron's HOME LIBR field is set to "none", the system uses the last location selected during the current session as the default location. If a manual charge has not yet been added during the current session, the system does not suggest a location.

(Sierra 6.2 and later) When a user selects a location of "none", the system automatically overrides this value and uses the location specified in the patron record's HOME LIBR field (if one exists). The new location appears on the Fines tab after you create the manual charge. Additionally, Sierra uses this location when creating notices and in reports.

  1. To add the manual charge to the patron's record, click OK. To close the dialog without adding the charge, click Cancel.

If you added GST to the fine, the system prompts you to confirm the fine amount:

Add charge of <fine amount> and <GST amount> GST to patron record?

To apply the charge, click Yes. To cancel, click No.

The system adds a fine with charge type Manual to the patron's Fines tab. If the patron is present, you can collect the fine. Otherwise, a fine notice is generated to inform the patron of the charge.

See also:
Fining and Penalizing Patrons
Fines Display