Managing Lost Library Cards

When a patron loses a library card, you can mark the card lost and assign the patron a new barcode without deleting the patron's previous barcode number. Storing lost barcodes in patron records helps prevent unauthorized use of library cards by warning staff when a patron tries to use a card that has been reported missing.

For more information, see the following topics:

Marking a Card Lost
Using a Lost Card

Marking a Card Lost

To mark a library card lost, perform the following steps:

If the patron's record is not already displaying, choose Circulation Desk from the Function list and retrieve the patron record.
Choose Edit | Patron or choose the Edit button to open the patron record for editing.
Add a message to the end of the P BARCODE field to explain why you are assigning a new barcode. The message can contain any text. For example:

P BARCODE 2 1234 12345 6789 reported stolen 10 Oct 2010

Insert a new P BARCODE field into the patron record and enter an unused barcode number. Make sure to insert the new barcode field above the previous barcode field so that the new, valid barcode displays in patron record displays.

Using a Lost Card

Once a patron's card has been marked lost, the system responds as follows:

If you enter the barcode of a lost card in Sierra, the system warns you that it does not match the patron's P BARCODE field. For example:

Barcode '21234123456789' was found as '21234123456789reportedstolen10oct2010'.
Continue using record for '21234123456789reportedstolen10oct2010'?

This message alerts you that the patron reported the card missing. Choose No to perform a new search, or Yes to retrieve the patron record and resolve the problem with the patron's barcode. The system does not block you from checking out items to the patron.

Spaces Ignored in Barcode Field

Sierra ignores any spaces it finds in the P BARCODE field. For more information, see Barcodes: Overview.

Express Lane and the SIP2 Circulation Interface require an exact match between the barcode entered by the patron and the P BARCODE field in the patron record. If the patron enters the barcode of a lost card at a self-checkout station, the system gives an error and does not allow the patron to log in. For example:

Your library card number cannot be located. Please try again or see a staff member for assistance.