Answers To Your Questions - Migration & Set-Up

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Circulation Module

  • What exactly is age protection. I seem to have a few definitions that may conflict. Can you tell me how and with what it's used? Also, if it can be used, let's say for check out periods, a.k.a. after a month, the period goes from short to long, is there a way for a notification to be given when an item is being checked in and has been aged to the next level while checked out so that the staff knows where to reshelve the item? Is there a way to generate a report as well?
ANSWER: ANSWER: Age protection refers to what libraries a particular item can use to fulfill a hold. In GA PINES, they have age protections as 3 month and 6 month. If an item is set to 3 month age protection, and is less than 3 months old, it can only fill holds at the local branch. If an item is set to 6 months old, and is less than 6 months old, it can only fill holds at the local library system.
An item set to 3 months age protection, and is older than 3 months, will automatically be escalated to 6 month age protection (assuming, of course, it's still less than 6 months old).:
Right now, I don't think it can be used for checkout periods. It also doesn't currently give notifications as to it being currently covered under age protection."


  • How do holds age out? Can a report be generated for this?
ANSWER:You can use an item bucket to update a hold list. An alert message may be set for all items at once in a bucket.


  • Is it possible to have a dummy item record using a dummy barcode? A few of our libraries currently use a dummy barcode for all paperbacks. They do not keep track of who has what out, nor do they charge late fees. They just want to scan something for statistical purposes. Currently, they have a barcode that can be scanned over and over again, without ever needing to check it back in. Is this possible?
ANSWER: Each library can configure it's own list of Non-Cataloged labels. They do have due dates, but since they don't have barcodes and can't be "checked in", such circulations fade away from the patron's account when the due date hits.
Log in to the staff client as an admin-type user (I'm not sure which specific permissions are required), go to Admin -> Local System Administration -> Non Cataloged Types Editor:
Come up with a label, specify a duration (non-cats show up differently than real circulations in a patron's My Account section, and the wording goes like "Please return by DATE"), optionally toggle the Circulate In-House checkbox (this does not affect behavior, but can be useful for reporting), select an org unit (child org units will inherit this non-cat label), and hit Create.:


  • I know I have asked about holds by item type before, such as libraries allowing 5 CD holds, 10 DVD holds, and 20 book holds. How can EG do this?
ANSWER: This will be coming out with the next version of the client, released this summer. We WILL be using this version of the client and details are forthcoming.


  • On the Circulation Matrix form: Did we talk about "Reference Flag Set." If so, I have deleted it from my memory. What does that mean? Does that mean is the item circulating or not?
ANSWER: This flags it as a reference item, meaning that it cannot be checked out or have holds placed on it


  • The Circulation Matrix form. An item type is assigned three possible loan durations, but at some point, each individual item is going to have to be assigned one loan duration either for that individual item, or for that individual item for each individual checkout. So - Is one duration selected for each individual item as part of the holdings information? Or do all duration possibilities show up as options at the time of check-out and then the circ person selects which one each time it checks out?
ANSWER: Each item is assigned a loan duration of at the time of item creation. When the item is checked out, it will automatically use the loan duration selected when the item was created.


  • And back to the Circulation Matrix form: User Group? Am I telling the system which patron types can check this item type out?
ANSWER: You are telling the system, based on user profile group:
  • Whether or not they can check out that category of item
  • How long they can check out that category of item
  • What the fines for that category of item would be
  • etc.
FOLLOW UP QUESTION My question isn't quite that broad. I am asking how to fill in the column "User Group" in the circulation matrix form. I am guessing that I fill the column in with a list of User Groups which have permission to check-out the item type for that row? Is that right?
ANSWER:In short, Yes. you are entering the types of users that have the permissions specified in the row.


  • Patron Polices form: Above the example of the patron policies form it states "In Evergreen, these groups are hierarchical, and the most specific group which has a mapping (the lowest classification in the hierarchy) is used. There is a slim possibility I understand what this means. Would that be like a broad category, such as patron, might be divided into several subsets, such as resident and non-resident, which might be in turn divided into Niles City Resident and Niles Township Resident?
ANSWER: In short, Yes!
Evergreen provides Group Application permissions in order to restrict which staff members have the ability to assign elevated permissions to a user, and which staff members have the ability to edit users in particular groups. These permissions are created, attached to groups, and assigned by the a global administrator. Here is an example of a group hierarchy. All are users. Under users, you have Patron and Staff. Each of those have their own subcategories.
  • User
    • Patron
      • Outreach
      • Trustee
    • Staff
      • Circ Staff
      • Cataloger
      • Administrator
        • Library Manager
        • Local Administrator
        • Global Administrator


  • We currently have 90 collection codes. This is the closest thing we have analagous to what Evergreen will be calling "Circulation Modifiers." However, the reason we have 90 isn't because there are 90 different variations to our loan periods and/or fine structions. It is because we use these for statistical purposes also. If what we have been told is correct, that we will be able to create infinite numbers of statistical reports based on any field in the Marc or holdings records, we do not need nearly this many. So, I am asking to be sure. Will we be able to easily create statistical reports, such as "Number of circs for all books in J 334.5s in the past twenty four months" or "List of titles in 645s sorted by publication date."?
ANSWER:The answer to your question is YES! You can do all of this.


  • What if we have patrons who are exempt from fines? How is that addressed?
ANSWER:For these, simply put the fine amount as $0


  • What about check-out limits by format? I see where we can put max items out for user groups, but what if the limit is related to the format? For example, we let them check out unlimited number of books, but only five audiobooks. How will that be handled?
ANSWER: With version 1.2.2, it will be very easy to handle check-out limits by format. If we are not up on 1.2.2 by then (it's being released this summer), Equinox will add a script that will allow you to continue doing this. Please make sure to add this information in the extra box at the end.


Cataloging Module

  • Is there a place, or can there be a place to insert a general notes field on an item record? Is this something that will be included in the serials module?
ANSWER: You could do that as an item note or a stat cat, but it won't be very prominent in either case.


  • I see that you can limit catalog searches by "audience." How is the audience determined? Is this part of the MARC bibliographic record? Or is it assigned as holdings information?
ANSWER: This information is pulled from the 008 in the MARC record.


Other Questions

  • Currently, one of our libraries has terminals set up in their children's section that only displays items in that section when searched. These are determined using the agency code. Is there a way to set up a terminal within the library to do this?
ANSWER: One option is to have the children’s collection set up as a branch. This may yield some undesirable results. Equinox is looking in to other options.


  • And my final question for the day is - Am I asking too many questions?
ANSWER: No!!! Not at all. Every question you ask, and that I find an answer to and post on the wiki, is one less question that will be new later. I appreciate EVERY question you ask. :) Please keep them coming!
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