Long Overdue blocks at Checkout
Patrons will be blocked if they have one or more items that are six weeks overdue. When a patron record is retrieved, an alert will pop up that states the patron has a LONG OVERDUE item.
Here’s an example of what a LONG OVERDUE block will look like:
Overriding Long Overdue Blocks
Staff members who are authorized can override the long overdue block and serve the patron without resolving the long overdue item if the situation warrants. When attempting a transaction for a blocked patron, the staff member will encounter the following prompt:
If the current logged in circulation user is authorized to override, they can click Yes and the transaction will be performed. If the staff user attempts to answer Yes to override and is not authorized, an authorized staff member can enter their username and password to override the block when prompted as follows:
Resolving Long Overdue Items
Long Overdue items can be resolved by the return of the item, or by paying (or forgiving) the bill generated when the long overdue item is declared Lost. If the situation warrants, long overdue items can also be renewed by staff with the appropriate permission level.
- Long overdue item is returned
If the item is returned, it should be checked in. The item will come off the patron’s checked out items list. Overdue fines, if not already paid for will remain on the patron’s record until cleared.
If the item has been declared Lost prior to its return, the patron will have a bill for the item.
DO NOT clear the bill for a Lost item prior to checking in the item. Doing so will result in a negative balance on the patron record. When the item is checked in, the bill will be voided and overdue fines, if any, will be reinstated.
- Item is not returned
If the patron does not return the item, and the item still has Checked Out status, it will need to be declared Lost so a bill will be generated for the patron to pay.
To declare an item Lost, right click on the item that appears in the patron’s list of checked out items and choose “Mark Lost(by patron)”. This will generate a bill which can be paid from the Bills screen of the patron record.
If the long overdue item has already been declared Lost, the Lost item will appear in the bottom section on the patron’s Items Out screen and there will already be a bill for the item on the patron’s Bills screen. The Long Overdue condition can be resolved by clearing the bill on the patron’s Bills screen. Choose the appropriate payment type, enter the amount, and click Apply Payment.
Removing a Long Overdue Block
If the patron has resolved the long overdue item, the long overdue block will be removed by a script running on the system. Removal does not happen immediately, however. Staff can remove the block immediately by going to the Messages area in the patron record, right clicking on the listed block and clicking on Remove Penalty/Message:
If a block is removed in error, it will be readded to the patron record the next time the script runs.