Patrons¶
Before importing and/or adding patrons be sure to set up your patron categories.
Add a new patron¶
Patrons are added by going to the ‘Patrons’ module.
- Get there: Patrons
Once there you can add a new patron.
Click ‘New patron’
The fields that appear on the patron add form can be controlled by editing the BorrowerUnwantedField system preference.
First enter the identifying information regarding your patron
Required fields are defined in the BorrowerMandatoryField system preference
Salutation is populated by the BorrowersTitles system preference
Note
If you’d like to prevent full names from printing on slips and you’re not using the Initials or Other name fields for anything else, you can use them for shortened versions of the name to then be printed on the slip.
For example:
Firstname: Nicole C. Surname: Engard Initials: NCE
Then on the slip you can have it print the <<borrowers.initials>> instead of the full name (NCE).
Or you could do something like this:
Firstname: Nicole Surname: Engard Initials: E
Then on the slip you can have it print the <<borrowers.initials>>, <<borrowers.firstname>> instead of the full name (E, Nicole).
Next enter the contact information
- For contact information, note that the primary phone and email addresses are the ones that appear on notices and slips printed during circulation (receipts, transfer slips and hold slips). The primary email is also the one that overdue notices and other messages go to.
If this patron is a child, you will be asked to attach the child patron to an adult patron
- Click ‘Set to Patron’ to search your system for an existing patron
- If the Guarantor is not in the system, you can enter the first and last name in the fields available
- The relationships are set using the borrowerRelationship system preference
If this patron is a professional, you will be asked to attach the patron to an organizational patron
- Click ‘Set to Patron to search your system for an existing patron
Each patron can have an alternate contact
- An alternate contact could be a parent or guardian. It can also be used in academic settings to store the patron’s home address.
The library management section includes values that are used within the library
The card number field is automatically calculated if you have the autoMemberNum system preference set that way
Note
For a newly installed system this preference will start at 1 and increment by 1 each time after. To have it start with the starting number of your barcodes, enter the first barcode by hand in the patron record and save the patron. After that the field will increment that number by 1.
If you accidentally chose the wrong patron category at the beginning you can fix that here
Sort 1 and 2 are used for statistical purposes within your library
Next, the Library Setup section includes additional library settings
The registration date will automatically be filled in with today’s date
If your patron cards expire (based on your patron category settings) the Expiry date will automatically be calculated
The OPAC Note is a note for the patron - it will appear in the OPAC on the patron’s record
The Circulation Note is meant solely for your library staff and will appear when the circulation staff goes to check an item out to the patron
The Staff/OPAC asks for the username and password to be used by the patron (and/or staff member) to log into their account in the OPAC and for staff to log in to the staff client.
- Staff will only be able to use this log in info to log in to the staff client if they have the necessary permissions.
If you have set additional patron attributes up, these will appear next
Finally, if you have EnhancedMessagingPreferences set to ‘allow,’ you can choose the messaging preferences for this patron.
These notices are:
- Advanced notice : A notice in advance of the patron’s items being due (The patron can choose the number of days in advance)
- Item checkout : A notice that lists all the of the items the patron has just checked out and/or renewed, this is an electronic form of the checkout receipt
- Hold filled : A notice when you have confirmed the hold is waiting for the patron
- Item due : A notice on the day and item is due back at the library
- Item check-in : A notice that lists all the of the items the patron has just checked in
Patrons can choose to receive their notices as a digest by checking the ‘Digest only?’ box along with the delivery method. A digest is a combination of all the messages of that type (so all items due in 3 days in one email) in to one email instead of multiple emails for each alert.
Important
These preferences will override any you set via the patron categories
Important
These preference can be altered by the patron via the OPAC
Once finished, click ‘Save’
If the system suspects this patron is a duplicate of another it will warn you.
Note
A duplicate patron is detected if first and last names match and there is no date of birth populated or if first name, last name and date of birth fields are all populated. If two patrons have matching names, but one has a date of birth and the other does not they will not match as duplicates.
If you have set a minimum or upper age limit on the patron category and are requiring that the birth date be filled in, Koha will warn you if the patron you’re adding is too old or young for the patron category you have selected:
Add a Staff Patron¶
All staff members must be entered into Koha as patrons of the ‘Staff’ type. Follow the steps in Add a Patron to add a staff member. To give the staff member permissions to access the staff client, follow the steps in Patron Permissions
Important
Remember to assign your staff secure usernames and passwords since these will be used to log into the staff client.
Add a Statistical Patron¶
One way to track use of in house items is to “check out” the materials to a statistical patron. The “check out” process doesn’t check the book out, but instead tracks an in house use of the item. To use this method for tracking in house use you first will need a patron category set up for your Statistical patron.
Next, you will need to create a new patron of the statistical type
Next, follow the steps put forth in the ‘Add a new Patron’ section of this manual. Since this patron is not a real person, simply fill in the required fields, the correct library and nothing else.
To learn about other methods of tracking in house use visit the Tracking inhouse use section of this manual.
Duplicate a Patron¶
Sometimes when you’re adding a new family to your system you don’t want to type the contact information over and over. Koha allows for you to duplicate a patron and change only the parts you want to (or need to) change.
Open the patron you want to use as your base (the patron you want to duplicate information from)
Click the ‘Duplicate’ button at the top of their record
All of the fields with the exception of first name, card number, username and password have been duplicated. Fill in the missing pieces and click ‘Save’
Note
Clicking in a field that is already populated with data will clear that field of all information (making it easier for you to type in something different)
You will be brought to your new patron
Add Patron Images¶
If you would like you can add patron images to help identify patrons. To enable this feature you must first set the patronimages preference to ‘Allow’.
If the preference is set to ‘Allow’ you will see a placeholder image under the patron’s name and box to upload a patron image below the basic contact information.
In the ‘Upload Patron Image’ box click ‘Browse’ to find the image on your computer and ‘Upload’ to load the image on to the patron record.
Important
There is a limit of 100K on the size of the picture uploaded and it is recommended that the image be 200x300 pixels, but smaller images will work as well.
Editing Patrons¶
Patrons in Koha can be edited using one of many edit buttons.
To edit the entire patron record simply click the ‘Edit’ button at the top of the patron record.
Patron passwords are not recoverable. The stars show on the patron detail next to the Password label are always there even if a password isn’t set. If a patron forgets their password the only option is to reset their password. To change the patron’s password, click the ‘Change Password’ button
- Koha cannot display existing passwords. Leave the field blank to leave password unchanged.
- This form can automatically generate a random password if you click the link labeled “Click to fill with a randomly generated suggestion. Passwords will be displayed as text.”
To edit a specific section of the patron record (for example the Library Use section) click the ‘Edit’ link below the section
A patron image can be added by browsing for the image on your machine from the ‘Manage Patron Image’ section
- This form will not appear if you have the patronimages system preference to not allow patron images
- To add patron images in bulk, use the Upload Patron Images Tool
Patrons can also be blocked from checking items out by setting Patron Flags
If you would like your circulation staff to confirm a patron’s address before checking items out to the patron, you can see the ‘Gone no Address’ flag
If the patron reports that they have lost their card you can set the ‘Lost Card’ flag to prevent someone else from using that card to check items out
If you would like to bar a patron from the library you can add a manual restriction
Note
This flag can automatically be set with the Overdue/Notice Status Triggers
If you enter in a date and/or note related to the restriction you will see that in the restricted message as well
Children patrons do not become adults automatically in Koha unless you have Juvenile to Adult cron job running. To upgrade a child patron to and adult patron category manually go to the ‘More’ menu and choose ‘Update Child to Adult Patron’
You will then be presented with a pop up window asking which one of your adult patron categories this Child should be updated to
Managing Patron Self Edits¶
If you are allowing patrons to edit their accounts via the OPAC with the OPACPatronDetails preference then you will need to approve all changes via the staff client before they’re applied. If there are patron edits awaiting action they will appear on the staff client dashboard below the modules list (along with other items awaiting action).
Note
Superlibrarians will see modifications for any branch, other staff will only see modifications for patrons who belong to their logged in branch.
When you click the ‘Patrons requesting modifications’ link you will be brought to a list of patrons with requested changes.
From here you can ‘Approve’ and apply the changes to the patron record, ‘Delete’ and remove the changes or ‘Ignore’ and keep the changes pending to review later.
If you would like to see the entire patron record you can click the ‘Patron details’ links to the right of the buttons. This will open in a new tab.
Merging Patron Records¶
If you accidentally end up with one patron with two cards it is possible to merge their records together so that you don’t lose their loan history or holds.
- In the patron list, check the boxes next to the records you want to merge and click on the ‘Merge selected patrons’ button.
Note
It is possible to merge more than two records at a time.
- Select the patron record you want to keep and click on the ‘Merge patrons’ button.
The checkouts and statistics will be transferred to the right record and the other one will be deleted.
Patron Permissions¶
Patron Permissions are used to allow staff members access to the staff client.
Important
In order for a staff member to log into the staff interface they must have (at the very least) ‘catalogue’ permissions which allow them to view the staff interface.
Setting Patron Permissions¶
On the patron record click ‘More’ and choose ‘Set permissions’ to alter patron permissions
You will be presented with a list of preferences, some of which can be expanded by clicking the plus sign to the left of the section title.
Patron permissions defined¶
superlibrarian
Access to all librarian functions
Note
With this selected there is no need to choose any other permissions
circulate
- Check out and check in items
- This section can be expanded (Learn more)
catalogue
Required for staff login. Staff access, allows viewing the catalogue in staff client
Important
Must be given to all staff members to allow them to login to the staff client
parameters
- Manage Koha system settings (Administration panel)
- This section can be expanded (Learn more)
borrowers
- Add or modify patrons
- This section can be expanded (Learn more)
permissions
- Set user permissions
reserveforothers
- Place and modify holds for patrons
- This section can be expanded (Learn more)
editcatalogue
- Edit Catalog (Modify bibliographic/holdings data)
- This section can be expanded (Learn more)
updatecharges
- Manage patrons fines and fees
- This section can be expanded (Learn more)
acquisition
- Acquisition and/or suggestion management
- This section can be expanded (Learn more)
management
Set library management params (deprecated)
Important
This permission level no longer controls anything.
tools
- Use all tools
- This section can be expanded (Learn more)
editauthorities
- Edit Authorities
serials
- Manage serial subscriptions
- This section can be expanded (Learn more)
reports
- Allow access to the reports module
- Reports found on the Circulation page are not controlled by this permission
- This section can be expanded (Learn more)
staffaccess
Allow staff members to modify permissions for other staff members
Important
Requires the borrowers permission above
coursereserves
- Course reserves
- Allow access to the course reserves module
- This section can be expanded (Learn more)
plugins
- Koha plugins
- This section can be expanded (Learn more)
lists
Lists
Important
All staff have permission to create and modify their own lists, this permission is only necessary if you’d like to give a staff member permission to delete public lists that they have not created.
This section can be expanded (Learn more)
clubs
- Patron clubs
- Allows access to the Patron clubs feature
- This section can be expanded (Learn more)
ill
- Create and modify interlibrary loan requests
self_check
- Self check modules
- Used for self checkin/self checkout kiosks
- This section can be expanded (Learn more)
Granular circulate permissions¶
If the staff member has ‘circulate’ permissions they have the ability to perform all of these actions. If you would like to control circulation permissions on a more granular level choose from these options:
- circulate_remaining_permissions
- Remaining circulation permissions
- All circulation rights except those covered by permissions listed below
- force_checkout
- Force checkout if a limitation exists
- With this permission a librarian will be allowed to override a
check out restriction in the following cases:
- age restriction
- the item is issued to another patron
- the item is not for loan
- the patron has overdue items
- the item is lost
- the item is a high demand item
- the item is on hold
- manage_restrictions
- Manage restrictions for accounts
- Grants permission to the staff member to lift a restriction that might be on the patron’s record
- overdues_report
- Execute overdue items report
- The permission to run the overdues reports found under Circulation
- override_renewals
- Override blocked renewals
- Requires that the staff member also has circulate_remaining_permissions
Granular parameters permissions¶
If the staff member has ‘parameters’ permissions they have the ability to perform all of these actions. If you would like to control parameter permissions on a more granular level choose from these options:
- manage_circ_rules
- Manage circulation rules
- The ability to access the Circulation and fines rules in the administration area
- parameters_remaining_permissions
- Remaining system parameters permissions
- The ability to access all areas in Administration (other than the Circulation and fines rules)
Granular borrowers permissions¶
If the staff member has ‘borrowers’ permissions they have the ability to perform all of these actions. If you would like to control borrowers permissions on a more granular level choose from these options:
- edit_borrowers
- Add, modify and view patron information
- The ability to access the Patrons module to view patron files, as well as adding new patrons and editing patron files
- view_borrower_infos_from_any_libraries
- View patron infos from any libraries. If not set the logged in user could only access patron infos from its own library or group of libraries.
Granular holds permissions¶
If the staff member has ‘reserveforothers’ permissions they have the ability to perform all of these actions. If you would like to control holds permissions on a more granular level choose from these options:
- modify_holds_priority
- Modify holds priority
- Allow staff members to alter the holds priority (moving patrons up and down the queue)
- place_holds
- Place holds for patrons
Granular cataloging permissions¶
If the staff member has ‘editcatalogue’ permissions they have the ability to perform all of these actions. If you would like to control cataloging permissions on a more granular level choose from these options:
delete_all_items
- Delete all items at once
- Ability to use the ‘Delete all items’ option found under the ‘Edit’ menu in cataloging
edit_catalogue
- Edit catalog (Modify bibliographic/holdings data)
- Ability to access all cataloging functions via the Cataloging page
edit_items
- Edit items
- Ability to make edits to item/holdings records, but not bibliographic records
edit_items_restricted
Limit item modification to subfields defined in the SubfieldsToAllowForRestrictedEditing preference
Note
Please note that edit_items permission is still required
fast_cataloging
- Fast cataloging
- The ability to catalog using only the Fast add framework found on the Circulation page
Granular fines and charges permissions¶
If a staff member has ‘updatecharges’ permission they have the ability to perform all of these actions. If you would like to control fines and charges permissions on a more granular level choose from these options:
- remaining_permissions
- Remaining permissions for managing fines and fees other than the ability to write off charges
- writeoff
- Write off fines and fees
Granular acquisitions permissions¶
If the staff member has ‘acquisition’ permissions they have the ability to perform all of these actions. If you would like to control acquisitions permissions on a more granular level choose from these options:
budget_add_del
- Add and delete budgets (but can’t modify budgets)
budget_manage
- Manage budgets
budget_manage_all
- Manage all budgets
budget_modify
- Modify budget (can’t create lines, but can modify existing ones)
contracts_manage
- Manage contracts
group_manage
- Manage orders and basket groups
order_manage
- Manage orders and baskets
order_manage_all
- Manage all orders and baskets, regardless of restrictions on them
order_receive
- Manage orders and baskets
period_manage
- Manage periods
planning_manage
- Manage budget planning
vendors_manage
- Manage vendors
Granular serials permissions¶
If the staff member has ‘serials’ permissions they have the ability to perform all of these actions. If you would like to control serials permissions on a more granular level choose from these options:
- check_expiration
- Check the expiration of a serial
- claim_serials
- Claim missing serials via the Claims section
- create_subscription
- Create a new subscription
- delete_subscription
- Delete an existing subscription
- edit_subscription
- Edit an existing subscription
- This permission does not include the ability to delete or create a subscription
- receive_serials
- Serials receiving
- Receive serials on existing subscriptions
- renew_subscription
- Renew a subscription
- routing
- Routing
- Manage routing lists
- superserials
- Manage subscriptions from any branch (only applies when IndependantBranches is used)
Granular tools permissions¶
If the staff member has ‘tools’ permissions they have the ability to access and use all items under the Tools menu. If you would like to control which tools staff members have access to on a more granular level choose from these options:
- access_files
- Access to the files stored on the server
- Access to the Upload tool
- batch_upload_patron_images
- Upload patron images in batch or one at a time
- Access to the Image upload tool
- delete_anonymize_patrons
- Delete old borrowers and anonymize circulation/reading history (deletes borrower reading history)
- Access to the Anonymize patron tool
- edit_calendar
- Define days when the library is closed
- Access to the Calendar/holidays tool
- edit_news
- Write news for the OPAC and staff interfaces
- Access to the News tool
- edit_notice_status_triggers
- Set notice/status triggers for overdue items
- Access to the Overdue notice status/triggers tool
- edit_notices
- Define notices
- Access to the Notices and slips tool
edit_patrons
- Perform batch modification of patrons
- Access to the Batch patron modification tool
edit_quotes
- Edit quotes for the quote-of-the-day feature
- Access to the Quote of the Day (QOTD) Editor
export_catalog
- Export bibliographic, authorities and holdings data
- Access to the Export data tool
import_patrons
- Import patron data
- Access to the Import patrons tool
inventory
- Perform inventory (stocktaking) of your catalog
- Access to the Inventory tool
items_batchdel
- Perform batch deletion of items
- Access to the Batch item deletion tool
items_batchmod
- Perform batch modification of items
- Access to the Batch item modification tool
items_batchmod_restricted
Limit batch item modification to subfields defined in the SubfieldsToAllowForRestrictedBatchmod preference
Note
Please note that items_batchmod permission is still required
label_creator
- Create printable labels and barcodes from catalog and patron data
- Access to the Label creator and Quick label creator Tools
manage_csv_profiles
- Manage CSV export profiles
- Access to the CSV profiles tool
manage_patron_lists
- Add, edit and delete patron lists and their contents
- Access to the Patron lists tool
manage_staged_marc
- Manage staged MARC records, including completing and reversing imports
- Access to the Manage Staged MARC Records Tool
marc_modification_templates
- Manage MARC modification templates
- Access to the MARC modification templates tool
moderate_comments
- Moderate patron comments
- Access to the Comments tool
moderate_tags
- Moderate patron tags
- Access to the Tags tool
records_batchdel
- Perform batch deletion of records (bibliographic or authority)
- Access to the Batch record deletion tool
records_batchmod
- Perform batch modification of records (bibliographic or authorities)
- Access to the Batch record modification tool
rotating_collections
- Manage rotating collections
- Access to the Rotating collections tool
schedule_tasks
- Schedule tasks to run
- Access to the Task scheduler tool
stage_marc_import
- Stage MARC records into the reservoir
- Access to the Stage MARC records tool
upload_general_files
- Upload any file
- Access to upload files via the Upload tool
upload_local_cover_images
- Upload local cover images
- Access to the Upload local cover image tool as well as permission to add and delete local cover images from the record detail page
upload_manage
Manage uploaded files
Access to uploaded files via the Upload tool
Note
upload_general_files permission is required for this permission
view_system_logs
- Browse the system logs
- Access to the Log viewer tool
Granular reports permissions¶
If the staff member has ‘reports’ permissions they have the ability to perform all of these actions. If you would like to control reports permissions on a more granular level choose from these options:
- create_reports
- Create SQL reports
- The ability to create and edit but not run SQL reports
- delete_reports
- Delete SQL reports
- execute_reports
- Execute SQL reports
- The ability to run but not create or edit SQL reports
Granular course reserves permissions¶
If the staff member has ‘course reserves’ permissions they have the ability to perform all of these actions. If you would like to control course reserves permissions on a more granular level choose from these options:
- add_reserves
- Add course reserves
- delete_reserves
- Remove course reserves
- manage_courses
- Add, edit and delete courses
Granular plugins permissions¶
If the staff member has ‘plugins’ permissions they have the ability to perform all of these actions. If you would like to control plugins permissions on a more granular level choose from these options:
- configure
- Configure plugins
- The ability to run the ‘configure’ section of a plugin if it has one
- manage
- Manage plugins
- The ability to install or uninstall plugins
- report
- Use report plugins
- The ability to use report plugins
- tool
- Use tool plugins
- The ability to use tool plugins
Granular lists permissions¶
All staff members have permission to access lists. This section only needs to be checked off if you want to give permission to a staff member to delete public lists that they have no created themselves.
- delete_public_lists
- Delete public lists
- The ability to delete public lists created by someone else
Granular patron clubs permissions¶
If the staff member has ‘clubs’ permissions they have the ability to perform all of these actions. If you would like to control patron clubs permissions on a more granular level choose from these options:
- edit_clubs
- Create and edit clubs
- Create and edit patron clubs using the Patron clubs tool
- edit_templates
- Create and edit club templates
- Create and edit club templates using the Patron clubs tool
- enroll
- Enroll patrons in clubs
- Enroll patrons from the patron file
Granular self check permissions¶
If the user has ‘self check’ permissions they have the ability to perform all of these actions. If you would like to control self check permissions on a more granular level choose from these options:
self_checkin_module
Log into the self check-in module.
** Note**
This permission prevents the patron from using any other OPAC functionality
self_checkout_module
Perform self checkout at the OPAC.
Note
This permission should be used for the patron matching the AutoSelfCheckID system preference
Patron Information¶
When viewing a patron record you have the option to view information from one of many tabs found on the left hand side of the record.
- Get there: Patrons > Browse or search for patron > Click patron name
Check Out¶
For instruction on checking items out, view the Checking Out section of this manual.
Staff members can access their own check out screen by clicking their username in the top right of the staff client and choosing ‘My checkouts’
Details¶
Staff members can access their own account details by clicking their username in the top right of the staff client and choosing ‘My account’
All patron information will appear on the Details tab. This includes all the contact information, notes, custom patron attributes, messaging preferences, etc entered when adding the patron.
In the case of patrons who are marked as ‘Child’ or ‘Professional’ and their Guarantors additional information will appear on their record.
A child patron will list their Guarantor
On the Guarantor’s record, all children and/or professionals will be listed
Circulation Summary¶
Below the patron’s information on the details screen is a tabbed display of the items they have checked out, overdue, and on hold.
If they have family at the library staff can see what the other family members have checked out.
The Restrictions tab will show for all patrons. If the patron has no restrictions you will see that on the tab.
If the patron has restrictions on their account the tab will show the number and the description.
Using the ‘Add manual restriction’ button you can add a restriction to the patron record from here.
Fines¶
The patron’s complete accounting history will appear on the Fines tab. Contrary to its name, the Fines tab does not just show fine data, it also shows membership fees, rental fees, reserve fees and any other charge you may have for patrons.
The table will show you the following columns:
Date: the date the charge/payment was posted
- In the case of fines this will be the last day that the fine was accrued
Description: a description of the charges including the due date for overdue items and a link to the item record where one is available
Note: any notes about this charge/payment
If you’re allowing patrons to pay fines via the OPAC with PayPal (EnablePayPalOpacPayments) you will see a Note that says ‘PayPal’ for items paid this way
Amount: the total amount of the payment or charge
Outstanding: the amount still due on charge
The ability to reverse a payment
The ability to void a payment
A link to print a receipt for that line item
At the top of the table you can click the ‘Filter paid transaction’ to hide all completed transaction and above that you can use the search box to find a specific charge or payment.
Charging Fines/Fees¶
Most fees and fines will be charged automatically if the fines cron job is running:
- Fines will be charged based on your Circulation & Fines Rules
- Hold fees will be charged based on the rules you set in the Patron Types & Categories administration area
- Rental fees will be charged based on the settings in your Item Types administration area
- Marking an item ‘Lost’ via the cataloging module will automatically charge the patron the replacement cost for that item
Pay/Reverse Fines¶
Each line item can be paid in full (or written off) using the ‘Pay Fines’ tab.
Each line item can be paid in full, partially paid, or written off.
Pay a fine in full
If you have a note about the payment please type that first then move on
Click “Pay” next to the fine you want to pay in full
The full amount of the fine will be populated for you in the “Collect From Patron” box
If one or more values are defined under the PAYMENT_TYPE authorized value category a dropdown selection box will be displayed to specify a custom payment type
Click “Confirm”
The fine will be removed from outstanding fines, and displayed as fully paid.
Pay a partial fine
Click “Pay” next to the fine you want to partially pay
Enter the amount you are collecting from the patron in the “Collect From Patron” box
Click “Confirm”
The fine will be updated to show the original Amount, and the current Amount Outstanding
Pay an amount towards all fines
Click the “Pay Amount” button
Enter the amount you are collecting from the patron in “Collect from Patron.” The sum of all fines is shown in “Total Amount Outstanding”
Click “Confirm”
The fine totals will be updated with the payment applied to oldest fines first.
Pay Selected fines
Check the selection boxes next to the fines you wish to pay, click “Pay Selected”
Enter an amount to pay towards the fines.
Click “Confirm”
The fine totals will be updated with the payment applied to the oldest selected fines first.
Writeoff a single fine
- Click “Writeoff” next to the fine you wish to writeoff.
- A confirmation box will appear to specify a total amount to writeoff. This box allows a partial writeoff of fines.
- The fine will be removed from outstanding fines, and displayed as written off.
Writeoff All fines
- Click the “Writeoff All” button
- All fines will be removed from outstanding fines, and displayed as written off.
If you accidentally mark and item as paid, you can reverse that line item by clicking ‘Reverse’ to the right of the line
Once clicked a new line item will be added to the account, showing the payment as reversed
Creating Manual Invoices¶
For fees that are not automatically charged, librarians can create a manual invoice
First choose the type of invoice you would like to create
To add additional values to the manual invoice type pull down menu, add them to the MANUAL_INV Authorized Value
Important
The value set as the Authorized Value for the MANUAL_INV authorized value category will appear as the Description and the Authorized Value Description will be used as the amount.
If the fee is associated with an item you can enter its barcode so that the line item shows a link to that item
The description field is where you will enter the description of the charge
In the amount field, do not enter currency symbols, only numbers and decimals
Creating Manual Credits¶
Manual credits can be used to pay off parts of fines, or to forgive a fine amount.
- First choose the type of credit you’d like to apply
- If this credit is associated with an item you can enter that item’s barcode so that the line item links to the right item
- The description field is where you will enter the description of the credit
- In the amount field, do not enter currency symbols, only numbers and decimals
Printing Invoices¶
To the right of each account line there is a print link. Clicking that link will print an invoice for the line item that includes the date and description of the line item along with the total outstanding on the account.
Routing Lists¶
A list of all of the serial routing lists the patron belongs to will be accessible via the ‘Routing Lists’ tab on the patron record.
On this tab you will be able to see and edit all of the routing lists that this patron is on.
Circulation History¶
The circulation history tab will appear if you have set the intranetreadinghistory preference to allow it to appear. If you have the OPACPrivacy system preference set to ‘Allow’ and the patron has decided that the library cannot keep this information this tab will only show currently checked out items.
If you would like to export a list of barcodes for the items checked in today you can find that option under the More menu on the top right of the page.
This will generate a text file with one barcode per line.
Modification Log¶
If you have set your BorrowersLog to track changes to patron records, then this tab will appear. The Modification Log will show when changes were made to the patron record. If you also have turned on the IssueLog and ReturnLog you will see checkins and outs on this screen as well.
- The Librarian field shows the patron number for the librarian who made the changes
- The module lists ‘MEMBERS’ for the patron module
- The action will tell you what action was being logged
- The Object field lists the borrowernumber that is being modified (in the example above, it was my changing my own record)
Notices¶
The patron’s messaging preferences are set when adding or editing the patron. This tab will show the messages that have been sent and those that are queued to be sent:
Clicking on the message title will expand the view to show you the full text of the message that was sent.
If the message has a status of sent or failed you will have the option to ‘resend’ the message to the patron by clicking the ‘resentd button found under the status.
Statistics¶
Depending on what you set for the values of your StatisticsFields system preference, you can see statistics for one patron’s circulation actions.
Files¶
If you set the EnableBorrowerFiles preference to ‘Do’ the Files tab will be visible on the patron information page.
From here you can upload files to attach to the patron record.
All files that are uploaded will appear above a form where additional files can be uploaded from.
Purchase Suggestions¶
If the patron has made any purchase suggestions you will see a purchase suggestions tab on the patron record.
From here you can see all suggestions made by the patron and their status, you can also create a purchase suggestion on the patron’s behalf by clicking the ‘New purchase suggestion’ button at the top.
Learn more about Purchase suggestions in the Acquisitions chapter of this manual.
Patron discharges¶
A discharge is a certificate that says the patron has no current checkouts, no holds and owe no money. To enable this option on the patron record you need to set the useDischarge system preference to ‘Allow’.
Note
In France a “quitus” (“discharge”) is needed if you want to register for an account in a library or a university).
Note
Academic libraries often require that you have a clear record at the library before you can graduate.
Patrons can request discharges via the OPAC. Any pending discharges will be listed below the menu buttons on the main staff client page
Clicking the pending requests will open a screen where you can allow those discharges
To generate a discharge for a specific patron click the ‘Discharge’ tab on the left of the patron record
If the patron can have a discharge generated then it will have a button that says ‘Generate discharge’
If not then you’ll see an error explaining why you can’t discharge the patron.
Once the letter is generated you will have a PDF to download
Note
You can style the PDF using the NoticeCSS preference.
The patron will have a restriction added to their account
And a history of discharges will be added to the ‘Discharge’ tab
Patron Search¶
Clicking on the link to the Patron module will bring you to a search/browse screen for patrons. From here you can search for a patron by any part of their name or their card number.
Clicking the small plus sign [+] to the right of the search box will open up an advanced patron search with more filters including the ability to limit to a specific category and/or library.
You can also filter your patron results using the search options on the left hand side of the page.
Depending on what you have chosen for the ‘Search fields’ you can search for patrons in various different ways.
- Standard:
- Enter any part of their name, username, email address or barcode
- Email:
- Enter any part of their email address and choose ‘Contains’ instead of ‘Starts with’
- Borrower number:
- Enter the Koha borrower number
- Phone number:
- Enter the phone number exactly as it is in the system or by using spaces between each batch of numbers.
- Example: To find (212) 555-1212 you can search for it exactly as it was entered or by searching for 212 555 1212
- Street address:
- Enter any part of the patron’s address (includes all address fields) and choose ‘Contains’ instead of ‘Starts with’ to find the string anywhere in the address
- Date of birth
- Birth dates should be entered using the format set forth in the dateformat preference.
- Sort field 1
- This is a custom field that libraries can use for any type of data about the patron.
- Sort field 2
- This is a custom field that libraries can use for any type of data about the patron.
You can also choose to either search for fields that start with the string you entered or contain the string. Choosing ‘Contains’ will work like a wildcard search.
You can also browse through the patron records by clicking on the linked letters across the top.