This chapter describes how to check out, renew, and return resources.
Figure 3.1, “Circulation Timeline” shows the checkout, renew, and return cycle.
Who can do this
All operators — requires the Circulate capability.
This section describes how to check out resources. This can be a very simple task, but it can also be complex. The basic procedure for checking out resources is described first. Most steps have links to more details if you need additional, in-depth information.
Procedure 3.1. Basic checkout procedure
Click the
icon to open the New Checkout screen.
Select the patron. More details.
Select the resources for this allocation. More details.
Select the pickup and/or due back dates and times (the selected dates and times apply to all resources in the allocation). More details.
Resolve any warning or error messages that may be displayed. More details.
When you are done selecting resources and dates, click the button, which opens the confirmation screen.
Complete the confirmation screen. This is where you can specify pickup and return options, deliver-to option, pickup people, and numerous other settings on this allocation. More details.
When you’re done, click the button.
You will be prompted for your PIN at this point. Different levels of users can override different warnings, so it is possible that your PIN will not have enough power to override certain warnings. In such cases, you will need to use a higher-level PIN (e.g., ask your manager to approve the checkout).
The screen reloads. The resources in this allocation are given a unique Checkout ID, such as CK-....
If server printing is set up, the Agreement Form is printed out. Have the patron sign the form and give them the copy. Give them their checked-out materials and file the original signed copy of the form. For more information about printer setup, see Section 13.1, “About printing in WebCheckout”.
You're done!
This section describes how to select a patron in the New Checkout or New Reservation screen.
Enter the patron's name, partial name, or ID in the Person field, and press .
If an exact match is found in the database, the patron's full name and ID are displayed.
If multiple matches are found, the Multiple Matches Found window opens. Select the correct name and click . The window closes and the patron's full name and ID are displayed.
After you select the patron, the next step is to locate and select the resources they need. Like many other tasks in WebCheckout this is a simple process that can also be complex. There are several ways to select resources, and there is a lot of information to interpret on the screen, which changes as you make your selections. The following information will help you understand what is happening as you select resources.
The instructions assume that you are in the New Checkout or New Reservation screen, and that you have selected a patron.
Resources types without any circulating resources will not be displayed.
If there is no arrowhead bullet next to a resource type's name, there are currently no available resources for that resource type.
In WebCheckout version 2.0 or greater, a new description field for resources was added to the Resource Detail screen. The contents of this field will be displayed next to the resource ID in the center frame. This field can hold any data which might help the operator select the appropriate resource when performing a checkout or reservation.
If there are multiple resources listed under a resource type, you can click the View Available button to open the Resource Availability screen. This will display all the resources and their availability, so you can see at a glance which resources are available when the patron needs them. Double-click on a resource to select it.
Icons in the Selected Resources frame indicate whether the patron is authorized to use this resource, use the resource overnight, remove it from the building, etc. More details.
If there are any problems, such as overdue fines on the patrons's record, or the patron is not authorized to use the selected resource, they will be displayed as warning and error messages in the narrow horizontal band in the middle of the screen. If there are multiple warnings, use the right-arrow to scroll through the list.
There are basically four ways to select resources, which are described below:
To select a resource if you do NOT know its name or ID
To select a resource if you DO know its name or ID
To have WebCheckout select a resource ID for you
To select resources using View Avail.
Procedure 3.2. To select a resource if you do NOT know its name or ID
These steps describe how to select a resource if you don't know its name or ID.
Click on the root resource type in the left frame. The root resource type is highlighted in yellow and its resource type/resource hierarchy is displayed in the center frame.
In the center frame, click on the arrowhead bullet next to the resource type you need. The arrow rotates down and the resource IDs or resource sub-types are displayed. (To hide them, click on the bullet again.)
Select a resource by double-clicking on its ID. The resource ID and resource type name are moved over to the Selected Resources, and also added to the schedulator.
Resolve any warning errors. More details
Now you are now ready to set the due date and time if you’re doing a checkout, or the pickup and due back dates and times if you’re placing a reservation. More details.
Procedure 3.3. To select a resource if you DO know its name or ID
Follow these instructions if you do know the name or ID of the resource.
Click on the root resource type in the left frame. The root resource type is highlighted in yellow and its resource type/resource hierarchy is displayed in the center frame.
In the center frame, click on the arrowhead bullet next to the resource type you need. The arrow rotates down and the resource IDs or resource sub-types are displayed. (To hide them, click on the bullet again.)
Enter the resource ID into the field below the Selected Resources frame, and click the button.
The resource ID is displayed in the Selected Resources frame, and the ID is added to the schedulator.
Resolve any warning errors. More details.
Now you are now ready to set the due date and time if you’re doing a checkout, or the pickup and due back dates and times if you’re placing a reservation. More details.
Procedure 3.4. To have WebCheckout select a resource ID for you
You can also have WebCheckout pick resource IDs for you.
Click on the root resource type in the left frame. The root resource type is highlighted in yellow and its resource type/resource hierarchy is displayed in the center frame.
In the center frame, click on the arrowhead bullet next to the resource type you need. The arrow rotates down and the resource IDs or resource sub-types are displayed. (To hide them, click on the bullet again.)
Double-click on the resource type in the center frame.
Note
This will only work if there are resources under the resource type and not just more resource types.
The resource type name is added to the Selected Resources frame. WebCheckout will try to maximize the overall availability of the resources of this type when it makes its selection. When the system picks the resource, the resource ID is also added to the selected resource frame, and to the schedulator.
Now you are now ready to set the due date and time if you’re doing a checkout, or the pickup and due back dates and times if you’re placing a reservation. More details.
Procedure 3.5. To select resources using View Avail
The most convenient way to select resources is to use the View Avail. button.
Click on the root resource type in the left frame. The root resource type is highlighted in yellow and its resource type/resource hierarchy is displayed in the center frame.
In the center frame, click on the arrowhead bullet next to the resource type you need. The arrow rotates down and the resource IDs or resource sub-types are displayed. (To hide them, click on the bullet again.)
Click to highlight the desired resource type in the center frame. You can do this even if it includes child resource types.
Click the , which opens the Resource Availability screen.
All of the resources from this type and its sub-types are listed. The display also includes a schedulator, which allows you to check resource availability at at glance.
Double-click on a resource to select it. Just like the other methods of selecting resources, the resource ID is moved to the Selected Resources frame and the schedulator.
Now you are now ready to set the due date and time if you’re doing a checkout, or the pickup and due back dates and times if you’re placing a reservation. More details.
To deselect a resource, double-click on its ID in the schedulator or in the Selected Resources frame.
The resource is deselected: it is removed from both the schedulator and the Selected Resources frame, and added back to the list of available resources in the center frame.
Once you've selected the patron and the resources they want to check out or reserve, you need to schedule the due back date and time (for checkouts) or the pickup/due back dates and times (for reservations). There are two ways you can do this:
You can enter the pickup and due back dates and times by entering them manually into the fields below the Selected Resources frame. The schedulator tags will automatically reflect your choices.
You can also set the due back/pickup dates and times in the schedulator as described below.
Procedure 3.6. To use the schedulator to select allocation dates and times
If you are doing a checkout, the green tag displays the current date and time, and can't be moved. The purple tag displays the due date and time.
If you are placing a reservation, use the green tag to set the pickup date and time, and the purple tag to set the return date and time.
Drag the tags with your mouse to set the dates and times. More details.
Now that you have selected the patron's resources, you are ready to click the button and continue to the next step in the allocation, Section 3.1.6, “Setting allocation options”.
This step describes how to complete the allocation by verifying the allocation details and setting any necessary options in the confirmation screen.
Verify the basic allocation information at the top of the screen. If you need to change a date or time, click the button and reset these values, then click again and continue.
Overrides. Problems are listed here. If you don't have enough capabilities, you will need a supervisor's assistance when you confirm the allocation.
Contents. Verify the contents. If you to change the resource selection, click the button and change the selected resources, then click again and continue.
Check the Needs pass? box if the patron needs a pass for security, and add a condition note if necessary. You don't need to worry about abuse fines now.
Activity. Add a comment if needed, and click to save it.
Other Information. Complete these option fields if needed. For a complete list of these fields and what they do, go to Confirm Checkout (for checkouts) or Confirm Reservation (for reservations).
For instructions on how to finish the allocation, go back to Section 3.1, “Checking out resources” or Section 4.1, “Placing a reservation”.
Who can do this
All operators.
This is one of the most common tasks done by operators in WebCheckout.
Procedure 3.8. To find information about checked-out resources
Click the
icon to open the Find Checkouts and Reservations screen.
The resources that are currently checked out are displayed in the right frame by default when the window opens. The Due Back time and date are red if the resources are overdue.
To search for additional checkout information, enter or select different search criteria and click the button.
Search results are displayed in the right frame.
Click on a checkout ID ( CK-...) link to open the Returning checkout screen, where you can return or renew the resources.
Who can do this
All operators — requires the Circulate capability.
Patrons may renew the resources they have checked out if:
the resource type circulation policies allow an extension to the due date
the resources are not reserved by another patron
the resources are not overdue past the renewal grace period
Renewal limits are circulation policies that can be viewed by all operators and set by administrators on the Policy tab of the Organization Detail screen, Checkout Center Parameters screen, or Resource Detail screen.
Because of the connection between resources and allocations, renewals can often get complicated. For example, patrons commonly have multiple resources checked out but only want to renew some and return the others. They may want to check out additional resources at renewal. Some resources on the allocation may not be available for renewal. For more examples, see Renewal scenarios.
Procedure 3.9. To renew a resource
Click the
icon to open the Find Checkouts and Reservations screen.
The resources that are currently checked out are displayed in the right frame. The Due Back time and date are displayed in red for overdues.
If you need to narrow down the search results, do a new search on the patron's name or the resource ID if you have it.
Click on the checkout ID ( CK-...) link in the search results for the resource you're renewing. Resource IDs are listed below the checkout IDs in the results display so you can verify you have the right one.
The Returning checkout screen opens, displaying detailed allocation information.
If other resources were checked out on the same allocation as the one you're renewing, you will see all of these as well.
If the resources are overdue but still within the renewal grace period, the Renew buttons are visible.
If the resources are overdue past the renewal grace period, there will be no Renew buttons.
Do one of the following:
If you only want to renew selected resources
Click the box next to the resource(s) being renewed, then click the button.
If you want to renew all resources in the allocation
Click the button.
The resources are renewed.
Renewing resources can get tricky because of treating checkouts as allocations. The following scenarios provide examples of several common renewal situations.
Scenario 1 - Renew all resources
Resources A, B, C, and D are all checked out on the same allocation ID, and therefore all have the same due date. All four resources are to be renewed, or extended, for the same amount of them. Therefore they all remain on the same allocation. You simply edit the current checkout by giving it a new due date. The allocation ID remains the same.
Scenario 2 - Renew some resources
Resources A, B, C, and D are all checked out on the same allocation ID. When the patron tries to renew all four, you discover that resources C and D are not available. They may be reserved by another patron, or they may simply not be available for extended checkouts. De-selecting C and D retains them on the original allocation and allows resources A and B to be renewed. A new allocation ID for A and B is generated.
Scenario 3 - Renew, drop, and add resources
Sometimes renewals can get extreme. For example, resources A, B, C, and D are all checked out on the same allocation ID. At renewal, the return time for A and B was extended, C and D were dropped, and a new resource, E, was added. A, B, and E are on a new allocation with the same due date/time. C and D remain on the original allocation.
Who can do this
All operators — requires the Circulate capability.
Procedure 3.10. To return a resource:
Click the
icon to open the Find Checkouts and Reservations screen.
The resources that are currently checked out are displayed in the right frame by default when the window opens. The Due Back time and date are red for overdue resources.
Click on the resource checkout ID ( CK-...) link for the resource you're returning.
The Returning checkout screen opens, displaying detailed checkout information. Remember that if other resources were checked out with the one you're returning as part of the same allocation, you will see all of these as well.
If it is not already displayed, select the 'Contents' tab on the right-hand panel of the Returning checkout screen to view the contents of the checkout.
If you only want to return selected resources
Click the box next to the resource(s) you're returning, then click the button.
If you want to return all resources in the allocation
Click the button.
The resource is returned. If the resource was returned late, any fines that are incurred are added to the patron's record.