Follett VERSION 6.00, User Manual

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Chapter 5 Preparing to circulate your collection
The setup features discussed in this chapter include ways to do the following:
group your patrons for circulation purposes; make it easier to create new patrons;
set up your circulation policies; set time limits for items on hold and on reserve;
activate automatic fine calculation and refunds; customize your overdue, bill, and
hold notices; set up your library's hours and current calendar; and set up alert
sounds for your circulation desk.
Important:
You must set up the alert sounds at the workstation where you will be
using Circulation Desk.
Grouping your patrons by type
As you already know, the checkout period for a book or other library item is
partially determined by who is trying to check out the item. Circulation Plus lets
you create as many groups of patrons as you need to describe the various types
of patrons who use your library. These groups are called patron types.
See also:
For more information about how patron types relate to checkout
periods, see Circulation policies: who can have what and for how long" on
page 76.
The patron types you create are also important for statistical reasons. The
Checkouts/Fines Transactions Report, Patron Cards, and the Overdue/Bill and
Hold Notices can all be limited according to patron type. You can also limit the
Patron Name List according to patron type.
You assign a patron type to a patron when you add a patron record. You can then
use patron types for global editing and updating of patron records. For more
information about globally editing patron records, see Chapter 16, Maintaining
patron records in batches."