Chapter 21. Borrowing items: who, what, for how long
Circulation policies pull together user, library, and item data to determine how
library materials circulate, such as: which patrons, from what libraries can
borrow what types of materials, for how long, and with what overdue fines.
Individual elements of the circulation policies are configured using specific
interfaces, and should be configured prior to setting up the circulation
policies.
Data elements that affect your circulation policies
There are a few data elements which must be considered when setting up your
circulation policies.
Several fields set via the copy editor are commonly used to affect the
circulation of an item.
-
Circulation modifier - Circulation modifiers are fields used to control
circulation policies on specific groups of items. They can be added to copies
during the cataloging process. New circulation modifiers can be created in the
staff client by navigating to Admin > Server Administration > Circulation
Modifiers.
-
Circulate? flag - The circulate? flag in the copy editor can be set to False
to disallow an item from circulating.
-
Reference? flag - The reference? flag in the copy editor can also be used as
a data element in circulation policies.
-
To get to the Copy Locations Editor, navigate to Admin > Local Administration
> Copy Locations Editor.
-
When setting up copy locations for your library you can set an entire copy
location to allow or disallow circulation.
-
Copy locations can also be used as a data element in circulation policies.
-
The user permission group is also commonly used as a data element in
circulation policies.
-
Other user data that can be used for circulation policies include the
juvenile flag in the user record.