2. Patron Registration Table of Contents Welcoming New Patrons ......................................................................................................................................2 Checking for Pre-Existing Records ..................................................................................................................2 Registering a New Patron .....................................................................................................................................3 Address and Phone: Personal Information ......................................................................................................4 Address and Phone: Address Information .......................................................................................................5 Address and Phone: Contact Information ........................................................................................................6 New Patron Registration – General ..................................................................................................................7 New Patron Registration – Status .....................................................................................................................8 Duplicating a Record ............................................................................................................................................8 Patrons from Other Libraries ................................................................................................................................9 Non-Residents ..................................................................................................................................................9 TAL Cardholders ..............................................................................................................................................9 Out of Province.................................................................................................................................................9 Accessing Reader Services .................................................................................................................................10 Associations........................................................................................................................................................10
Welcoming New Patrons The registration of a patron may be the librarian's only chance to speak about the services of the library. Make the most of it! When you welcome new patrons, tell them of the library's services. Because member libraries of TRAC issue a TRAC/TAL card as its library-borrowing card, advise new patrons that this also allows them to use other libraries in the Marigold, Northern Lights, Peace, and Yellowhead Library Systems. If they are 18 or over, they can also use their card for borrowing up to 5 books at participating TAL libraries. Give new patrons a short tour of your library and advise them of your library hours. There are some restrictions for cards issued to patrons that live in non-participating municipalities, so provide them with all applicable information. A brochure is available from the NLLS website for this purpose. See page 9 for more details on registering non-residents. Checking for Pre-Existing Records Before registering a new patron, it is important that you check whether there is a pre-existing account that needs to be settled. 1. From the Polaris Shortcut Bar, go to the Patron Services menu and select Patron Records or press F7 on your keyboard. The Patron Record find tool will appear. 2. In the For: field, type the patron’s name (Last, First). Always include the comma between the last and first names. Click the Search button or press the Enter key.
3. If there are no other records for that patron, you can create a new record. If there is a record, you can change the patron’s home library to your own in the Registered at field in the Patron Registration if they were previously registered at a library within your system. If you do not have the permissions to make this change, or if the card was issued from a library outside the system, contact NLLS, Public Services staff, and ask to have the patron’s home library changed; then change the patron’s address; and then switch to the Patron Registration - General view to update the Where They Live (municipality) field. If a pre-existing record was missed and a new record is created by mistake, you must merge the two records into one record, so that any items out, fines, or charges on the pre-existing record are maintained in the new record. Please contact NLLS, Public Services staff for assistance with merging patron records.
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Registering a New Patron 1. Click on the New (white-paper) icon on the Polaris Shortcut Bar, go to the File menu and select New, or use the keyboard shortcut CTRL+N. 2. From the list, select Patron Record and press Enter or click the OK button. The New Patron Registration work form opens. You will need to complete two pages: Address and Phone (a) and General (b). All of the bolded fields are required.
a b
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Address and Phone: Personal Information 1. Scan a new patron Barcode or type the number in the Barcode window and press Enter. 2. Enter the patron’s last and first name(s) in the appropriate fields. If available, input the patron’s middle name so as to better identify patrons who have the same name. Note: If a duplicate patron with the same name and address is found, a warning will appear. You can end the registration process by clicking the “Cancel” button on the Duplicate Patrons window. Contact NLLS HQ to have the patron’s registered library changed. 3. The patron’s Registered at location default is the local library location. 4. Next you need to select a Patron Code. There are 25 Patron Codes to choose from in Polaris, but not all will be available to your library. Each Patron Code has limits attached to it; these are set by your system, however some can be modified upon request. Some popular Patron Codes are listed below. Standard
Allows a maximum of 100 checkouts, 10 overdue items and 25 holds.
Print Disabled
Used for a patron with a perceptual disability – blindness or visual impairment; physical impairment that hinders holding a book such as Parkinson’s or Multiple Sclerosis; or a learning disability that hinders the use of print, such as dyslexia. Assigning this code gives Standard privileges as well as exclusive access to DAISY talking books.
TAL Cardholder
Used for a non-TRAC patron who presents a TAL card. Register this patron with your library’s barcode so they can borrow a limited number of local items. Such patrons cannot place holds or access databases.
Staff
Used for staff or library account. Allows for 100 items out and holds.
Limited Services
Can be used for a non-resident patron (See page 9 of this section). These patrons are not permitted to place holds or access databases due to licensing restrictions. Can be used for Internet access, such as a person accessing the public computers but who does not have a library card. With this code they not permitted holds, nor do they have access to the databases.
5. The default Expiration date will display Day/Month/Year, one year from the patron registration date. You can also click the down arrow and select the Date on the calendar in the case of a temporary card or choose a Term. If you are renewing a membership, check the information on the patron record, and update both the expiration date and address check for the length of the renewal.
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Address and Phone: Address Information 1. Add the address information. Click the Add… button (under the address box and just right of center) and the Add/Edit Address box will open:
Type
The default is Home. For other options, use the dropdown menu.
Country
The default setting is Canada.
Postal code
When a postal code is entered, it will automatically fill in the city and province. If the postal code you are entering is new, contact staff at your regional headquarters to add it in the database.
Street 1 & 2
Fill in the correct street address.
City
Automatically filled in when correct postal code is entered.
County
May be automatically filled in, or leave this blank.
Province
Automatically filled in when postal code is entered.
More than one address can be entered for patrons who have an alternate address. If required, you can Edit or Remove addresses by selecting the desired address then choosing Edit or Remove button. 2. The Address Check defaults to one year after patron registration; however, you may choose another date by clicking on the calendar. Alternatively, you may select a Term of a period of months for temporary patrons.
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Address and Phone: Contact Information
The last section on the New Patron Registration – Address and Phone page is the contact information. Choose the Notification option for the patron to receive notices for holds or overdue items. For whichever notification option is chosen, the corresponding field must be entered. More than one notification field may be entered for identification purposes. Mailing Address
If this is selected, ensure the Notices/bills, Statement and Invoice address fields reflect the primary address.
Email Address
This field is case sensitive. With this option, patrons will receive emails for items ready to be picked up, cancelled holds, almost overdue items, overdue items, long overdue items and membership expiration. Modifications to the messages can be made through system headquarters.
Telephone 1 Telephone 2 Telephone 3
For all phone numbers use dashes in formatting and include the area code, as required for use with Telephony, the automated calling system. Entering a cell phone number in this field will not send the phone a text message. *If your library does not use telephony, do not choose Telephone 1, 2 or 3 as a Notification option.
Fax
Use dashes in formatting with area code.
TXT Messaging
If a text message notification is requested, enter the applicable information here. If a text message is requested in addition to email notification, select Email Address as the Notification option, enter Mobile phone information and check Additional TXT Messaging.
Once all the applicable fields on the New Patron Registration – Address and Phone work form are complete, you must fill out the New Patron Registration – General work form.
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New Patron Registration – General Access the second patron registration work form by selecting the “G” tab from the left side navigation. The work form will appear in the same window. 1. Fill out the information in the General section: Gender
Select appropriate sex.
Statistical class
From the dropdown menu, select age group. Adult is the default.
Password
Enter the last four digits of the patron’s phone number. The patron can change the password, if desired, by logging onto TRACpac. For TAL cardholders, Non-Residents or Temporary cardholders, enter 0000. TAL, Non-Residents, and Temporary cardholders may search TRACpac but may not login.
Birth date
Not necessary if statistical class filled out.
Date of original registration
Will automatically fill in.
2. Ask whether the patron would like to Maintain a reading list. If checked, this box will enable a reading history of up to 9,999 items that the patron checked out, which can be maintained from their TRACpac account. Alternatively, the patron can activate this feature on TRACpac. For more information, see page 10, Accessing Reader Services. 3. You may select Email notices in plain text or choose to leave it unchecked. Email notices will be sent to patrons in HTML format and if they have difficulty viewing the email, the option to change the notices to plain text is available. 4. Do not check any of the exclusion boxes in the lower left section of the work form. 5. Next you will need to fill in the User Defined Fields. Where they Live
A required field; choose from the dropdown menu the municipality in which the patron resides, typically to whom the patron pays taxes. If you are editing a pre-existing patron record because the patron has now moved into your area, be certain to update the Where They Live field. For patrons not in your library system, select one of the options and charge the non-resident fee: • Use OUT OF PROVINCE for patrons that reside out of province, e.g. If the patron is working in Alberta but resides in Saskatchewan you may want to issue a temporary card. • Use NOT IN LIST as a last resort when you do not know where in Alberta they live, e.g. if the name of home municipality is not known. Be sure to follow up. • Do not use NOT IN SYSTEM
Parent/Guardian
Fill in with the parent or guardian’s name for a child or youth card.
Local Library Statistic #1
You may enter any information you wish here.
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Local Library Statistic #2
This field will keep track of any information that the library may require statistics on, such as special memberships, grade level, etc. You may make requests with system headquarters to add or remove options.
Local Library Statistic #3
This field is customizable by library location. Contact system headquarters for more information.
6. Finally, save the record by clicking on the Save (disk) icon at the top of the work form, selecting Save from the File menu, or using the shortcut CTRL+S. New Patron Registration – Status The third screen of the Patron Registration is the Status screen. You do not need to enter any information here. Once the patron starts using the account, this screen will show blocks, notifications, and totals for amounts owed, items out, overdue items, claims, and lost items.
Duplicating a Record You are able to duplicate a record in Polaris, for instance, if you are registering multiple patrons with the same address information. 1. After saving, keep the patron’s record, click on the New (white paper) icon in the patron registration window. A box will appear, you are asked if you want to clear the work form or if you want to copy an existing work form.
2. Select Copy the Existing Work form and click OK. 3. When an existing work form is opened, all of the fields remain the same except for the barcode. You will be required to change all other pertinent information such as name, statistical class, etc. The Clear Work form can be used if you are creating a new card for a different patron with different contact and address information. 4. After completing the registration be sure to save the record.
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Patrons from Other Libraries Persons who reside within participating system boundaries may obtain a card at a system library other than the one in their own municipality, at the discretion of the Library Manager of that library. That library’s policies will apply when issuing the card. Patrons are encouraged to register at the library in their own municipality in order to support it with their registration fee. Persons who reside in a participating system of TRAC are to register at a library within their own system. This is because systems individually subscribe to and pay for e-Resources based on their own population counts and not on the counts of other systems’ residents. Persons who reside within TRAC boundaries and present a valid TRAC/TAL card have the same borrowing privileges as your patrons with TRAC/TAL cards. You do not need to register them to use your library. Non-Residents Non-Residents are persons living within non-participating municipalities or persons from other libraries in Alberta who do NOT present a valid TRAC/TAL Card. They are eligible to obtain a card at any library in the system but must be charged a Non-Resident fee of $60 each, regardless of the size of the household. Of this amount, $10 is retained by the library for administration costs. $50.00 of the fee collected is sent to Northern Lights headquarters; Of this $50.00, $10.00 is added to the Library’s regular book allotment account Northern Lights headquarters retains $40.00 Please note: the current non-resident fee of $60.00 is for Northern Lights Library System only. If your library charges a local non-resident fee, the local library fee is in addition to this Northern Lights non-resident fee. Non-residents are limited to having 50 items out, 10 items overdue and are not able to place holds or have access to databases. Limited Services cards restrict the number of items out and overdue, as well as block the ability of a patron to place holds or access databases due to licensing restrictions. 1. Create a record for the patron in Polaris, making sure a record does not already exist. 2. Choose the Patron Code of Limited Services. 3. The Where They Live field will either be their municipality or select Not In List. 4. Charge the Non-Resident fee or associated fee. TAL Cardholders Persons who present a valid TAL card from outside of TRAC need to have a patron record created for them in Polaris. TAL cardholders are limited to having 10 items out, 10 items overdue and are not able to place holds or access databases. Typically, TAL Cardholders are limited to only borrowing books; however, this is dependent on local policy. Lastly, no fees are imposed. 1. Create a patron record in Polaris, making sure a record does not already exit. 2. The Patron Code will be TAL Cardholder. 3. Enter 0000 as their password. 4. The Where They Live field will be either their county or Not in List. 5. Place the system patron barcode on the inside of their TAL card. Out of Province Persons from other provinces may be issued a temporary card if they are residing within the municipality. This is done at the discretion of the library, and local fees and policies apply. Temporary cardholders are limited to having 10 items out, 10 overdue items, 10 locally placed holds and do not have access to databases. The term of the card is usually 3-6 months. 1. Create a patron record in Polaris, making sure a record does not already exit. 2. The Patron Code will be Limited Services. 3. Leave the password blank or enter 0000. 4. The Where They Live field will be Out of Province.
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Accessing Reader Services In the Circulation - Patron Status work form, the Reader Services View shows the reading history for the patron if the option to maintain a reading list has been selected. This can be set up in the Registration work form or in TRACpac. To view this list, from the Patron Status work form, select Reader Services (house icon). In TRACpac, the patron goes to My Account, logs in and selects the sub tab Reading History. From this view, patrons will be able to delete, bookmark, or share titles.
Associations This screen allows you to create a shortcut in the current patron’s account to other family members’ accounts. From a patron’s Patron Status work form, select the Associations icon (three people). To add an association, click on the blue plus sign. This will open a new window where you can use the find tool to locate the other patron’s record; alternatively, you can scan a patron barcode into the field.
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