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Circulation Manual

The official circulation manual for OPAL

Annual Clean-Up Guidelines

Completed each June. View OhioLINK Procedure via OSTAFF.

Any items on patron records that are more than 700 days overdue with the following status codes should be cleared after the June Institutional Overdues are reviewed. Note that the process is slightly different for each status.

OhioLINK Received

Borrowing Library does this only after notifying owning library

  1. Check item out to patron
  2. Check item in (will have status “OhioLINK Returned”)
  3. Delete virtual item in -+ or Sierra Circulation

Owning Library

  1. Check in the item.
  2. Make item missing and add appropriate note in record (see INNREACH Reports (full version), Returned Too Long Report for example).

OhioLINK Returned

Borrowing Library do this only after notifying owning library

  1. Delete virtual item in -+ or MilCirc

Owning Library

  1. Check in the item
  2. Make the item missing and add appropriate note in record

In Transit

Borrowing Library do this only after notifying owning library

  1. Check item in
  2. Check item out to patron
  3. Check item in (should now have status OhioLINK Returned)
  4. Delete virtual item in -+ or MilCirc

Owning Library

  1. Check in the item.
  2. Make the item missing and add appropriate note in record.

Lost and Billed

Borrowing Library do this only after notifying owning library

  1. Check item in.
  2. Delete virtual item in -+ or MilCirc
  3. Using Financial Functions, create a charge of $125 for OhioLINK lost book fee with note listing title, owning library, etc. and keep patron blocks on the account.

Owning Library

  1. Check in the item.
  2. Make the item missing and add appropriate note in record

Cancelled

Borrowing Library

  1. For OPAL Libraries: Report to opalhelp@ohionet.org
  2. For OhioLINK Libraries: Report to Innovative Help Desk

Other Status Codes

  1. For OPAL Libraries: PCIRC representatives from borrowing/owning library need to determine if other items should be reported to OPALHelp for clean-up or handled in some other way.
  2. For OhioLINK Libraries: PCIRC representatives from borrowing/owning library need to determine if other items should be reported to OPALHelp for clean-up or handled in some other way.

Clearing Virtual Records after Running the Returned Too Long List

An additional feature of the Returned Too Long report allows staff to remove invalid virtual items after the owning library has changed the status of any items to Missing. A virtual item is considered invalid if the item status in the central catalog is anything other than @ (INN-Reach Off-Site). Create the Returned Too Long Report and clear virtual items 4 – 6 times a year.


Remove an Individual Invalid Virtual Item

  1. Choose a line number from the Returned Too Long report to display the status of the item in the central catalog.
  2. Choose R > Remove virtual item. If the item status is not @, the virtual item will be removed. If the item status is @, the virtual item will not be removed.


Remove All Invalid Virtual Items

  1. Choose R > Remove invalid virtual items. The system will show the user which items are being removed.

Fine Issues

  1. There is no waiving of fines for lost items, nor exchange of money between institutions.
  2. Patrons must be accountable for lost items and are required to pay the replacement and processing fee.
  3. All fines collected remain with the collecting (borrowing) library.
  4. If the patron has purchased a replacement copy, the borrowing institution will inquire if the owning institution will accept it in lieu of fees. (policies vary across the consortium, with some members not accepting patron-purchased replacement copies.)
  5. As always, if a lost item is paid for, the borrowing institution communicates with the owning institution so the patron account is cleared and the owning institution can adjust their local information per their procedures.
  6. The borrowing library checks in the item when payment or replacement copy is received from the patron. Upon receipt of payment or replacement copy the owning library may update their item status to MISSING and add a note indicating .p11111111 from OSU paid $125 on xx-xx-xx. The borrowing library keeps money paid for fines.
  7. Item is returned after virtual record is removed from patron record: Send the item to the owning institution with a note of explanation; owning library may change status back to “available” and remove note from item record.
  8. If institutions do not respond to reports sent or questions asked, send e-mail to the PCIRC list.

     

Deleting Lost and Paid Items

Items that are lost and paid have already been removed from a patron’s account. The records can be removed whenever you’re ready either manually or by sending a review file number to OPALHelp and we will take care of deleting the item records and removing holdings from OCLC.