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1. Are appointments automatically cancelled if the patron doesn't show to pick up their items?
No. Cancelling appointments is a manual process. Cancelling a pick-up appointment does not cancel the corresponding hold.
2. Can a Hold Group be shared across multiple libraries within a library system?
Yes. A Hold Group can work as a shared bucket even though it is owned by a specific library. As with other buckets, you will need to share the Hold Group bucket number so other staff can retrieve it.
3. Can course terms, users, and materials be loaded with a script or do they always need to be created manually?
Course terms, users, and materials can be loaded with a script or series of scripts.
4. Can patrons place "Call number" holds from the OPAC?
No. This is still a staff-only option. Patrons can only place title level holds or holds on monograph parts
5. Can we edit old reports to address hopeless holds or will we need to create new ones?
The Hopeless Holds fields have been added to existing report sources that can be included in your existing report definitions by cloning the current template and adding the fields. The new fields can be found on the following report Core Sources: “Prone to Hopeless Holds” can be found on Item Status; “Hopeless Date” can be found on Hold Request, Last Captured Hold Request, and Hold on Pull List.
6. Can we print the call number from the basket in the staff interface in Evergreen 3.6?
No. Call numbers cannot be printed from the basket in the staff interface in 3.6. This issue has been documented by the community at https://bugs.launchpad.net/evergreen/+bug/1833565.
7. Can you delete archived messages from the Messages tab on the patron record?
No - there is currently no function for deleting archived messages from the Message tab in Evergreen.
8. Can you run a report for hopeless holds to see if you need to purchase additional copies of a title?
Yes. There is a new Hopeless Date field on hold requests that can be used for reporting. You can also use the new Hopeless Holds module under Local Admin to sort ranges and download or print the results.
9. Could Evergreen's Course Materials module be used instead of lists in the OPAC by a public library that wants to create reading lists?
Yes, this would be a great and creative use of Course Materials in a public library.
10. Does Evergreen 3.6 include updates for label printing?
3.6 does not specifically include updates related to physical label printers. Some of the print label template settings have been move to the server and can be configured in Admin > Server Admin > Print Templates. Other label templates can still be configured in Admin > Workstation > Print Templates.
11. Does Evergreen's Curbside Pickup feature allow a library to create a different set of hours for curbside service than its normal operating hours?
Not currently. This is an enhancement that is currently under development. For now, you will need to change your hours of operation in Administration > Server Administration > Organizational Units. Don't forget that a change to hours requires running autogen. If you are in a hosted system with Equinox or some other vendor, you'll need to ask your Support team to do this for you.
12. Does Evergreen's Hopeless Holds look at patron status (i.e., blocked from the ability to place holds)?
No. Whether an item is considered hopeless related to hold is tied to the item's copy status, not a patron status.
13. Does Koha have the ability to batch change line items in orders, invoices, and other groupings?
Not from within the basket (order). Only individual line items in baskets (orders) and invoices can be changed for price, fund used, notes, etc. Default number of copies, discounts, tax rate, etc. can be applied to all line items through the attached vendor.
14. Does Koha have the ability to change fiscal year for outstanding EDI orders?
No? When you close out a fiscal year, you are presented with an option to move or rollover unreceived orders to the next fiscal year.
15. How does the biblio level item type (942$c) facilitate title level holds in Koha?
Holds use circ rule to determine whether a title is available for holds. Circ rules may include a wild card (*) to apply circ rule to "all branches," "all patron categories," "all item types," etc. While this works well for traditional circulation, it does not work for holds processing. An item is not attached to a title-level hold in Koha until the hold is filled. Koha uses the biblio level item type to insure that limitations on the number of holds a single patron is allowed based on item type are handled properly if other attributes of the hold include a wild card.
16. How often does the Hopeless Holds targeting process run?
Hopeless Holds are targeted with the same cron job that looks for items to fill holds, so it runs multiple times per day.
17. I thought I saw a way to view the new angular catalog in 3.4. Is that possible?
The Library Setting to enable it is “GUI: Enable Experimental Angular Staff Catalog”
18. If a patron returns an item that was previously marked lost, will the system automatically remove any bills assessed to the patron for the lost item?
It can, depending on your library settings. If the setting for "Void lost item billing when returned" is set to TRUE, the bill for the cost of the lost item is removed from the patron's account. If you charge a processing fee for lost items, there is a companion setting called "Void processing fee on lost item return." Set it to TRUE and the processing fee is also removed. Set it to FALSE and the processing fee will remain on the patron's record.
There are additional settings that control whether to reinstate prior overdue or generate new ones on returned lost items.
19. If courses are turned on in the public catalog for displays, how can results be scoped by org?
Each course has an owning library. For displays, the owning library should be set at the highest associated org level. The search scope must include the owning library of materials included in the list of course materials.
20. In Evergreen 3.6's Staff Catalog search, are saved Recent Searches tied to the individual user login, or are they tied to the Evergreen browser?
Recent Searches are tied to the browser and workstation; searches are cleared when you click “Clear Searches” or when you log out.
21. In Evergreen 3.6's Staff Catalog Search, does "Recent Search" retain search scope or just search terms?
Only the search term is saved with recent searches; the scope of the search is not; the current scope displayed will be applied to the saved search.
22. In Evergreen 3.6's Staff Catalog search, is the “Exclude Electronic Resources" option “sticky” if checked under Catalog Preferences?
Currently, the checkbox disappears once a search is completed; the filter itself is sticky for subsequent searches, so catalogers have to return to preferences to change the setting as needed. Reported to the community in Launchpad - see bug #1908727
(as of 3/5/21)
23. In Evergreen 3.6's Staff Catalog Search, where are Catalog Preferences saved - on the server or the registered workstation?
Catalog Preferences are tied to the registered workstation.
24. In Evergreen 3.6, can the Catalog Preferences in the Staff Catalog search be changed by whomever is using the workstation, without needing to have administrator status?
Yes, additional permissions are not required.
25. In Evergreen 3.6, in the Staff Catalog Search, are Search Templates saved per user or per workstation?
Search Templates are tied to the registered workstation.
26. In Evergreen's Course Materials module, can terms be unlimited or never-ending, such as for a book club or accelerated reading list?
Yes, you can create a term without an end.
27. In Evergreen's Course Materials module, when you archive a course, do the circulation modifiers, shelving locations, etc. for the items on reserve revert back to their original values, or do we need to change them manually?
Those fields revert back to their original values when a course is archived or when an item is removed from a course.
28. Is it possible to add a note to a hopeless hold?
Yes. This will work the same as the regular Holds grid. Select a specific hold and use the action menu to choose “Show Hold Details” and you can add, edit, and delete notes.
29. Is the list of "Pending Patrons" searchable?
No, but you can use the home library drop-down to focus on individual branches within your system, and you can sort the columns by any of the column headers to make it easier to find the patron's information.
30. Is the new terminology of “Call Number Hold” the same as “Volume Hold” from earlier versions of Evergreen?
Yes. The functionality is the same. The terminology is being updated to be consistent across modules. Similarly, the new term “Item Hold” is the same as the previous “Copy Hold”.
31. Is there a maximum number of search results per page when searching the Staff Catalog in Evergreen 3.6?
No; however, larger numbers will cause slower response time for returning results.
32. Is there a way to set a default for sorting preferences in Evergreen's staff catalog search?
No. Relevance is the default sort for results in a search of the staff catalog. There is a sort drop-down that can be used to change the way results are sorted.
33. Scenario: A libraries is in a system or consortium that allows resource sharing. A patron places a holds on a title. There are 6 total copies attached to the title. One is in a status of "Missing," and the other five cannot immediately fill the hold b
The hopeless "state" is determined by multiple criteria; however, in the described scenario, the hold would be considered hopeless until a copy becomes available. The hopeless holds date resets when the hold targeter rebuilds a list of potential items to fill a hold, so if one of the copies becomes available while the hold is active, either because the Missing copy is found or the age hold protection expires, the hopeless state may change.
34. We'd really like appointments in the To Be Staged screen to appear earlier. Can the time interval be customized?
Not currently. The Curbside Pickup feature is hard-coded to display items needed for the next 2 pickup time intervals
35. What happens if a patron tries to request curbside pickup after the hold is shelf expired?
There is nothing in the Curbside Pickup feature that currently prevents a patron from requesting a pickup time after the time when the hold would have expired on the holds shelf.
36. When a hold can't be successfully placed, is there a specific message provided to inform staff why it was unsuccessful?
It depends on the reason for not allowing the hold. Various error messages may appear as they relate to patron status or circulation policies. The first trigger prohibiting the hold will return the message. Additional research of the patron and title may be required. There is a title link on the holds screen to assist with navigating for research.
37. When you are adding items initially to a course, do you have to re-select the new circulation modifier, item status, etc. every time you add more items to the course?
No. As long as you are on the Course Materials page, the selected parameters are sticky. Once you leave the page and return to add more items, you will have to re-select.
38. Why do I need to add an Item Type to the 942$c in a Koha bib record?
1. The 942$c is a required field in most Koha MARC Frameworks. 2. The search filter for Item Type in the OPAC and staff interface look at both the item type in the item record and the biblio item type in the 942$c. 3. The bibilo level item type is used by Koha to properly process title-level holds. 4. The biblio level item type can be useful when creating reports.
39. Will Curbside Pickup override checkout limits? For example, if patrons are limited to checking out a total of 10 items, and the item they are picking up would make 11, will Curbside prevent the checkout?
It actually depends on which staff member is checking out the items. If the staff member circulating the item has override permissions that include overriding circulation limits, Curbside will automatically override the limit.
40. Will Koha alert staff if they try to delete an item that is associated with a bill?
Bills are tied to the patron record. Bills are not removed if the item is deleted. It remains on the record, along with title inforation for the item that resulted in the bill; however, the item's barcode is no longer linked to the bill after the item is deleted.
41. Will patron records include a list of items or number of items that a patron has claimed returned or never checked out?
Evergreen displays a count of items marked lost, claimed returned, or claimed never checked out. It is visible from the Patron Summary. Claimed returned and Lost items are listed in the Special Circulations sections of the Items Out tab on the patron record.