CIRCULATION ADMINISTRATION
Chapter 2. MATERIAL TYPES AND ITEM CATEGORIES
Adding a Material Type
You can add a new material type for your library.
Once a Material Type has been added to the system, it cannot be deleted. If a Material Type is no longer used by your library and you wish to remove the material type from the Material Type menus throughout the system, you must set the status for the material type to “inactive.”
Depending on the specific configuration of the system for your library or consortium, some fields may not be available.
To add a material type:
- From the Material Types screen, click the Add New Type button.
-
The Add Material Type screen displays in an additional browser window.
-
- Enter the desired display sequence for the material type in the Sequence text box.
- Enter a name for the material type in the Label text box.
The Label cannot exceed 24 characters (including spaces).
- Enter the default cost for items of the associated material type in the
Default Cost text box.
The specified Default Cost is used by the system in cases where the Cost is not specified in the item record for a given item.
- You may enter the Default Cost in whole dollars (i.e., "1") or in dollars
and cents (i.e., "1.00").
DO NOT include the dollar sign "$" when entering the Default Cost. DO NOT include commas "," in the Default Cost.
- You may enter the Default Cost in whole dollars (i.e., "1") or in dollars
and cents (i.e., "1.00").
- Use the Hide from OPAC checkbox to indicate whether or not the
associated material type will be hidden when viewing Location
information or Item Status in the Search module.
- A checkmark
indicates
the material type is not shown when viewing Location
information or Item Status. An empty checkbox
indicates the
material type is shown when viewing Location information or
Item Status. Clicking the checkbox repeatedly will toggle it on and off.
- A checkmark
- Use the Suppress from OPAC display checkbox to indicate whether or
not display of items of the associated material type are returned in search
results lists in the VERSO Search module.
- A checkmark
indicates
items of the material type are not returned in search results. An
empty checkbox
indicates items of the material type are returned in search results.
Clicking the checkbox repeatedly will toggle it on and off.
- A checkmark
- Use the Active checkbox to set the desired status for the material type:
- A checkmark
indicates the material type is active (is available in
Material
Type menus throughout the system). An empty checkbox
indicates the material type
is inactive (is not available in Material Type menus throughout the system).
Clicking the checkbox repeatedly will toggle it on and off.
- A checkmark
- Use the Magnetic Media checkbox to indicate whether or not items of the
associated material type are “magnetic media” (video tape, audio cassette,
etc.).
- A checkmark
indicates items of the material type are “magnetic media.” An
empty checkbox
indicates items of the material type are not “magnetic media.”
Clicking the checkbox repeatedly will toggle it on and off.
- A checkmark
- Use the Reserve Requests are not allowed for this material checkbox to
indicate whether or not reserves may be placed for items of the material type:
- A checkmark
indicates reserve requests cannot be placed for items of the
material type. An empty checkbox
indicates reserve requests can be placed for
items of the material type. Clicking the checkbox repeatedly will toggle it on
and off.
- A checkmark
- Use the Allow Float checkbox to indicate whether or not items of the
material type are allowed to “float” between branches (see
About Floating
Collections for an overview of “floating collections”).
- A checkmark
indicates items of the material type are allowed to “float”
between branches. An empty checkbox
indicates items of the material type
are not
allowed to “float” between branches. Clicking the checkbox repeatedly will
toggle it on and off.
The Allow Float checkbox is shown only if your library or consortium has enabled the optional floating collections functionality.
- A checkmark
- Use the Statistic Update Only Item checkbox to indicate whether or not the
associated material type is used for "statistics update only" items.
Some libraries do not catalog individual titles for certain material types (such as paperback books or magazines), but wish to track circulation statistic for such material types. The Statistic Update Only Item checkbox allows a material type to be designated for "statistics update" only. When items designated as "statistics update" only are checked out, the quantity of items checked out is recorded for statistical purposes, but the individual titles are not tracked, and due dates are not assigned for the items.
- A checkmark
indicates material type is used for "statistics update only"
items. An empty checkbox
indicates material type is not used for "statistics
update only" items. Clicking the checkbox repeatedly will toggle it on and off.
- A checkmark
- Use the Active Alerts checkbox to indicate whether receipt of new items
of the material type will be included in Active Alerts:
- A checkmark
indicates receipt of new items of the material type
will be
included in Active Alerts. An empty checkbox
indicates receipt of
new items of
the material type will not be included in Active Alerts. Clicking the checkbox
repeatedly will toggle it on and off.
The Active Alerts checkbox is available only if your library or consortium has enabled the optional Active Alerts functionality.
- A checkmark
- If appropriate, enter the Default Circulation Parameters for the material
type.
Default Circulation Parameters are shown only for those systems utilizing "Shared" Material Types.
- Enter the default loan period (the number of days (or hours) for which an
item may be borrowed by a given patron) for items of the material type in the
Loan Period text box.
- To enter the Loan Period in days, enter the desired number of days, from 1 to 999.
- To enter the Loan Period in hours, enter the desired number of hours, from
.1 to 999, followed by the letter “H”.
When entering an hourly Loan Period, you may enter the Loan Period in whole hours (2H for example) or in decimal hours (3.5H for example).
- If desired, you may add “grace time” to an hourly Loan Period. To add
“grace time” to an hourly Loan Period, add the desired “grace time” in hours,
from .1 to 999, followed by the letter “G”, after the loan period (3.5H.5G
for
example).
In some cases, you may wish to define an indefinite Loan Period for a given material type and/or patron category. To do so, enter "INDEF" in the Loan Period text box.
- If you do not wish to establish the Loan Period for the material type, leave the Loan Period text box blank.
- Enter the default renewal period (the number of days (or hours) for which
an item currently on loan may be renewed by the current borrower) for items of
the material type in the Renewal Period text box.
- To enter the Renewal Period in days, enter the desired number of days, from 1 to 999.
- To enter the Renewal Period in hours, enter the desired number of hours,
from .1 to 999, followed by the letter “H”.
When entering an hourly Renewal Period, you may enter the Renewal Period in whole hours (2H for example) or in decimal hours (3.5H for example).
- If desired, you may add “grace time” to an hourly Renewal Period. To add “grace time” to an hourly Renewal Period, add the desired “grace time” in hours, from .1 to 999, followed by the letter “G”, after the renewal period (3.5H.5G for example).
- If you do not wish to establish the Renewal Period for the material type, leave the Renewal Period text box blank.
- Enter the default renewal limit (the number of times a loan for a given
item may be successively renewed by a given borrower) for items of the material
type in the Renewal Limits text box.
- The Renewal Limit may be from 1 to 999 renewals.
- If you do not wish to establish the Renewal Limits for the material type, leave the Renewal Limits text box blank.
- Enter the default checkout limit (the maximum number of items of the
material type a user can have "checked out" at any given time) for items of the
material type in the Checkout Limits text box.
- The Checkout Limit may be from 1 to 999 items.
- If you do not wish to establish the Checkout Limits for the material type, leave the Checkout Limits text box blank.
- Enter the default fine amount (the daily fine amount for overdue items) for
items of the material type in the Fine Amounts text box.
- Enter the fine amount (in dollars and cents) to be levied each day an item
is overdue.
If a fine amount is less than one dollar, it is not necessary to enter the leading zero.
- If desired, you may enter grace days/grace charges, using the format “0.00g000f0.00”. where 0.00 is the standard fine amount, g000 is the number of grace days, and f0.00 is the grace days fine amount.
- If you do not wish to establish the Fine Amounts for the material type, leave the Fine Amounts text box blank.
- Enter the fine amount (in dollars and cents) to be levied each day an item
is overdue.
- Enter the default fine limit (the maximum fine charged regardless of the
number of days overdue) for items of the material type in the Fine Limits text
box.
- Enter the maximum fine limit (in dollars and cents) to be levied for a given overdue item.
- If you do not wish to establish the Fine Limits for the material type, leave the Fine Limits text box blank.
- Enter the checkout fee (the fee due when checking out items) for
items of the material type in the Checkout Fees text box.
- Enter the checkout fee (in dollars and cents) to be levied each time an item of the material type is checked out.
- If you do not wish to assign a Checkout Fee for the material type, leave the Checkout Fees text box blank.
- Enter the default loan period (the number of days (or hours) for which an
item may be borrowed by a given patron) for items of the material type in the
Loan Period text box.
- Click the Submit button on the Add Material Type screen to submit the new
material type. (Click the Close button to close the Add Material Type screen
without adding the new material type.)
- If your system is configured for "shared" Material Types and you
have not
entered one or more Default Circulation Parameters, a warning dialog displays
the message "All Default Circulation Policies were not entered" when you click
the Submit button.
- Click the Cancel button to return to close the dialog and return to the Add Material Type screen. Enter values for any missing Default Circulation Parameters, as appropriate, then click the Submit button to submit the new material type.
- Click the OK button to close the dialog and submit the new material type without specifying one or more Default Circulation Parameters.
- If your system is configured for "shared" Material Types and you
have not
entered one or more Default Circulation Parameters, a warning dialog displays
the message "All Default Circulation Policies were not entered" when you click
the Submit button.
- The Add Material Type screen closes automatically, and the Material Types screen refreshes to display the new material type.
Once a material type has been configured for statistic update only, Circulation desk users must log out and back into the system for the material type to be recognized as a Statistic Update Only Item.