[OPEN-ILS-DOCUMENTATION] FW: [OPEN-ILS-GENERAL] Question regarding circulation policies

[Rogan Hamby]

We probably should put a really thorough documentation of this somewhere
with examples.  I lean towards the WIKI personally but opinions may vary.
To be clear a really good write up will take a lot more than the relatively
quick answer I gave here.  :)


On Wed, Dec 18, 2013 at 10:20 AM, June Caola-Stokoe <jstokoe at cwmars.org>wrote:

>  Hi All,
>
>
>
> Since participating in the Hackfest, I'm curious about this... As with the
> attached example,  I see many instances on the General email list that a
> very busy contributor generously takes the time to give a comprehensive
> answer to a question.  Would it be beneficial simply to add the text
> Launchpad to insure, if not already present, that the information resides
> in the documentation to perhaps become a starting point to fill it in.
>
>
>
> ... or maybe that's another action item for DIG to comb the General  list
> discussions to pull out items that are useful to add... or perhaps someone
> has already done it?
>
>
>
> June
>
>
>
> *From:* open-ils-general-bounces at list.georgialibraries.org [mailto:
> open-ils-general-bounces at list.georgialibraries.org] *On Behalf Of *Rogan
> Hamby
> *Sent:* Monday, December 16, 2013 2:11 PM
> *To:* Evergreen Discussion Group
> *Subject:* Re: [OPEN-ILS-GENERAL] Question regarding circulation policies
>
>
>
> Hi Deana,
>
>
>
> Your question touches on the issues of weighting.  Policies are made to
> use weights as you define them under Admin -> Server Administration ->
> Circulation Matchpoint Weights.  So, if you put no weight to a given
> variable (user groups, location, circ mod, etc...) it actually won't matter
> at all.  When a circulation is invoked the variables for the circulation
> are compared to those weights and the policies that could potentially be
> matched are looked at to see which is invoked.  In case of a tie the lowest
> value id on in the table is used, IIRC.
>
>
>
> So, it's not so much a hierarchy as a which is the best match.  Now, you
> could use weights and design your policies to create your own hierarchy (as
> we've done where each county has its own rules).  To accomplish this our
> circ libraries have a very high weight so that their rules take effect.
>
>
>
> From there it actually benefits the more specific not the more generic.
>  The next part I'm in danger of not explaining well and it's been a long
> time since I had to do so but I will try.  Let's assume that you have a
> structure like Users -> Patrons -> Juveniles.  Technically, a Juvenile is
> also a User but the Juvenile is more specific.  So now let's assume that
> you define a policy so that it applies to all Users but another that
> specifies Juveniles (and all other variables are the same) and a patron
> goes to checkout.  The patron is a Juvenile and thus by definition a User
> as well.  But the Juvenile policy will take effect since it's a closer
> match to the patron and thus will end up with more weight.
>
>
>
> Does that make more sense?  So, the more specific the better but depending
> on how you create your weights even a very specific match can be over
> ridden by something more general if you've given that other variable more
> weight.
>
>
>
> On Mon, Dec 16, 2013 at 1:53 PM, Deana Cunningham <
> deana.cunningham at granvillecounty.org> wrote:
>
> Hello again,
>
>
>
> We have a mishmash of circulation policies due primarily to my ignorance
> when we suddenly went live without a circ policy in sight! I ended up
> creating them "on the fly" as they were needed, and now I have a problem
> with items not charging the correct fines. The only place I've noticed it
> so far is with staff accounts, and we are all aware that Evergreen is
> charging staff fines when it shouldn't be, so we correct them as we go.
> What I am more concerned about is the patrons, who haven't got a clue
> whether we are over- or undercharging them.
>
>
>
> Anyway, my question is in regards to the hierarchy of policies. If there
> is a policy set at the "Users" level, does that policy supersede the
> "Patron" level policy? Common sense tells me that the lower level
> ("Patron", in this example) should supersede "Users", but I am just not
> sure.
>
>
>
> I am also in a bit of a conundrum about how to change circ policies with
> items currently circulating. We are getting a test server set up so I can
> try some things, but I'm not ever sure how I would tell what the
> ramifications are unless I set up fake checkouts on the test server for
> every type of item/patron combination, then change the circ policies and
> see what impact that has on current checkouts. Other areas of Evergreen
> seem to hold with the information available at the time of the transaction
> (i.e. if a book is checked out today with a circ policy that says it
> charges .15/day late fees, then tomorrow the policy is changed to .10/day
> late fees, the item will still be charged .15/day as that was the rule in
> place when it was checked out). Am I right about this?
>
>
>
> Thanks!
>
>
>
> Deana
>
>
>
> Deana Cunningham
>
> Branch Manager, South Branch Library
>
> 1550 S. Campus Dr.
>
> Creedmoor, NC 27522
>
> Phone: (919) 528-1752
>
> Fax: (919) 528-1376
>
> deana.cunningham at granvillecounty.org
>
>
>
>
>
> --
>
>
>
> Rogan Hamby, MLS, CCNP, MIA
>
> Managers Headquarters Library and Reference Services,
>
> York County Library System
>
>
>
> "You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit
> me."
> -- C.S. Lewis <http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1069006.C_S_Lewis>
>
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>
>


-- 

Rogan Hamby, MLS, CCNP, MIA
Managers Headquarters Library and Reference Services,
York County Library System

"You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit
me."
-- C.S. Lewis <http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1069006.C_S_Lewis>
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