[OPEN-ILS-GENERAL] Fines in Evergreen

[Brandon W. Uhlman]

Hi, Carol.

There was a somewhat relevant conversation on the open-ils-dev list  
yesterday, but I will summarize it here so you don't need to dig  
through the archives to find your answer. :-)

Fines in Evergreen are generated by a function called [creatively]  
generate_fines(). The Evergreen server ships with a small Perl script  
(which people generally call the fine generator) that can be scheduled  
to run every day and generate fines.

If all the libraries on your Evergreen server don't levy fines, you  
can just not run the fine generator, and fines will never accrue.

If only some libraries in your consortium (I'll assume you are a  
consortium of libraries) don't levy fines, you can create Evergreen  
recurring and maximum fine rules (that define the fine per recuring  
unit of time - can be daily, weekly, etc., and the maximum for an  
item), and assign those rules to a circulation in the circulation  
scripts at check-out time (since fine rules are attached to a  
circulation, not an item). And you can set up a rule with $0 max fine  
and $0.00 recuring fine.

I hope this helps answer your question!

~B

Quoting "Fitzgerald, Carol" <Carol_Fitzgerald at nrel.gov>:

> Is there a way in Evergreen to completely turn off fines for those
> corporate and special libraries where fines are not levied?  One of the
> problems with SirsiDynix Horizon is that the fines program creates
> blocks on lost items that cannot easily be overrided if the item's
> original price is in the bib record. At our library, we have to change
> the price to zero before changing the status to lost.
>
> Carol Fitzgerald
>
>
>



======================================
Brandon W. Uhlman, Systems Consultant
Public Library Services Branch
Ministry of Education
Government of British Columbia
605 Robson Street, 5th Floor
Vancouver, BC  V6B 5J3

Phone: (604) 660-2972
E-mail: brandon.uhlman at gov.bc.ca
         brandon.uhlman at bclibrary.ca