[OPEN-ILS-GENERAL] Auto Renew Feature

[Aubrey Area Library]

Haha Wong picture.

On Thu, Nov 21, 2019 at 10:38 AM Aubrey Area Library <
aubreyarealibrary at gmail.com> wrote:

> Elizabeth
>
> You need to create new circulation duration rules and then change the
> circulation policies. Attached is a photo of on of our duration rules.
>
> On Thu, Nov 21, 2019 at 10:31 AM Elizabeth Davis <edavis at albright.org>
> wrote:
>
>> This has been so helpful.  Thank you everyone.
>>
>>
>>
>> I’m setting up testing today and the only thing I’m not see is how to set
>> when the auto renew happens.  I’m assuming that’s in the circulation policy?
>>
>>
>>
>> Elizabeth
>>
>>
>>
>> *From:* Open-ils-general [mailto:
>> open-ils-general-bounces at list.georgialibraries.org] *On Behalf Of *Morgan,
>> Michele
>> *Sent:* Thursday, November 21, 2019 11:19 AM
>> *To:* Evergreen Discussion Group <
>> open-ils-general at list.georgialibraries.org>
>> *Subject:* Re: [OPEN-ILS-GENERAL] Auto Renew Feature
>>
>>
>>
>> This is a great discussion!
>>
>> Thought I'd share how we implemented autorenewals in NOBLE:
>>
>> A Library can opt in to autorenewal. Only their own items checked out at
>> their own library will be autorenewable. Network transfers are not
>> autorenewable.
>>
>> Autorenewal processing happens the morning the items are due so patrons
>> don't lose any time from their loan period.
>>
>> Our autorenewal action trigger uses a custom filter so that it only runs
>> for the libraries who have opted in, and does not attempt to process
>> autorenewals for checkouts that are not renewable at all.
>>
>> When a library opts in, and chooses a start date, we adjust their
>> duration rules to set the number of allowed autorenewals equal to the
>> number of allowed renewals. If a duration rule has zero allowed renewals,
>> we don't set a value for allowed autorenewals. This allows the action
>> trigger filter mentioned above the skip them.
>>
>> To avoid the transition issue with new checkouts vs. existing checkouts,
>> we update open circulations for the opting in library which are due on the
>> start date and beyond to set the autorenewal remaining field equal to the
>> renewal remaining field. In that way, items that were checked out prior to
>> the rule change will be eligible to autorenew.
>>
>> Feedback has been positive, though we have adjusted the notice language a
>> few times to make it less confusing.
>>
>> Hope this is helpful!
>>
>> -Michele
>>
>> --
>>
>> Michele M. Morgan, Technical Support Analyst
>>
>> North of Boston Library Exchange, Danvers Massachusetts
>>
>> mmorgan at noblenet.org
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On Thu, Nov 21, 2019 at 9:52 AM Forrest, Stuart <sforrest at bcgov.net>
>> wrote:
>>
>> Hi
>>
>>
>>
>> We are a library system that is part of a consortium (SCLENDS) and at the
>> moment the only system that is using auto-renewal and this is what we have
>> found so far.
>>
>>
>>
>> 1.               The three-day notice will still go out reminding
>> patrons there books are due. (Our patrons see this as just a reminder)
>>
>> 2.               Auto-renewal happens 1 day before the books are due and
>> the appropriate auto-renewal notice goes out then.
>>
>> 3.               An item won’t auto-renew if one of the following is
>> true.
>>
>> a.               The item is required for a hold
>>
>> b.               Patrons' account has expired while they had the item
>> checked out
>>
>> c.                Fines have reached the maximum allowed
>>
>> d.               Maximum auto-renewals have been reached.
>>
>> 4.               The auto-renewal notice will give a reason if the
>> process failed referencing those case for example mentioned above.
>>
>> 5.               Let's say you pick a start date of 1st of December then
>> anything that is checked out before this date will NOT auto-renew. Anything
>> checked out on or after this date WILL. Eventually, of course, all items
>> will auto-renew, we worked out that should take about 9 weeks from the
>> start date.
>>
>> 6.               We decided to have the same amount of auto-renewals as
>> hard renewals to avoid less confusion for the patrons.
>>
>> 7.               If you have any items that checkout for less than 8
>> hours and have 0 renewals this can confusing, but Equinox found a
>> workaround for us.
>>
>> 8.               If a patron from say Beaufort (BCL) comes to Calhoun
>> and checks out a book at one of your libraries, that book will auto-renew
>> also. On the other hand, if you transit an item to an SCLENDS member who is
>> not doing auto-renewals that item will not auto-renew.
>>
>>
>>
>> If you have any questions, please let me know.
>>
>>
>>
>> Stuart
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> Stuart Forrest, Library IT Manager/Analyst Beaufort County Library System
>>
>> 311 Scott Street, Beaufort, SC 29902
>>
>> 843 255 6450
>>
>> sforrest at bcgov.net
>>
>> beaufortcountylibrary.org
>>
>>
>>
>> *From:* Open-ils-general <
>> open-ils-general-bounces at list.georgialibraries.org> *On Behalf Of *Diane
>> Disbro
>> *Sent:* Thursday, November 21, 2019 9:39 AM
>> *To:* Evergreen Discussion Group <
>> open-ils-general at list.georgialibraries.org>
>> *Subject:* Re: [OPEN-ILS-GENERAL] Auto Renew Feature
>>
>>
>>
>> [EXTERNAL EMAIL] Please report any suspicious attachments, links, or
>> requests for sensitive information to the Beaufort County IT Division at
>> helpdesk at bcgov.net or to 843-255-7000.
>>
>> I really appreciate this discussion! I want anecdotal information to
>> share with my administration as we consider auto renewal.
>>
>>
>>
>> Thank you.
>>
>> Diane Disbro
>>
>> Pronouns: she/her
>>
>> Branch Manager/Circulation Coordinator
>>
>> Union Branch
>>
>> Scenic Regional Library
>>
>> 251 Union Plaza Drive
>>
>> Union, MO     63084
>>
>> (636) 583-3224
>>
>> ddisbro at scenicregional.org
>>
>> [image: Image result for librarians rock]
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On Tue, Nov 19, 2019 at 1:57 PM Geoff Sams <GSams at roanoketexas.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>> I would like to add that if you currently send out pre-due notices that
>> it’s probably ideal to stop those as the auto-renew notifications serve the
>> same purpose in general.  Jordan touched on that briefly there, but it was
>> something we dealt with as well and I wanted to state it outright since it
>> could be overlooked.
>>
>>
>>
>> Thanks,
>>
>> Geoff Sams
>>
>> Library Manager
>>
>> Roanoke Public Library
>>
>> 817-491-2691
>>
>>
>>
>> *From:* Open-ils-general <
>> open-ils-general-bounces at list.georgialibraries.org> *On Behalf Of *Elizabeth
>> Davis
>> *Sent:* Tuesday, November 19, 2019 11:37 AM
>> *To:* Evergreen Discussion Group <
>> open-ils-general at list.georgialibraries.org>
>> *Subject:* Re: [OPEN-ILS-GENERAL] Auto Renew Feature
>>
>>
>>
>> Thank you both.  This has given us more to talk about and consider.
>>
>>
>>
>> Elizabeth
>>
>>
>>
>> *From:* Open-ils-general [
>> mailto:open-ils-general-bounces at list.georgialibraries.org
>> <open-ils-general-bounces at list.georgialibraries.org>] *On Behalf Of *Aubrey
>> Area Library
>> *Sent:* Tuesday, November 19, 2019 12:29 PM
>> *To:* Evergreen Discussion Group <
>> open-ils-general at list.georgialibraries.org>
>> *Subject:* Re: [OPEN-ILS-GENERAL] Auto Renew Feature
>>
>>
>>
>> We also implemented auto renew in late February this year (we are also
>> the other library Geoff mentioned). It was a little rocky at first, being
>> the test library for implementation, but once we worked out the kinks it
>> has been smooth sailing.
>>
>>
>>
>> Overall patrons have been very happy with it though we did have one
>> patron that did not like the fact that the items renewed before their
>> actual due date. Yes, we are also the library Geoff mentioned whose items
>> auto renew before their due date. Thankfully it was resolved after speaking
>> with the patron and explaining renewals, how auto renewal works etc. I have
>> started looking at changes to this as I would prefer for the items to renew
>> on their due date. The setup is what it is due to how courtesy notices are
>> set up.
>>
>>
>>
>> Geoff mentioned the issues with generating notices.
>>
>>
>>
>> For patrons with no email/sms; we tend to just explain to patrons about
>> how auto renewal works if they ask about it. After a few times it sinks in
>> and they come to expect it. We do not require email address so, personally,
>> I look at it as if a patron does not want notifications from the library
>> that is their choice. Can't force it on them.
>>
>>
>>
>> We had already taken measures years ago to reduce fines (80%
>> reduction!!!!) so the impact that auto renewal has had is minuscule but as
>> it was mention if fines are a source of revenue auto renewal may not be a
>> good fit.
>>
>>
>>
>> I would echo Geoffs recommendations for implementation. It was something
>> that I overlooked and has been a thorn in my side since. Not only to give
>> patrons time to return items but also so you o not have a mess of notices
>> like we do. Simplicity.
>>
>>
>>
>> Thanks,
>>
>> Jordan Woodard
>>
>> Aubrey Area Library
>>
>>
>>
>> On Mon, Nov 18, 2019 at 3:56 PM Geoff Sams <GSams at roanoketexas.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>> We implemented auto renew back in March this year and things have gone
>> fairly smoothly with the implementation for my library.
>>
>>
>>
>> Generally, the patrons have been happy about it.  We did have one
>> complaint that boiled down to a patron simply not wanting to be notified at
>> all, which was an interesting one for me, but that was certainly possible
>> to fix for us.
>>
>>
>>
>> The only rocky start part was getting our notices to generate properly.
>> The stock notice wording was a little too generic, so we made changes that
>> took a bit of work to get implemented properly.
>>
>>
>>
>> We don’t really have the email/sms issue, so I’m not sure what the best
>> course of action would be for that to be completely honest.  I have some
>> ideas, but I’m not sure if any of them would be viable over the long run.
>>
>>
>>
>> This has drastically reduced fines here, for the moment.  It’s not a
>> forever renewal process, so I do still see fines, but it has generally
>> decreased fines across the board.  We don’t rely on fine income for
>> operation here, so this isn’t a giant issue for us, but if you do rely on
>> fine income I’d probably recommend against implementing such a process.
>> With that said, my staff spend a lot less time dealing with fine related
>> issues, and I believe it’s enough to have saved money in general.
>>
>>
>>
>> For implementation, I’d recommend one of two options for the sake of
>> making things reasonable.  Either set the renewal to happen a few days
>> before the due date so that patrons have time to return materials that are
>> not renewed, or set the renewal on the due date but add a multi-day grace
>> period for the same reason.  We renew on the due date and give patrons 3
>> grace days to return the item to avoid fines.  Another library in my
>> consortium renews the item 3 days before the due date instead.  Both work,
>> but I think the important factor is allowing patrons the time to return
>> items.
>>
>>
>>
>> Thanks,
>>
>> Geoff Sams
>>
>> Library Manager
>>
>> Roanoke Public Library
>>
>> 817-491-2691
>>
>>
>>
>> *From:* Open-ils-general <
>> open-ils-general-bounces at list.georgialibraries.org> *On Behalf Of *Elizabeth
>> Davis
>> *Sent:* Monday, November 18, 2019 12:09 PM
>> *To:* open-ils-general at list.georgialibraries.org
>> *Subject:* [OPEN-ILS-GENERAL] Auto Renew Feature
>>
>>
>>
>> Hello Everyone,
>>
>>
>>
>> For those of you who are using the Auto Renew feature, how is it going?
>> What are the general impressions from patrons? Was it a rocky start?   We
>> have some concerns about how staff deal with patrons who do not have email
>> or sms notification capabilities. How did you deal with this aspect?  Any
>> unexpected financial impacts in terms of fine revenue? What are your
>> suggestions for those interested in implementing it?
>>
>>
>>
>> Thank you,
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Elizabeth Davis
>>
>> Head of Digital Services
>>
>> Scranton Public Library
>>
>> 500 Vine Street
>>
>> Scranton, PA 18509
>>
>> Office 570-348-3000 ext. 3050
>>
>> Cell 570-795-4332
>>
>> edavis at albright.org
>>
>> pronouns: she/her/hers
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>>
>> If you need further assistance, please contact the library at
>> 940-365-9162 or send a reply email.
>> Thank You, The Library Staff
>>
>> 226 Countryside Dr., Aubrey, TX 76227
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
> --
>
> If you need further assistance, please contact the library at 940-365-9162
> or send a reply email.
> Thank You, The Library Staff
>
> 226 Countryside Dr., Aubrey, TX 76227
>
>
>

-- 

If you need further assistance, please contact the library at 940-365-9162
or send a reply email.
Thank You, The Library Staff

226 Countryside Dr., Aubrey, TX 76227
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