Reserve #

Aurora Desktop provides comprehensive functionality for Reservations management. Reservations may be made on the work (title level) or the specific copy (item level). Please note:

• Reservations on serials parts must be applied at item level.
• Other than serial part reservations, any OPAC reservation is applied at title level; staff only may apply item level reservations.
• Title reservations will be satisfied by the first available item, according to any applicable conditions.
• Staff reservation application can be extended to apply a Hold (Set Aside) status, which means that staff can retrieve items from on-shelf as an immediate trap for the reserving user. In such a case, if another user attempts to borrow the item, that loan is disallowed; in other cases, even when the reserve is placed, if another user has the item in hand (and it is not a Hold) then the loan is permitted.
• OPAC as well as Desktop allows reservations to be placed on items which are available on shelf. This may be restricted (see next paragraph) and libraries may apply a parameter to bypass any reservation fee that may normally apply where the satisfying item is retrieved from on shelf.
• Restrictions on reservation may be applied by parameter control, e.g. to limit the number of current reservations per user; to disable reservations for specific material types or stock at a given location; to prevent on-shelf reservations (by Council/Institution; or according to specific statistical category setting per Council)
• Reservations may be inhibited by specific conditions, such as the item having a status other than normal, or the user being debarred. Please see Exception conditions below
• Business rules within a consortium can be applied, e.g. to ensure satisfaction of a reserve from within the current Council, not source from elsewhere in the Consortium.
• Reservations placed via OPAC, as well as in Desktop by staff, which need to be retrieved from the shelves are listed in the Untrapped/On-Shelf Reserves report which should be run at least daily.
• Reservations which cannot be satisfied – e.g. where no items are available by virtue of status settings – are listed in Key reports
• Reservation queues are formed on the basis of the original placement (separated by Council within a Consortium), so that the earlier placed reservation is satisfied first, other conditions allowing. Libraries should note that OPAC allows a user to suspend a reservation and subsequently reinstate it – the reinstated reserve carries the original placement date, and so will be reinstated at the original queue level, not at the bottom of the queue.

Selection by record number #

• Using record numbers input directly

Directly from a work display #

• In Search options

Directly from item details #

• For a known item reserve [note that this has a different form and function]

From Search results #

• for selecting titles or items using Search or Quick Find

Exceptions #

• Exception conditions may prevent the placement of a reservation in specific circumstances.

Set Aside – Holds #

• Set Asides or Holds may be applied to secure an item, which is not currently on loan, for a user.

Reservation screen #

The Reservation function may be entered using the Reserve button on the Circulation ribbon bar, or taking the option ‘Place a reserve for user’ Link from the Workflow Tasks Users node, or clicking the keyboard shortcut, Function key F5, and displays a full screen for recording reservation details:

User details #

Note that the first element for recording in this approach is the user. This may be already known, e.g. from a Quick find operation; otherwise, the user must be identified before any other details can be entered – except where an item is identified through Search, allowing capture for reservation, and then requiring entry of the required user details.

Checkbox #

Do not clear item details – With this checkbox set, the item details are not cleared on completion of the transaction – allowing other users’ details to be entered for the same item.

Control buttons #

The following control buttons are provided:

• This ‘onscreen return’ allows the simulation of a return key by mouse action.
• The waste paper bin icon is used to clear the user barcode or id text box. Occasionally, this box may not be selectable by mouse, but clicking this icon will allow clearance, in readiness for entry of a new user id.
• This option opens the Quick Find panel

Reservation Controls #

Note the additional controls to the right of the User Panel. These give additional flexibility and power to Aurora Reservation Management:

Collection location – This defines the location from which the user can collect the reservation when it is satisfied – this may be useful in the context of a large multi-branch system, when reservations are handled centrally:

Priority – All user and item combinations have a default priority, set by your Systems Manager, but it is possible to raise or lower the priority in the priority options combo. Note that although priorities are adjusted in this way, it will not guarantee that a reserve with ‘Highest priority’ will necessarily receive the next available copy – there may be other reserves that have also been given this raised priority. It is wise to use raised priority in exceptional circumstances; the lowest priority may be used to recover items or titles for library housekeeping related activities, such as re-cataloguing, which only need to be done when the work is not in demand.

Activity dates – Finally, you can determine activity dates for the reservation:

Expire on – a date after which the reservation is not required, if it has not been satisfied, in which case it expires.

Dormant until – a future date when the reservation will become active, until when it remains dormant.

Reservation slip comment – A comment may be attached to a reservation. The Return transaction will display the comment when the item is trapped, and it may also optionally be included on the Docket Reservation slip: the slip template need only have the keyword [Comment] in it and it will be replaced by any reservation comment value. If a library does not want the comment printed, then the slip template need not be changed.

Work or Item details #

The user details are displayed in the upper panel as standard, and then the lower panel allows identification of the work or item that is required:

Control buttons #

• This ‘onscreen return’ allows the simulation of a return key by mouse action.
• The wastepaper bin icon is used to clear the entered id – barcode or bib id. Occasionally, this box may not be selectable by mouse, but clicking this icon will allow clearance, in readiness for entry of a new id.
• Seach – Opens the Quick find screen allow to search for the item Note this function will only populate the reserve screen with an item barcode thus apply an item level reserve not a work level.

Control number identification #

The panel allows selection of both titles and items for reservation, using control numbers which are selected using the pull-down combo ‘Work or Item’ to the left, which is showing ‘Item barcode’ by default. There are specific differences in the action which is followed by selection:

• Item Barcode – Entry of an item barcode allows selection of a specific item for the reservation. This means that if there are other copies of the same title returned earlier than this selection, then they will not be trapped to satisfy the reservation. Use this option also for reserving a specific issue of a periodical.

• Aurora item id – While items may or may not have an item number, all items MUST have a unique internal Aurora item number, and this may be used if necessary, and operates in the same way as Item Barcode in identifying one specific item.

• Bibliographic ID – If the Aurora bibliographic id is entered, it will place a potential reservation on all items attached to the record – whether one or a hundred and one items are attached. The first item to be returned will fulfil the reservation, and the reservation is cleared, and so the other items will not be affected.

Checkbox options #

Four checkboxes are provided for optional selection:

• Warn if items on shelf – When this is selected, the operator is given an indication that there is material to be found on shelf – to satisfy the user’s need without having to place the reservation.

• Set aside – Set aside’s or Holds may be placed – to capture an item for a user – by selecting ‘Place a Hold’. A Hold changes the item status of the item affected – and means that the item is secured for the reserving user; if another user attempts to borrow, that is denied. Note that a Hold cannot be applied if the item is on loan, currently reserved, or an Inter-Library Loan. The Hold is subject to a charge, which is the standard reservation charge for the user/material type combination; the charge may be nullified by use of the Enterprise parameter ‘Charges for Holds’.

• Bypass abnormal item status – If an item has an abnormal item status, e.g. In Progress, then this will by default disable reservations from being placed. With this checkbox selected, the item status message and inhibition may be bypassed, and the reservation placed comfortably.

• Bypass if work has no items – If a work has no items, by default the reservation will be inhibited; with this checkbox ticked, the exception can be bypassed.
• Force Item specific reserve – This checkbox removes the need to confirm your reserve is item specific when doing multiple item specific reserves.
• Bypass queue position prompt – The option of accept or decline the reserve based on queue position is removed.

Additional Exception conditions #

The system will always check to determine whether the reservation is valid. Some of the exception’s conditions are:

Conflict with limits #

If loaning the work in question would conflict with existing limits, e.g. the user has no legitimate ability to borrow the material in question, then this warning will be presented.

Item previously loaned #