Setting Up or Editing a BTYPE

When you set up or edit a new BTYPE, you set standards for how your library policies affect borrowers of that type.

For example, you can specify when Horizon reminds library staff to check a borrower’s address or renew the borrower’s library registration. You can also set maximum values for options such as the amount of unpaid fines or the number of overdues that your library policy allows before a BTYPE can no longer check out items.

Any maximum you set in the BTYPE record causes a block message to display in Circulation when that maximum is reached for a borrower of that BTYPE. If a borrower exceeds the maximum and tries to check out an item, Horizon does not allow the checkout to proceed until the issue is resolved. (For more information, see Setting Up Blocks.)

Authorized staff members can override blocks. (For more information, see “Roles and Passkeys” in the “Security and Preferences” chapter of the System Administration Guide.)

To set up or edit a borrower circulation type (BTYPE)

View: btype

In these fields, do the following:

Field

Action

Borrower Type

Enter a code that identifies the borrower circulation type (BTYPE).

Horizon uses this same code for the corresponding BTYPE group it creates from the BTYPE setup. Whenever you want to link a BTYPE to a set of circulation rules, you use the BTYPE group code.

No. of Borrowers

This is a read-only field that displays the number of borrower records that link to this BTYPE.

Horizon updates this field automatically.

Description

Enter a description for the BTYPE.

This description should be unique and may help identify the circulation rules that you want to apply to this BTYPE.

(For example, enter “faculty” or “staff”.)

Address Check (days)

Do one of the following:

Enter the number of days that Horizon should wait before displaying an address check prompt to remind staff to verify a borrower’s information.

This time period starts whenever a new borrower record is created, or each time a borrower’s information is verified.

Choose a period of time that ensures current addresses for borrowers but is not so frequent that these checks become a problem at the circulation desk. (For example, in an academic library, you may want to check student addresses every term or semester, while you might check faculty addresses only once every year.)

If you do not want the address check prompt to ever display for this BTYPE, enter a large number, such as “9999” in this field.
If you want Horizon to prompt for an address check each time a borrower of this type is identified, enter “0” (zero).

Expiration (days)

Do one of these options:

Enter the number of days that Horizon should wait before displaying a borrower registration renewal prompt during checkout.

This time period starts whenever a new borrower record is created, or each time a borrower’s information is verified.

If you do not want the borrower registration renewal prompt to ever display for this BTYPE, ent9” in this field.
If you want Horizon to prompt for a registration renewal each time a borrower of this BTYPE is identified, enter
“0” (zero).

Important: If you need an exact expiration date instead of a number of days between checks, you can specify a date in the btype_expiration_date view. Information entered in the btype_expiration_date view overrides the number of days entered in this field (on the btype view). (For more information, see Setting Up or Editing a Specific BTYPE Expiration Date.)

Max. Unpaid Fines

Enter the amount of fines that a borrower can owe before Horizon displays a block message during circulation.

Max. Overdues

Enter the maximum number of items a borrower can have overdue before Horizon displays a block message during circulation.

Request Period (days)

Enter the number of days items requested by a borrower with this BTYPE remain in the request queue before Horizon Day End deletes the request.

Card Fee

If you charge a fee for library cards, enter the amount of the fee. Horizon adds a card fee block in these cases:

If a BTYPE changes and the borrower’s library card expires.
If the expiration date changes, the BTYPE’s Use Age for Expire Date check box is marked, and the borrower would be due for a card fee within the BTYPE’s new expiration period.

However, if only the BTYPE changes, Horizon does not add a card fee block for the borrower.)

Note: You must call Horizon customer support to activate the Card Fee feature.

Sales Tax Exempt

If you want to exempt borrowers of this type from sales tax, mark this box.

Fee Notice Type

Mark the type of fee notice you want to send to borrowers of this type:

Normal fee notice. When a borrower owes a fee or fine, Horizon generates a normal notice as part of the Day End activity and Notice Generation actions.
Numbered invoice. Horizon generates a custom invoice notice. (For more information about custom notices and invoices, see Customizing Notices.)

Max. Bookings

If you use Advanced Booking, enter the maximum number of bookings a borrower can have pending before Horizon displays a block message during circulation.

Max. Bookings/Title

If you use Advanced Booking, enter the maximum number of bookings a borrower can make on a single title before Horizon displays a block message during circulation.

Max. Bookings/Title/Day

If you use Advanced Booking, enter the maximum number of bookings a borrower can make on a single title per day before Horizon displays a block message during circulation.

Max. Contiguous Bookings

If you use Advanced Booking, enter the maximum number of back-to-back bookings a borrower can make on a single title before Horizon displays a block message during circulation.

Max. Days Overdue

Enter the maximum number of days a borrower can have any item overdue before Horizon displays a block message during circulation.

Max. Days Acct. Overdue

Enter the maximum number of days a borrower can have unpaid fines before Horizon displays a block message during circulation.

(For example, if the maximum number of days an account can be overdue is twenty days and a borrower still owes fines on the twenty-first day after fines were initially charged, Horizon would block checkout for that borrower.)

Max. Days Recall Overdue

Enter the maximum number of days a borrower can have a recalled item overdue before Horizon displays a block message during circulation.

When the library recalls an item, the due date changes. The item becomes overdue based on the new due date. (For more information on recalling items, see Setting Recall Rules.)

In these fields, do the following:

Field

Action

Checkout Message

If you want to, enter a message to display during circulation when borrowers with this BTYPE try to check out items.

Home Service Delivery

Do one of these options:

If you use Home Service and the BTYPE is a Home Service type, enter or choose the code for the Home Service delivery method.
If the BTYPE does not use Home Service, leave this field blank.

(For more information on Home Service, see the Home Service Guide.)

Max. Claim Returned

Enter the maximum number of items a borrower can claim to have returned before Horizon displays a block message during circulation.

Max. Lost

Enter the maximum number of items a borrower can have lost before Horizon displays a block message during circulation.

Use Age for Expire Date

If you want to specify that a borrower’s registration expires on their birthday, mark this box.

(For more information, see Specifying a Borrower’s Registration to Expire by Birth date.)

Expire Age

Enter the age at which you want a borrower’s registration with this BTYPE to expire.

Pre-Overdue Days

Enter the number of days before the due date that the system should email the borrower.

Hide borrower photo in CKO window

If you do not want the borrower photo to display in the CKO window for borrowers of this BTYPE, even if borrower photos have been enabled for the library, mark this box.

For more information about enabling borrower photos for the library, see the "Understanding Barcode Formats" topic of the System Administration Guide.

 


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