Horizon uses these general types of blocks:
System-generated Blocks. These are blocks that Horizon automatically places on a borrower’s record when circulation limits or borrower-type privileges are exceeded, or when a self-serve checkout borrower needs to talk to a staff member. These blocks include overdues, fines for overdues, and hold notification. You cannot delete these predefined blocks, but you can edit some of their settings, including these:
• | The number of days the block remains in the borrower’s history file after it has been resolved. |
• | The action taken to notify the borrower of the problem. |
• | The message that displays on any notice sent about the block. |
• | Which block types sort to the top of the list regardless of the sort type for blocks that library staff chooses. If there are multiple blocks of the same type, Horizon sorts them within the type group by the chosen sort type. |
For example, if you set messages to sort with a priority of “1,” Horizon sorts all messages at the top of the block list. If the borrower has multiple fines and library staff chooses a sort by item, Horizon displays the fines under the messages. The fines display according to item barcode.
For a description of each system-generated block, see “System-Generated Blocks” in the “Blocks” chapter of the Circulation Guide.
Library-defined Blocks. These are blocks that circulation staff manually places on a borrower’s record, such as fees owed other than overdue fines, or special messages.
Most library-defined blocks consist of amount-type blocks. Examples of amount-type blocks include fees (such as interlibrary loan fees), payments (such as credit card or check payment methods), waivers, and refunds.
You can specify the same settings for library-defined blocks as you specify for system-generated blocks. You can also specify these settings:
• | The type of block (such as fee, payment, waiver, or refund). |
• | Any default amount. |
• | Any taxes to be calculated into the amount. |
• | Library-defined self-serve checkout Message Blocks. |
You must set up any library-defined blocks before you can use them.
Block type definitions link to Cash Management reports. In a Cash Management report, Horizon lists all defined fee types separately, and also includes a total for the category. For example, a cash transaction summary would display separate amounts for circulation payments collected and fees refunded daily, monthly and yearly, as well as the totals collected for the category. (For more information, see “Generating AdHoc Statistics” in the “Maintenance and Day End” chapter of the System Administration Guide and Tracking a Cash Transaction.)
You can also choose to only print specific block notices, even if you have designated in Horizon that borrowers want to receive email notices.
You edit or define some maximum-type blocks (such as maximum items lost, maximum unpaid fines owed, or maximum overdue items) in the btype view for each borrower type. (For more information, see Defining a Borrower Circulation Type (BTYPE).)
You edit or define other maximum-type blocks (such as maximum items out and maximum renewals allowed) in the circulation_privilege_code view for each location. (For more information, see Setting Up Circulation Privileges and Parameters.)
This section explains these topics:
• | Setting Up or Editing a Block Type |
• | Editing a Self-Serve Checkout Message Block |
• | Displaying Blocks from Another Location |
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