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The end of the school year is coming faster than you think, and planning= ahead is going to be crucial for success. The steps described below should= be done in order; however, removing graduated patrons can be done at the b= eginning or end of year, whichever works best for your library.
There's a lot to do, so let's get started!
Get your stuff back. On time.= p>
Find out what you have and what you d= on't.
If it isn't in your library, it shoul=
dn't be in your database.
Before running any of the data-changi= ng utilities described in the steps above, create an archive so you have a restore point if something = unexpected happens.
see End-of-ye= ar reports; this information will be expanded when the page is converte= d.
The end of the school year is approaching, and it's time to get your boo= ks back. Don't leave it until the last minute=E2=80=94no one needs that kin= d of stress! Most school libraries stop library circulation a few weeks bef= ore the end of the school year to allow time for overdue notices to be sent= and items to be returned. Automate end-of-year due dates using Calendar an= d Policy preferences.
Alexandria will not adjust the due date after an item has been checked o=
ut. We recommend that you set these dates at the beginning of the year, bef=
ore any items or resources have been checked out, and then review them agai=
n at the end of the year to make sure they're still set correctly.
<=
/p>
Period Due is a date by which all items should be retur= ned to the library. The circulation period just before this date will be sh= ortened so items are returned in time. For example, if you set a Period Due= date of May 13, all items checked out before May 13th=E2=80=94that would h= ave been due after the 13th=E2=80=94will be assigned a new due dat= e of May 13th.
Set a Period Due date to remind patrons to return their borrowed items b= efore the end of the year. Alexandria will not adjust due = dates after an item has been checked out, so Period Due dates should have b= een set at the beginning of the year. However, it's still a good idea to ch= eck your calendars for Period Due dates now.
Patrons are assigned to a calendar according to their Patron Policy. Go = to Preferences > Policies= a> and check that each patron policy is assigned to the correct calendar an= d Apply Period Due Dates is checked. If it isn= 't, Period Due dates will not apply.
Calendars can be set up for three years in advance. Since you're already= adjusting your Calendars preferences= a>, now might be a great time to prepare calendars for the next school year= or summer circulation! Just remember to check them again at the beginning = and end of each school year to make sure nothing slips through the cracks.<= /p>
Hard Due Date overrides all other due dates, including = the Period Due date, so items assigned to that policy to be checked out all= year or for an extended period. For example, if the calendar assigned to t= he patron policy has a Period Due date of May 21st and the Equipment i= tem policy has a Hard Due Date of June 2nd, then items under that policy wi= ll be due on June 2nd.
Hard Due Dates used for extended checkout periods must be changed before= Circulation can resume next year.
Do you really know what's on your shelves?
A complete inventory is a critical part of end-of-year library managemen= t. No matter the reasons, items can become misplaced or damaged over time, = contributing to inconsistencies in your database. A complete inventory lets= you know exactly what you have, what you don't have, and what needs to be = replaced, reordered, or discarded. Now is the time to take stock of your en= tire collection, organize materials, and update all of the catalog listings= to match the physical items in your library. This information will put you= in a better position to analyze and organize your collection for the next = school year.
Inventory can be a lengthy process, so we recommend that you split the w=
ork into sessions based on different sections of your collection. You can s=
top or pause a session at any time and resume when you're ready.
Before you're done, you can also generate a few inventory-specific repor= ts to help with your year-end analysis:
And if everything has been returned and you're ready to start closing th=
e library, before you click Complete Session, run the utilities to mark Los=
t any items that weren't inventoried. It can wait until later, too.
Inventory is a big undertaking, but you don't have to do it alone. = Recruit some volunteers to do the scanning for you=E2=80=94just give them a= quick tutorial first! When the inventory is done, print and divide your li= st of books not accounted for in the inventory, then send your volunteers t= o the stacks to look for them.
Learn more about Inventory Managemen= t before getting started.
The Period Due date has come and gone, Inventory has been done, and now = it's time to find out what's still missing before the library closes for th= e summer. Run the Loaned Items Information report= a> to see which items and materials are still in circulation.
If you stick with the default settings, the report will show all items t= hat are currently loaned out, even if they're not yet overdue, but you can = modify that in the Selections tab if you'd like.
If items are still checked out after they should have been returned, run= the Declare = Missing Copies Lost utility. It will move all items that are curre= ntly checked out and were not inventoried to the Lost Copies system patron = (barcode 1) and automatically charge the responsible patrons.
Go to Operations > Utilities.= p>
If an item is returned after this utility is run, its stat= us will be changed to Available and any patron charges will be removed and/= or their accounts credited.
Waiting to do inventory until after everything has been returned? Before= you complete the session, choose to run the Declare Missing Items as L= ost utility from the Complete tab of the Inventory Management module. This will change the status of all items not inventor= ied from Available to Lost.
Does your library remove lost and discarded items from Alexandria at the= end of the school year? If not, you can skip these steps. Otherwise, keep = reading.
Before making any changes to Alexandria, run the Discarded Copies<= /em> and Lost Copies reports so you know which items will be rem= oved.
If you've been providing meaningful reasons for items that have been dis= carded, the Reordering Details report will help you identify items = you may want to reorder.
Next, run the Remo= ve Lost Copies utility to permanently remove all lost an= d/or discarded items from your Alexandria database.
For example, you could select a period before your last&nb= sp;Inventory date, so that any items that were recently declared = lost or discarded will remain in the system for a while long= er, giving them an opportunity to return.
Repeat steps 3 - 5 for the Remove Discarded Copies utility.
:yellow-star: Beginning or End= of Year
:warning: Skip this step if you keep records for gradu= ated patrons.
Check out our Beginning-of-Year Procedures and End-of-Year Procedures for tips and instruc= tions on preparing your library for summer and the new school year.
Selections
|
Options
Remove even with Checked Out = or Outstanding Financial Items, including Credits: When unchecked<= /em>, all selected patrons without checked out items or charges will = be removed. Some things, like reviews, are transferred to the Unknown Patro= n rather than deleted. When checked |
:warning: Self Hosted, only. Skip if y= our library is Cloud Hosted.
The final step before closing your library is to create a complete backup of your Alexandria Data f= older. Unlike an archive, b= ackups are considered a "last resort" in case everything else fails.
Don't store your backups on the same device as your library data station= . We recommend storing your backups with a file hosting or cloud storage se= rvice, like Dropbox or CrashPlan, which are specifically = designed to backup to other machines or off-site servers. If you use an ext= ernal hard drive, we suggest storing it in a fire-resistant safe in an off-= site location. It may seem extreme, but you never know what will happen, an= d we want you to be prepared for the worst.
This is also a great time to review and possibly revise your backup stra= tegy. Read Back Up Your Data to learn more.