^{20 February 2019}

Frequently Asked Questions

Can Alexandria assign barcodes to imported patrons?

Yes, if a barcode is not included within the import file, Alexandria will automatically assign a barcode to those patrons.

Can I choose the next patron barcode Alexandria will assign?

You can! First, navigate to Tools > Preferences > Patrons > Patron Defaults tab. In the Barcode Settings section, specify the beginning number for auto-assigned barcodes – choose a number that doesn't conflict with your item barcodes and has enough room to continue sequentially for all future patrons. Learn more in Patron Defaults.

When a date is entered to the Advance After field in Grade Table preferences, will grades advance automatically after that date?

This is generally used when importing patrons with SIF. Entering a date will not automatically advance the Patron Grades. Learn more about Grade Table preferences.

What's the best way to automate my patron overdue or hold notices?

How do you want notice to be sent? If you'd like the program to do most of the work for you, try Automatic Email Notifications. Go to Tools > Preferences > Circulation. In the Circulation Settings tab, click the Enable Automatic Email Notifications checkbox. This feature automatically sends email notices to the patron's email address for in-stock holds, overdue fees, and a number of other things. Read more about it in Circulation Settings.

For those of you who want greater control over your notices – such as when they go out and to whom – use scheduled notice reports. For example, you could set up an Overdue Items and Unpaid Charges Notice report for each grade or homeroom and schedule it to email the teacher every month so they can help remind students. Or a Needed for Reservations Notice report could be sent to the librarian every week.

1. Go to Tools > Reports, and choose the Circulation category and Notices subcategory.
2. Test out a few of the reports to see which ones work best for your situation. When you’ve found one, click Create Saved Report at the bottom right.
3. Next, go to the Saved tab, select the report, and unlock it for editing.
4. Build your report in the Selections and Options tabs.
4. In the Schedule tab, schedule the report to run at a specific frequency and time.
5. In the Notification tab, enable email notifications and specify to whom the notices will be sent. Separate email addresses with a comma.

And if you find it meets your needs, you can even use both methods at the same time!