With the continuation of COVID-19, many libraries are changing how they do checkouts to limit contact. 

Check out what some other libraries are doing:

Each library's new checkout process will look different depending on various needs and capabilities. We encourage you to consider these questions as you come up with your own library's plan:

• How will patrons pick up their books? 
• How will patrons drop off their books? 
• Will patrons be able to renew books?

Preferences

Once you have answers to those questions, the next step is to configure various preferences to meet your needs:

Policies

Patron Policies

• Other
  • Maximum Hold Requests
  • Days to Keep a Hold Request
  • Day to Keep an In-Stock Hold Request

Item Policies

• Check Out
  • Maximum Renewals for Item
  • Transaction Period
• Overdue
  • Fine Rate
  • Grace Period (to avoid fines while items are being quarantined after drop off)
  • Declare Lost When Overdue
• Other
  • Allow Hold Requests

Security

If needed, does your patron security group have access to manage holds, access Patron Status, and perform renewals?

Circulation

Do you want to allow renewals for items that have pending holds? If so, turn on the Allow Renewals When Holds Are Pending preference on the Circulation Rules tab.

Remote Checkout Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Teach your patrons how to use Researcher to search, place holds, check Patron Status, and more with our patron-facing training videos. 
2. Patron places a hold through Researcher (Search, Explore, Scout, or Browse)
3. Librarian runs hold reports to view current available holds and gather the items

*Schools may want to select by or sort by grade or location to have a more manageable and easier to read report

1. On-Shelf Holds - This would be for items that are in the library, on the shelves
2. In-Stock Holds - These items should have been recently bookdropped, when an item is checked in, and it has a pending hold, there will be a notice on the Circ screen letting them know. These items would be easiest to have set aside until the librarian is ready to run the In-Stock Holds report to check them out. 
1. If a library wants to keep the holds in place, and wait to check them out, then they can also run the Expired In-Stock Holds report to see what on their shelf has expired or cancelled
3. Not a specific report but when bookdropping items (if its checked out or it has an on-shelf hold) that have a hold request they can print off the hold slip to place in the book to know who that item should go to
1. Check the books out to Patrons - Overall this should be the way they normally check out but here are some tips:
1. In a school setting (if they have a scanner) it might be easiest to have a binder of printed patron barcodes sorted into their locations or grade(terminology can differ between sites). That way they can easily have the class page open and scan the patron barcode into the Circulation, then scan the item book for check out. 
2. Group patrons by location on the circulation screen by having the location tab open. Then select the patrons to make them current.
3. The reports show both Patron and Item barcode, they can use that to type patron barcodes to make them current
1. Once items are checked out it would be smart to run a Loaned Items report to know who gets what
2. Bookdrop items - This is going to be something they should have planned. They could have the items sit in the return box for a few days before handling them to check-in or check them in and then set them aside before putting them in the holds area / back on the shelf

General strategy: 

Before anything, we need to make sure that customers know that this is a guideline. They will need to be the ones that make a plan for how they will handle this process. I think it’s important to stress this since every library will be a little different. This will be helpful for both school and public libraries, so we should keep that in mind. Things to think about:

• How will patrons get their books? Do they come pick them up after getting an email or phone call (public libraries or schools that are doing remote learning), does the librarian take the books to one class at a time?
• Do they want days that are specific for checking out and delivery
• Specific days for collection and bookdrop
• How will they go about renewals

After creating a plan, they need to get Alexandria ready. Preferences they should check out:

• Policies
• Patron Policies to modify the amount of hold requests, days to keep a hold request, and days to keep an in-stock hold request
• Item Policies
• Check maximum renewals, transaction period, fine rate, and grace period (to avoid fines while items are waiting in bookdrop)
• Do they want items to be declared lost after overdue for x amount of days 
• Determine if hold requests are allowed
• Security
• Does the Patron security group have access to manage holds, check patron status, and manage renewals?
• Circulation 

Circulation rules - Do they want to allow renewals for items that have pending holds?

The general steps for remote checkout:

1. Teach Patrons how to use the Researcher to search, place holds, check Patron Status, etc. with the Patron facing training videos. 
2. Patron places a hold through Researcher (Search, Explore, Scout, or Browse)
3. Librarian runs hold reports to view current available holds and gather the items

*Schools may want to select by or sort by grade or location to have a more manageable and easier to read report

1. On-Shelf Holds - This would be for items that are in the library, on the shelves
2. In-Stock Holds - These items should have been recently bookdropped, when an item is checked in, and it has a pending hold, there will be a notice on the Circ screen letting them know. These items would be easiest to have set aside until the librarian is ready to run the In-Stock Holds report to check them out. 
1. If a library wants to keep the holds in place, and wait to check them out, then they can also run the Expired In-Stock Holds report to see what on their shelf has expired or cancelled
3. Not a specific report but when bookdropping items (if its checked out or it has an on-shelf hold) that have a hold request they can print off the hold slip to place in the book to know who that item should go to
1. Check the books out to Patrons - Overall this should be the way they normally check out but here are some tips:
1. In a school setting (if they have a scanner) it might be easiest to have a binder of printed patron barcodes sorted into their locations or grade(terminology can differ between sites). That way they can easily have the class page open and scan the patron barcode into the Circulation, then scan the item book for check out. 
2. Group patrons by location on the circulation screen by having the location tab open. Then select the patrons to make them current.
3. The reports show both Patron and Item barcode, they can use that to type patron barcodes to make them current
1. Once items are checked out it would be smart to run a Loaned Items report to know who gets what
2. Bookdrop items - This is going to be something they should have planned. They could have the items sit in the return box for a few days before handling them to check-in or check them in and then set them aside before putting them in the holds area / back on the shelf

Encourage the use of eBooks! 

• http://support.companioncorp.com/display/ALEX/eBooks
• http://support.companioncorp.com/display/ALEX/Cataloging+eBooks
• List our partners of ebook integrations.

TextbookTracker - Check out textbooks to patrons then give the loaned items report to their homeroom teacher to know which student gets what textbooks. The only issue I can see with this is that depending on how many textbooks one student has will probably get confusing to know what goes where. 

*The more I thought about using the patron barcode report the more I don't know if it would work. Mainly because not every student from the same homeroom will be getting the same books, and we don't have a way to separate them out by subject.

(Print checkout receipts then maybe?… use D command after checkout.)