An archive should be made prior to running any of the data-changing utilities described below. This way, you have a restore point if something unexpected happens. We also recommend creating a back up if you are Self-Hosted. |
Planning ahead is crucial for a completely stress-free end of the school year and a smoother transition into the next one. Here are the steps we suggest you follow. Some of these steps can be performed during the beginning or end of year procedures. Choose the steps that work best for your library!
In most school libraries, circulation stops at the end of the school year and items that are still loaned out need to be returned. Properly configuring your Calendars preferences and assigning Period Due dates can help automate this process by prompting patrons to return loaned items before the end of the year.
Keep in mind that Alexandria does not adjust due dates after an item has been checked out; therefore, it's important to set period due dates as soon as possible so that any overlapping circulation periods are shortened to allow items to be returned on time.
Although you can set up calendars for up to three years ahead, we do recommend checking your Calendars preferences at the beginning and end of each school year. In fact, since you're already adjusting your Calendars preferences, you may want to prepare the calendar for the next school year or summer circulation, if applicable.
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Some libraries use hard due dates on certain policies to allow items to be checked out all year. However, if your library is using hard due dates to control extended check out periods, those dates must be changed before circulation can resume next year. If you don't use hard due dates, you may skip this step.
Select Policies (“”) from your Preferences (“”) module.
On the Item Policy side, under the Check Out subtab, you can update or remove the Hard Due Date.
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Hard Due Dates only apply to items if they have one specified in their item policy. Remember that hard due dates override all other due dates, including period due dates (above). For example, if you set a period due date of June 1st, but your Equipment item policy has a May 2nd hard due date, then items under the Equipment policy will be due on May 2nd.