RE: [IUG] Loan Rule-ccsf

["Carolyn McDonald" <C dot McDonald at murdoch dot edu dot au>]

Hi Dana,

We also use absolute dates for semester loans for our academic staff and
postgraduate students. We handle the problem you describe by changing
the due date in the two loan rules where we use absolute date. We have a
procedure which we use to change it exactly 28 days before the current
due date - this is because we have Time remaining B4 renew set to 28.

The outcome of this procedure is that the due date is set to the end of
the current semester. If a patron tries to renew more than 28 days prior
to the end of semester, they get the message 'Too soon to renew'. We
have had to make sure staff don't override this, or the patron gets a
due date of the end of semester the following year.

At the 28 days before, we change the absolute date the end of the next
semester, From the day we change that date, if patrons renew, they get a
new due date of the end of the next semester.

It is quite a simple procedure, it works well, and we have been using it
now for many years.
Regards
Carolyn McDonald
Library IT Coordinator
Murdoch University Library
PO Box 1014 Canning Vale WA 6150
South Street Murdoch WA 6155
c dot mcdonald at murdoch dot edu dot au
+61 8 9360 6273


-----Original Message-----
From: innopac-bounces at innopacusers dot org
[mailto:innopac-bounces at innopacusers dot org] On Behalf Of Dana Kwan
Sent: 23 December 2005 6:06 AM
To: innopac at innopacusers dot org
Subject: [IUG] Loan Rule-ccsf


Is it possible to CHANGE the date in the existing loan rules?  If we do,
what would be the worse case scenario? In our library, we have different
patron types with different loan rules.  For Patron Type Employees, the
loan rule is set to the end of the semester.  At the beginning of last
Fall Semester in August, 2005, we used Absolute Julian calendar date and
set the loan rule to 354 (December 20).  The due date worked fine for
the Fall semester.  However, as we passed 354, December 20, all newly
checked out items got a due date of December 20, 2006, next year.  But
May 26, 2006, is the correct due date, and not December 22, 2006. Should
we create a new loan rule for Spring Semester so the due date will be on
May 26, 2006?  If we create a new loan rule, we also must make changes
in the Loan Rule Determiner Table.  Does that mean that each semester we
have to switch all tables around in the loan rule determiner table? If
we create new loan rule, what will happen to items that were attached to
the old loan rule? In addition, the end of semester dates are slightly
different each year.  Does it mean that we should keep creating new loan
rules? I wonder how other academic libraries handle this situation. Many
thanks for your suggestions. Dana Kwan


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