Technical Note Summary:
This technical note was written to assist librarians with the end-of-year process in Alexandria version 6. Although inventory is also an end-of-year procedure, it is covered in its own Inventory Helper Video found here.
Calendars
In most school libraries, at the end of the year, circulation comes to an end and those items that are still out should be checked back in. Setting the calendar properly in Alexandria can automate this process. To view or change the Calendar preferences, go to Edit and System Preferences. On the second row down, Circulation, you will find the Calendar icon. The calendar preferences should be examined at least at the beginning and ending of each school year. For end of year procedures you may choose to set a period due date which will create a global due date that loaned items must be returned by. A period due date is set by clicking twice on the desired date in the calendar (it will read “period due”). It is important to select a day early enough to allow all the items to return and overdue notices to be sent out for all outstanding circulation. The period due date will apply only to patron policies that you have set to be affected.
Calendars – Setting a Period Due Date and Closed Days
In some libraries, it may be beneficial to set the days following the period due date to closed. To close a day, click on it once in the calendar. Closing days on the calendar will stop circulation on those days that are closed. Once the period due date is passed or all the books are turned in, do not check out books until the next school year. In order for a period due date to apply to checked out items the Apply period due dates option inside of the patron policy settings must be checked prior to items being checked out. Patron polices are found under Edit then System Preferences, and on the second row down, Circulation, you will find the Policies icon.
At this time it may be appropriate to prepare the calendar for next year or, if applicable, for circulation that occurs during the summer.
Hard Due Dates
Some libraries use hard due dates on certain policies to allow items to be checked out all year. If the library is using hard due dates to control check out for extended periods, then before circulation can resume next year, those dates must be changed. The hard due date is set within the specific item policy. You can get to your item policies by going to Edit, then System Preferences, and and on the second row down, Circulation, you will find the Policies icon. It is on this screen you can modify or remove a hard due date. Keep in mind a hard due date will override all other due dates, including a period due date.
Patron Policies – Applying Period Due Dates and Hard Due Dates
Circulation
Before closing the library, it is a good idea to run a Loaned Items Report to see what materials are still in circulation. To see what items are still checked out go to Tools, Reports, select the Circulation tab, click to highlight the Loaned Items box then click on Print to generate the Loaned Items report. This report will show all items that are out, even those that are not yet overdue.
Circulation Reports – Loaned Items report.
Using the Loaned Items report, a librarian can determine which items should be checked out as lost or discarded and what fees and fines should be assessed for those items.
Checking Out Books to the Lost
If you have decided that it is time for all items that are not checked back in to be set to lost, use the item utility to aid in this process. Go to Tools and Utilities, select the copies tab, and click the plus (+) icon in the bottom-left corner of the window. It should bring up an Editing New Utility window, automatically set to Utility Type: Check Out. Under Select By choose Copy Status and then under From and Through select Checked Out. This will move all the items that are listed in a Loaned Items report to Lost.
If an item is returned, it will show as available once it is bookdropped. It will also automatically change all patrons with those items to be charged the cost of the book. It will not differentiate between teachers and students. If you need to be more specific in your selection you can select by individual barcodes.
Check Out Utility – Lost Copies
Removing Lost and Discarded Items
Many libraries choose to remove items which have been lost or discarded at the end of the school year. Before removing lost or discarded items, reports should be run to show which items will be removed. To see reports on lost or discarded items go to Tools and then Reports, then click on the Circulation tab. You then want to select the sub-tab, Special Items List, where you will find reports for Copies Lost or Copies Discarded.
Special Item Lists – Viewing Lost or Discarded Items
To remove lost items, go to Tools and Utilities. Select the Copies tab where the first utility listed should be Remove Lost Copies. You can click the box to highlight the Remove Lost Copies utility and click run to remove ALL lost copies. You can also remove lost copies based on a date range by clicking the Edit link to the far right, switching to the Selection tab, and changing the Starting and Ending Dates. Click on Run to start the utility. An archive or backup should be made prior to running this or any utility.
The same procedure can be used for removing discarded copies. From the Copies tab, select Remove Discarded Copies and follow the instructions listed above. Please keep in mind that any copy or item that is removed through these utilities is completely erased from the collection.
Item Utilities – Removing Lost Copies.
Removing Graduated Students
At the end of the school year you may want to remove the senior class and advance the remaining student’s grade levels. You will also want to update the last day of school setting (assuming the last day for the current school year has passed). If you want to remove your senior class go to Tools then Utilities. Choose the Patrons tab and scroll to the bottom of the list of utilities to the item labeled Remove Patrons and click the Edit link on the bottom-right corner., Switch to the Selection tab and near the bottom where it says Select by Grade put your highest grade level in the “Starting With” and “Ending With” fields. Once you run this utility the patrons in the grade you selected should be removed from your system.
Patron Utilities – Removing the graduating class
Now you can move the remaining students up one grade level, preparing the system to import new students next year. This is done by going to Edit then System Preferences then clicking the Patrons icon in the top-left corner on the Management line, and from there click on the Grade Table tab. By pressing the Advance All Grades link in the bottom-right, all patrons with a grade will be advanced one grade level according to the Grade Table found in the middle of this screen.
Patron Grade Table
NOTE: See this technical video for more information on advancing patron grades.
Once you have advanced your patron grades you can set the last day of school for the next school year, which is found under the Grade Table on this same screen.
Updating Patron Policies
In some libraries, the patron policy is set to match the patron grade level. Consequently, each school year, each student’s record must be updated so that their policy matches their new grade level. Such changes can be made at the end of the current school year or at the beginning of the next one. These changes should not be made until the patron record has been updated to reflect the patron’s grade level for next year.
To change a policy for a grade level, go to Tools, Utilities, and then select the Patrons tab. The second utility listed should be Change Patron Policies where you want to click the Edit link located on the far right. Under the Selection tab Patron Policy will automatically display under the Replace selection. Under “With,” choose the policy that corresponds with the grade you are changing. Under “Select By” choose Grade and type in the grade you want to correspond with the policy. Click on Run to start the Utility. When prompted, archive the database. Follow this procedure with each level, starting at the highest and moving one by one to the lowest. See the technical video linked above for a walkthrough of this utility. 
Patron Utilities – Replacing Patron Policies
Removing All Patrons
NOTE: THE PATRON UTILITY LISTED BELOW IS ONLY FOR SCHOOLS THAT REMOVE THEIR PATRON DATA FROM YEAR TO YEAR.
Some school libraries start each new school year by importing all new patron information from a file. They typically remove all the patrons from Alexandria before they can do this.
To remove all patrons, go to Tools and Utilities. Change to the Patrons tab and scroll to the bottom of the list to find the Remove Patrons utility. Click the Edit link located on the far right, then switch to the Selection tab in the new window that pops up. Change the Select By option at the bottom to All Active Patrons and click Run to remove all patrons. As always, an archive or backup should be created before running this utility.
The Select By option can be used to limit the scope of this utility. The Always Remove selection will remove patrons even if they have items checked out to them or have outstanding fines. If this option is unchecked, patrons with fines or books still checked out will remain in the database. The Clear Patron History option will remove all history for any patrons that are removed by this utility, if the patron history remains it can impact certain statistical reports.
Patron Utilities – Removing all Patrons
Rebuild
The Alexandria database requires routine maintenance to keep it in working order. Periodically a rebuild must be run. Immediately prior to performing the last backup of the year, the database rebuild should be run. To run a rebuild, go to File and then down to Rebuild Now.
Creating an End of Year Backup
The last thing to do before closing the library is complete a permanent backup of the data for this year. This backup should be stored off campus or in a fire-resistant safe. For instructions on creating a backup, please see the Backup article in the Alexandria Wiki.
The end of the year is a good time to review and revise your backup strategy. Examine the media on which the backup is stored as well as the device used to copy the data to that media. Drives and disks may need to be replaced or maintained.
NOTE: FOR MORE TIPS ON SETTING UP REGULAR, SCHEDULED, REBUILDS AND ARCHIVES PLEASE VIEW THIS TIP OF THE WEEK.
NOTE: IF THERE ARE QUESTIONS ON ANY END-OF-YEAR PROCEDURES, PLEASE CONTACT TECHNICAL SUPPORT AT (800) 347-4942.
