Tip for: 03.15.10
Charging for Damage — It's as Easy as 1 - 2 - 3!
When an item is damaged, the procedure to charge the patron for the damage and note the damage on the item record has just become so much easier! In version 6, it is possible to pre-set damage amounts based upon different types of damage that you decide to list and use a circulation command to accomplish this.
Then, in Circulation, when the item is the Current Item and the patron is in the Current Patron pane (for instance, when the book is bookdropped), using the DL command will put the damage note on the item AND charge the patron in one quick operation.
Setting the Damage Codes:
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Go to Edit on the menu bar and select System Preferences.
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In the Circulation category of the System Preferences window, click on Rules, then on the Damage Codes tab.
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Click on the Add icon (+) in the bottom-left corner of the System Preferences window.
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In the Damage Code field, enter a short code for the damage type such as INK for Ink Marks; enter a description the more fully explains what the code means, and, lastly, enter the amount to charge for that damage in the Fine field.
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Click on OK.
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Repeat until you have established all the damage codes that you desire.
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Click on Save in the upper-right corner of the System Preferences window.
NOTE: Leave Custom Damage with no amount entered. This is the damage code you will select when wanting to charge for damage that does not have a predetermined Damage Code or the amount that you want to charge is greater or less than the set amount for a specific damage code.
To charge damage:
NOTE: The patron must be showing in the Current Patron pane and the copy must be showing in the Current Item pane of the Circulation window. Since this is the situation when an item is bookdropped, this is an ideal time to charge for damage.
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Type DL and press <enter>.
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From the Damage Codes window, select the appropriate Damage Code. If you decide to use Custom Damage, enter a description of the type of damage in the Notes field and the amount you want to charge in the Fine Amount field.
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Click on OK.
NOTE: You can type DL and the Damage Code (i.e., DL INK) and then press <enter> if you know the damage code you want to use. Alexandria will automatically charge that amount and make the appropriate notes on both the item and patron record. If you type DL CUS, then a window will open so that you can enter the note and the amount.
For v6:
