Books
Checking out a book is one of the easiest tasks when working at the desk. To start:
- Open the ALEPH Circulation module.
- If ALEPH is not already open, click the icon on the desktop. The login and password are both 'SMUCIRC'. Click on the 'Loan' tab (or F5 on the keyboard):
- Next, make sure the top text box is selected, and scan the barcode on the patron's ID card. The patron's information will be displayed on the screen.
- It should be noted that we will not, under any circumstances, check out items to a patron with another patron's ID or no ID at all.
- Occasionally a patron may have a block on their account. An error message will display on the bottom portion of the check-out screen. This is covered in greater detail in the 'Global Blocks' and 'Local Blocks' section of the manual (Chapter 8).
- A patron may have books on Hold, in which case a message will appear, alerting you of the Hold. This is also covered in greater detail in the 'Holds and Recalls' section of the manual (Chapter 12).
- If the item is in bad condition, place a 'Loan Note' (button to the right), so we know upon return of its condition.
- The second text box will now be selected. Using the same technique used to scan the patron's barcode, scan the barcode on the inside of the back cover of each item.
- Pay attention to the screen when checking out each book. Each item will show on the screen once it is checked out to the patron.
- Sometimes it takes a few moments, so you may miss a book or two if you try to scan another one too quickly.
- After each book is signed out, the next step is to print the Due Date slip. The slip will print from the small receipt printers at each station, once you click on the 'Print Session' button to the right:
The following due dates apply to SMU patrons when signing out SMU items:
The final step is to desensitize each book, rendering them passable through the detectors at the library entrance, without any alarm. To do this, simply rub the spine of each book on the large metal devise (essentially a large magnet) at each workstation.
A patron can renew a book manually at the Circulation desk, or online through his Novanet account, up to three times. For more information, read the 'Renewals' section of the manual at the end of this chapter.
Back to Circulation procedures
- Refer to the due date on the screen as you scan each item.
- Undergraduate students and university staff may loan books out for three weeks at a time.
- Thesis undergraduate students may loan books out for six weeks at a time.
- Graduate students have term loans (September 30, January 30, and May 30).
- Faculty members may loan books out until the next May 30.
The final step is to desensitize each book, rendering them passable through the detectors at the library entrance, without any alarm. To do this, simply rub the spine of each book on the large metal devise (essentially a large magnet) at each workstation.
A patron can renew a book manually at the Circulation desk, or online through his Novanet account, up to three times. For more information, read the 'Renewals' section of the manual at the end of this chapter.
Back to Circulation procedures