Koha Bootcamp

Task: Search for a patron and review their record for active checkouts, holds, and fines.

There are multiple ways to search for patrons from the home screen...

1.) Click the "Patrons" module button

2.) Click "Search patrons" in the green quick actions toolbar

3.) Click "Patrons" in the header bar

Options 1 & 3 will both take you to a more advanced patron search screen (see below), which will allow you to search specific fields in patron records, like: surname, first name, address, email, phone, etc. or limit search results to a specific library.

Using option 2, you can also set these patron search limiters: click "Search patrons" in the green quick actions toolbar and then use the abacus button ():

Using any of the above patron search options, search for a patron (the search below is using test patron Monty).

4.) If your search returns too many patron records, you can search within the results using the corresponding search box, or dropdown, below the column headers.

5.) Once you find the patron you are looking for within the search results, you can either click the patron's card number or name to go to the patron's record.

6.) Fines can be seen from the search results screen, and clicking the fine amount will take you directly into the patron's accounting tab for further investigation.

After clicking the patron's library card number or name from the search results, you will be taken to the "Details" tab of the patron's record:

1.) Review the patron's contact information here.

2.) Toward the top of the record, you can see timely information like: items overdue, holds awaiting pickup, or messages from library staff. Messages are used for information that is useful to store for a limited time. There is also the option to add a circulation note to the patron's record and those notes are for more permanent information. Circulation notes can only be added from the patron edit screen.

3.) The side menu provides tab navigation to different parts of the patron's record—Accounting is where you can find payment history and where new payments can be made.

4.) Useful functions are located along the top of the record, like: editing the patron's record, changing the patron's password (or sending a password reset link via email from the "More" menu), adding a message to the patron's record, or using the "Search to hold" function to search for an item while retaining the current patron's information for quicker hold placement.

5.) There's a lot of information on the patron details screen and you can scroll further down to view the patron's checkouts and holds:

6.) Once you scroll down, you can see the patron's active checkouts. Note: "Previous checkouts" is not checkout history but active checkouts that were borrowed on a previous day. Green tabs along the top of this table will also allow you to move to different parts of the patron's record. Checkouts and Holds are the most useful tabs here for our department. From the Checkouts tab, you can renew or check in an item from the table. From Holds, you can suspend or resume holds.

7.) Within the checkouts tab, due dates are visible in the first column and any items that are overdue have their due date displayed in red.

8.) Fines are visible in this column. Note: "Price" is the replacement price of the item, which would only be applied to the patron's account if the item was lost or damaged.