Visiting Patron Check-Out (INN-Reach)

Owned by
Tammy Poquette
, created
Jun 27, 2024
10 min read

This documentation explains Sierra's INN-Reach - Visiting Patron Check-Out function.

Table of Contents

Function Explanation

The INN-Reach - Visiting Patron Check-Out function allows patrons who belong to another INN-Reach site (such as an MLN1 library patron visiting an MLN2 library) to check out materials at your library. This function eliminates the initial steps of requesting, printing paging slips, and shipping materials. Once the book is checked out to the visiting patron, the patron can return the item to either the checkout library or their home library. Full patron verification is performed, and checkout is denied if the patron is blocked at their home library or the INN-Reach loan rules governing the material type and patron type do not allow the checkout. 

When visiting patrons check out an item, they must volunteer the information that they are patrons at a different site. To be considered an INN-Reach patron, the patron must belong to an INN-Reach site on a server different from yours. If the visiting patron belongs to your local server, use standard circulation processes to check out materials for the patron.

When you check out an eligible item to a visiting patron, the system creates INN-Reach circulation records at your and the patron’s libraries. The system completes the following steps:

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MLN1 Library Virtual Patron Check-Out Process

To check out an item to a visiting patron, navigate to the function using the Function drop-down menu and choose INN-Reach - Visiting Patron Check-Out. 

INN-Reach - Visiting Patron Check-Out image.

The drop-down menu has all the INN-Reach/Prospector locations for your specific Sierra server.

Drop-down menu of the available institutions.

If you pick one of the locations from the drop-down, you will see the text in the box next to search changes depending on the location chosen. Here are some examples of the text associated with some of the locations. 

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Check Out Items for Visiting Patrons

Choose a location from the drop-down menu. Once you scan or type the patron’s barcode into the system, you may get the Visting Patron PIN, depending on the rules associated with their library’s ILS. If the patron cannot be verified or cannot make INN-Reach requests, the system displays a message indicating the patron cannot check out the materials. You cannot continue to the next step. If the patron can be verified, their information will be displayed in that patron display area.

Once you enter the patron’s barcode, their information will be displayed. You can scan or type the item's barcode. 

Note: Any material checked out by visiting patrons must have a barcode. 

If the patron is verified, scan the item or items to check out or enter an indexed item field and choose Search. The checked-out item will display the Barcode, Title, Due Date, and Status. 

Here is the transaction from the other library’s system that uses the Sierra ILS.

Here is what the Prospector Off Campus item from the home library with Sierra as an ILS looks like.

When you check out an item to a visiting patron, the system creates INN-Reach circulation records at both your and patron sites.

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MLN2 Virtual Patron Check-Out Process

To check out an item to a visiting patron, navigate to the function using the Function drop-down menu and choose INN-Reach - Visiting Patron Check-Out. 

The drop-down menu has all the INN-Reach/Prospector locations for your specific Sierra server.

If you pick one of the locations from the drop-down, you will see the text in the box next to search changes depending on the location chosen. Here are some examples of the text associated with some of the locations.

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Check Out Items for Visiting Patrons

Choose a location from the drop-down menu. Once you scan or type the patron’s barcode into the system, you may get the Visting Patron PIN, depending on the rules associated with their library’s ILS. If the patron cannot be verified or cannot make INN-Reach requests, the system displays a message indicating that the patron cannot check out the materials. You cannot continue to the next step.

Once you enter the patron’s barcode, their information will be displayed. You can scan or type the item's barcode. 

Note: Any material checked out to visiting patrons must have a barcode.

The checked-out item will display the item's Barcode, Title, Due Date, and Status. 

Here is what the transaction looks like from the other library’s system. In this example, the other library patron is from the MLN1 library.

Here is what the Prospector Off Campus item looks like from the home library. In this example, this home library is an MLN2 library.

When you check out an item to a visiting patron, the system creates INN-Reach circulation records at both your and patron sites.

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Verifying Patrons for INN-Reach Requests

  • Uses the NAME and ID the patron entered to locate the patron record at the patron's site.

  • At the patron's site, verify the following information in the patron's record:

    • that there are no manual or automatic blocks on the patron record

    • that the patron record has a P TYPE

    • the patron's PIN (if a PIN is required by the patron's site for INN-Reach requests)

  • Maps the patron's Local P TYPE to an INN-Reach Central Server P TYPE and verifies that the patron is allowed to make requests.

  • Verifies the requested item's STATUS and INSTITUTION CODE.

  • Consults the INN-Reach Central Server Loan Rules Table to ensure the selected item is requestable and that the owning site participates in INN-Reach Circulation.

  • The INN-Reach Central Server Loan Rule Determiner Table and the Loan Rules Table are used to verify that the item can be borrowed by the requesting patron.

  • Check if the patron has reached the maximum number of requests for P TYPE specified by MAX ITEMS in the Central Patron Blocks Table. When calculating the number of INN-Reach Circulation requests a patron currently has, the system includes requested, checked out, and returned items that have yet to be received by the owning site.

  • If the patron is blocked at any point in the request procedure, the transaction automatically stops and does not proceed further.

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Possible Messages (Checking Out an Item to a Visiting Patron)

You might see the following messages when attempting to check out items to a visiting patron:

  • Borrower cannot check out items.

    • You retrieved a visiting patron record for patron who is blocked from checking out items.

  • Browsing for INN-Reach visiting patrons is not available. You must key a valid patron ID.

    • You chose the Search button without first entering any data.

  • Cannot establish a connection to <Local Server>.

    • You entered a patron ID for a patron who belongs to a Local Server to which the INN-Reach Central Server cannot connect. Contact your Central System Administrator.

  • Multiple patrons with <Patron ID> <number> at <site>.

    • You entered a patron ID for which the patron's site has multiple matches.

  • No patron with <Patron ID> <number> at <site>.

    • You entered a patron ID for which the patron's site has no matches.

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Creating INN-Reach Circulation Records

INN-Reach Circulation processes inter-institution patron requests rapidly and easily, ensuring the quick delivery of materials to the patron. Although the circulation processing steps are simple, tracking the lending transaction is quite complex. This tracking allows the requesting patron and staff at both owning and patron sites to monitor the request status.

When a patron places a successful INN-Reach request, the INN-Reach Catalog sends circulation transactions to both the patron and the owning sites. Upon receipt of these initial INN-Reach circulation transactions, the system creates local records that enable INN-Reach circulation. 

These records are created simultaneously when the system receives the initial transaction, and they include the following:

INN-Reach deletes these records from the patron and owning sites after the requested item is returned and checked into the owning site.

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Creating Virtual Records

INN-Reach uses virtual or temporary records to keep track of the requested item as it passes through the INN-Reach circulation process. The virtual records do not have assigned record numbers, nor do they increase the number of patrons or items on the system.

INN-Reach creates virtual records as follows:

  • The system creates a virtual patron record when the owning site receives the initial INN-Reach circulation transaction. It associates it with the requested item record. The elements of the virtual patron record include the requesting patron's name and home library.

  • The system creates a virtual item record when the patron site receives the initial INN-Reach circulation transaction. It associates it with the patron record of the patron who requested the item.

  • The elements of the virtual item record are determined by the first item record defaults at the patron site (that is, the first item record template with an initial underbar in the name, _i). Typically, the virtual item includes ALL fixed-length field values set in the first item record default except STATUS, I TYPE, and LOCATION. The PRICE field set in the first item record default must be either $0.00 or a price you want to use to bill an INN-Reach item. If the cost is $0.00, the system uses the billing price from the INN-Reach patron loan rule.

Staff at both the owning and patron sites can view INN-Reach virtual records.

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Viewing Virtual Items

Library staff at the patron site can view and print virtual item records. Note that staff cannot edit these system-generated records.

To view a patron's virtual item:

  1. Retrieve the patron's record.

  2. Select the INN-Reach tab.

  3. Right-click on the item you want to view. The system displays a menu of options.

  4. Select the View Virtual Item option. The system displays the virtual item record.

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Creating INN-Reach Hold Records

  • When the owning site receives the initial INN-Reach circulation transaction, the system places a local hold on the requested item to prevent the item from being checked out or assigned to another patron. If the item has an "AVAILABLE" status, the INN-Reach hold becomes the first (and only) hold in the queue for the item. 

  • If the item already has holds, the INN-Reach hold is added to the end of the existing hold queue. INN-Reach holds operate similarly to local holds; they are filled in the order in which they are received unless library staff manually re-sequence the holds.

  • When the patron site receives the initial INN-Reach circulation transaction, the system adds a hold for the INN-Reach item to the requesting patron's hold queue.

These INN-Reach circulation holds can be modified as you would modify local circulation holds. Library staff can view, re-sequence, transfer, and even cancel the holds.

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Creating INN-Reach Message Fields

The system creates an INN-Reach message field only on the owning site. When the owning site receives the initial INN-Reach circulation transaction, the system adds a message field to the item record containing the following elements:

  • If the request is a standard INN-Reach request, the message contains the requesting patron's record number, the date of the request, and the pickup location. 

For example: mIR00:00-00-00 requested by .p0000000@site1 for pickup at "Location"

INN-Reach modifies this message field during circulation to indicate whether the item is in transit to or from the owning site.

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FAQs 

Are there any INN-Reach reports?

Is there a list of Library Codes for INN-Reach items related to Prospector?

Visitors can't check out everything local patrons can

  • Visiting Patron is an extension of INN-Reach, and as such, the items patrons check out at the library they visit go through the INN-Reach circulation process and eventually appear on their patron record as a virtual item just as an INN-Reach item would. To successfully circulate through INN-Reach, the item's location must be mapped to an INN-Reach agency. If the item's location is not mapped to an agency, the system does not know how to make a virtual item out of the checkout, and it must be denied. This limitation is on top of the owning library's local circulation rules.

Visiting Patron Item A

  • Visiting Patron checkout does not block based on the count of existing checked-out items matching item a-d.

  • In its current behavior, Visiting Patron will block further checkouts during a session once the item a-d limit has been reached, but it is on a Visiting Patron checkout session.

What do the INN-Reach Item Record Statuses mean?

  • See the INN-Reach/Prospector Item Record Status documentation to learn more about INN-Reach statuses.

What should I do when I cannot check in an INN-Reach Item?

What should I do when my INN-Reach virtual records are full?

  • You can use the Bibtemp File is Full Message documentation to clean up leftover virtual records.

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