5.2 - User/Patron Records
Introduction:
Library user/patron records may only be viewed or modified
by the library service to which the user belongs, unless otherwise agreed to by
the Shared Resources participant libraries, or are part of the One Card
Membership Group (see topic 5.7 below).
While member libraries may register patrons in
accordance to their own local operational needs, there are a number of aspects
to user records which require minimum standards to be applied by all libraries.
User
Profiles for patrons are Local Policies, and may be configured according to
local needs. However, to facilitate equity for members across the shared platform the following minimum standards for profile settings are recommended:
Each library must have at least three age profiles in order to restrict access to audio-visual material with classification ratings to users of the appropriate age:
- Junior (0-14)
- Young Adult (15-17)
- Adult (18+)
If
assigning four age profile, with two intermediary teenage/young adult profiles,
the following age ranges should be used:
- Junior (0-12)
- Teenage (13-14)
- Young Adult (15-17)
- Adult (18+)
Users
Charge Limit is recommended to be no less than 30.
Users
Hold Limit is set at a maximum of 30, due to courier restrictions.
The
User Address Templates are Global Policies and cannot be changed without
agreement by Libraries Victoria.
User Address Fields
It is important to note that the following fields are used for these purposes:
LINE1 - primary street address or postal box etc.
LINE2 and LINE3 - additional street information if required.
ZIP - Postcode
There are three
address entries on a user record, and they must be used for the following
purposes:
- Address
1 - Mailing Address (Primary Address)
- Address
2 - Residential Address (if different from Mailing Address)
- Address
3 - Other Address (e.g. Guarantor’s address)
Each
Address entry template contains the following fields:
Address 1
Address 2
Address 3
USEFOR
USEFOR
USEFOR
CAREOF
LINE1
CAREOF
LINE1
LINE2
LINE1
LINE2
LINE3
LINE2
LINE3
CITY/STATE
LINE3
CITY/STATE
ZIP
CITY/STATE
ZIP
HOMEPHONE
ZIP
HOMEPHONE
WORKPHONE
HOMEPHONE
WORKPHONE
MOBILE_PH
WORKPHONE
MOBILE_PH
EMAIL
MOBILE_PH
EMAIL
EMAIL
User
Categories are optional, but libraries are strongly encouraged to make use of
them to facilitate statistical analysis. There are eight User Categories in
use:
Category 1 - Gender
Category 2 - Spoken Language
Category 3 - Geographic Area (Council)
Category 4 - Suburb/Town
Category 5 - Academic
Category 6 - Notify Via
Category 7 - Programs
Category 8 – Administration
Category 9 – Cultural-Community
Category 10 - Internet Access
Libraries
are required to maintain their user database on a regular basis to ensure
accuracy.
Users
who progress to a new age level (such as Junior to Teenage, or Teenage to
Adult), can be automatically changed to the appropriate age Profile by
scheduling a regular Edit User Characteristics reports, so long as an accurate
birth date has been given to the user.
See
section 8 Reports (topic 8.6 Edit User Characteristics Report) for details,
A
monthly Remove Users report will be scheduled to delete users that have been
inactive for three years (36 months), in accordance with the state's requirements.
There
are several Extended Information fields available on User records, which are
“Variable Entry Data” (VED) fields, allowing for the entry of invalidated free
text. These include:
Staff
who enter text into these fields should limit the entries in each field to no
more than 200 characters (including spaces). Excessively long entries may cause
issues with indexing of user records.
If a
given note staff need to add to a user record is likely to exceed 200
characters, they should split the message across two or more fields of the same
name. New fields can be added using the “Insert Row” gadget/helper.
Staff should also regularly review a user’s notes to ensure they are still relevant and up to date. Old notes should be deleted using the “Delete Row”
gadget/helper, rather than simply deleting the text in a given Extended
Information field.
Libraries
may optionally make use of the Online User Registration feature, which allows
users to create a basic temporary membership record.
Libraries have the option of using either the delivered Online User Registration form, or the custom form (which allows for greater flexibility on the part of the library, and improved accuracy of the user records created).
Online
membership enables users to place holds without the need to come into the
library. They will receive a confirmation email upon completing the online registration
form, and will be advised to complete their registration at their local library
and receive a formal membership card.
See
Section 6 OPAC, topic 6.2 for more details of Online User Registration
protocols.
As a
shared Library Management System and database it is important that the barcodes
and barcode number ranges used by each of the Consortium’s member Libraries do
not overlap or conflict with one another.
Most
libraries have historical barcode formats of varying length and composition for
their membership cards, purchased long before joining the Consortium database.
As a result there are occasions when one library’s membership cards have the
same barcode structure, and sometimes the same barcode numbers, as other libraries
in the shared platform.
To
avoid these conflicts, the following barcode format structure is recommended
for all new library card purchases by member libraries:
14 Digit barcodes - all numeric characters.
The first digit should be a 2
The second to fifth digits to be the postcode
of the library’s choosing from within their service area (usually the main
town/suburb, or location of the library headquarters or largest branch).
The remaining nine digits to be a numeric
sequence recommended by the barcode supplier.
Including
a local postcode as the second to fifth digits will ensure the barcodes on the
membership cards are truly unique and will not conflict with any other library
membership cards.
All Libraries Victoria libraries are encouraged to change to this structure when ordering new library cards.
The User Group configuration in Symphony enabled user records to be linked so that checkouts, holds and/or bills belonging to other group members may be displayed and/or maintained by one or more members of the same family group.
There are three User Group Responsibility policies, which define how members of a Group are linked and what privileges each member has – PARENT, CHILD and SPOUSE.
Multiple members of a Group may be assigned the same Responsibility policy (for example, there may be two Parents and several children, or all members may be assigned Spouse Responsibility if desired).
Responsibility Level is defined as follows:
- Linked – The user inherits delinquency status from the “worst-case” user who is included in the group. It also allows the bills to be viewed and paid with the User Group Bills helpers in Display Bills and Pay Bills wizards.
- Self - The user is not affected by the delinquency of others in the linked group in which he or she may be included. However, the user would still be responsible
PARENT
- Responsibility Level - Linked
- Display Charges - Y
- Display Holds - Y
- Checkout Holds - Y
- Remove Holds - Y
- Display Bills - Y
- Pay Bills -Y
- Allow Group Choice - Y
CHILD
- Responsibility Level - Linked
- Display Charges - N
- Display Holds - N
- Checkout Holds - N
- Remove Holds - N
- Display Bills - N
- Pay Bills - N
- Allow Group Choice - N
SPOUSE
- Responsibility Level - Self
- Display Charges - Y
- Display Holds - Y
- Checkout Holds - Y
- Remove Holds - Y
- Display Bills - N
- Pay Bills - N
- Allow Group Choice - N
User Group ID
When creating a User Group and assigning members to it, a unique Group ID must be created. The Group ID has a maximum of 20 characters, and as there may be many families with the same name the ID MUST be in either of the following formats:
[2-LETTER LIBRARY CODE]-[SURNAME]-[PARENT INITIAL]-[PARENT BIRTHDATE DDMM]
[2-LETTER LIBRARY CODE]-[SURNAME]-[PARENT INITIAL]-[PARENT BARCODE LAST 4 DIGITS]
For example, a Connected Libraries User Group for the Smith family (headed by Jane Smith as the Parent) using the first option would be - CC-SMITH-J-2602
This would differentiate the group from the Smith family at Mildura, where the father John would have the birthdate of Dec 12 - MR-SMITH-J-1212
Due to the total limit of 20 characters in the ID, the SURNAME part of the ID must not exceed 10 characters. If the name is longer than 10 characters it must be truncated accordingly.
In the case of two families at the same library having the same surname, parent initial and birthdate, the ID of one may have either the middle initial of the parent added, or the birth year appended, whichever is appropriate. For example: CC-SMITH-JP-2602 or CC-SMITH-J-260271
A patron at Swan Hill, using the second option might be: SH-SMITH-J-5276 OR, for another user with the same initial: SH-SMITH-J-6929
Libraries must decide which format for the last 4 digits they intend to use (birthdate or barcode), and then use that format consistently. The User Group ID gadget, used to assign a user to a group, can display the other members of a group, so if there is any confusion as to which to choose the respective family members can be identified for confirmation.
The management of Library membership records are governed by Federal and State legislation, and it is the responsibility of all member Libraries within the Libraries Victoria Consortium to ensure correct procedures are implemented by their staff in the collection and maintenance of PII (Personally Identifiable Information) of their users.
Libraries Victoria have adopted the attached Privacy Policy in relation to the collection, maintenance and removal of Library Patron PII.