Evergreen Advisory Committee Meeting, Tuesday, April 16, 2024

Agenda

Updates and announcements

1. Small data discrepancy in renewals reported for 2023 (Dan)
   • Reported renewals for 2023 were off by an average of just under two dozen circulations (23.14). Some libraries gained a few circulations, some libraries lost a few circulations.

Old business

1. Welcome & HTML emails (Dan)
   • Patron registration
   • Patron self-registration
   • 
2. Survey (Margo / Erin)
   • Computer usage
   • Fine-free patrons

New business

1. Recommended processing schedule for reports (Dan / Kathryn)
   • Link
   • Could be adopted as a sort of "quasi" policy
2. Expectations / policy for item and patron stat cats (Dan)
   • Libraries which don't thoroughly complete stat cats can end up affecting other libraries' annual reports, especially for items.
3. Process for dealing with deceased patrons’ items (Dan / OWWLUG)
   • What should libraries do if they know a deceased patron’s items will come back eventually? Keep as lost? Mark as missing to remove from account?
   • Could also leave as a library-by-library decision
4. Overdue fine payments (Dan / support ticket)
   • Report from a library of another library refusing to collect a patron’s $0.80 overdue fine and sending the patron to the library where the fine was accrued.
   • When may Library A forgive overdue fines? We probably need to clarify and make a policy. Various scenarios to consider:
     • When the fine was accrued at Library A (yes, this is established!)
     • When the fine was accrued at another library but the patron is a Library A home patron (OWWLDAC has previously approved en masse forgiveness this way, so probably yes).
     • When the fine was accrued at another library and the patron is another library’s patron but the patron would like to pay the overdue fine at Library A. (?)
     • Other scenarios?
5. Patron registration form woes (Dan / support ticket)
   • Library reports regularly receiving pending patron submissions for expired cards. Suggestion to add “Do Not Use This Form If Your Existing Account Has Expired”
6. Deprecated item stat cats? (Dan / Kathryn)
   • OWWLAC previously suggested removing Collection Development, Electronic File Format, Genre, and Physical Format statistical categories:
     • https://docs.owwl.org/Members/Meetings/OwwlacMeeting20180522#Streamlining_item_statistical_categories
     • https://docs.owwl.org/Members/Meetings/OwwlacMeeting20180227#Potential_changes_to_various_Evergreen_patron_and_item_fields
   • Are these used for collection development purposes?
7. Central Library hotspots circ policy (Jessica / Dan)
   • Systemwide Evergreen circulation policy (1 week, no renewals, no fines)
   • Written Central Library Circulation Policy
8. New circulation modifier, associated circ policies, and Aspen (Dan)
   • Aspen needs some help with determining holdability and visibility. Circ modifiers can help. In some cases, statuses can, too.
   • New: "Walk-in loan" (any better names?)
   • Museum Pass: Make universally unholdable in Aspen
   • Reference: Mark as "In-library use"
   • Any cases where we'd need something that is invisible? Some statuses, like Storage, already do this. Is there a need for a circ modifier?
9. Age-based hold protection (Dan / support tickets)
   • Concerns brought by a few libraries that there’s no indication of age-based hold protection on Aspen. Patrons miss this.
     • We are working on seeing if we can figure out how to add an item note. What should it say?
   • Another option could be to shorten the time, perhaps to two weeks. This could be instead of or in addition to a public item note.
   • We could also explore altering the way that holds work, prioritizing owning library.
   • 
10. EAC membership (Margo)

Open floor: Discussions for items not on agenda

1. Libby vs Owwl2Go vs OverDrive

Next meeting date: 6/18/2024

---

Referred to OWWLDAC

Report processing schedule

EAC recommends following the linked report processing schedule and to take appropriate actions as indicated on the schedule to maintain accurate patron and item records and to provide good customer service.

Fine payments and forgiveness policy

EAC recommends adoption of a policy to clarify when fines may be forgiven when more than one library is involved.

OWWLDAC has already established (not in a formal policy):

• A fine may be forgiven by a library if the fine was accrued on the library's circulation.
• A fine may be forgiven by a library if they're the patron's home library, even if the fine was accrued at another library.

The question discussed at EAC was what a library can / should to when a patron is at their library and has fines accrued at another library. In this case, the library considering what to do is neither the patron's home library nor the library that assessed the overdue fine.

Options discussed by EAC for this scenario included:

• Ignore the fine, override the fine if necessary, and refer the patron to the library that assessed the fine to settle the matter. Sample policy: Out of respect for libraries that assess fines, fine-free libraries should ignore and/or override overdue fines. Libraries may refer patrons to the other library or may contact the other library on their behalf.
• Accept payment for the fine
• Forgive the fine

Item statistical category updates

EAC recommends that the Collection Development, Electronic File Format, Genre, and Physical Format item statistical categories are not required.

Central Library Hotspot circulation policy

Create a new circulation policy (and new circ modifier, if necessary) to allow for Central Library hotspots to circulation universally at all libraries for 1 week, no renewals, no fines.

Additional circ modifiers, policies, and Aspen tweaks:

• "In-person loan": New circ modifier, policy of 1 week, 1 renewal, to be marked as unholdable in Aspen
• Museum Pass circ modifier: Mark unholdable in Aspen
• Reference circ modifier: Mark as "In-library use" in Aspen

Sort holds to prioritize owning library & remove / minimize use of age-based hold protection

EAC recommends adjusting the sort order for the hold targeter and removing / minimizing age-based hold protection.

Currently, if a hold is checked in, it will first be captured for any hold for pickup at the checkin library and then follows the order of the queue.

The new proposal is to change the order so that captures will always prioritize a hold for pickup at the item's owning library, then to follow the order of the queue.

This will eliminate (or at least minimize) the need for age-based hold protection.

Minutes

EAC minutes 04-16-2024.pdf