Borrowers

Borrowers can be any entity to whom you issue items, in accordance with your library policy. Students, Teachers, Rooms, Other Libraries.

Borrower List

Press the “b” keyboard shortcut at the main menu to go to the borrower list:

You can use the search widget at the top to quickly search the list of borrowers or use the Find button.

You can use the “include deactivated” check box at the top right (just below the search widget) to prevent Athenaeum from hiding deactivated borrowers from view.

Names of borrowers who have been deactivated will appear in red text.

The check box on the left of the borrower list is purely a facility for marking various borrower records. You can then use the magnifying glass icon to find all of the borrowers you have checked.

To the right of the list, you can see two buttons:

• issue - which will commence an issue to that borrower (without having to enter the bar code)

• history - will list the borrower’s issue history in the history module.

Borrower Detail

Click on any entry in the list to see the detail for that entry.

Here, you see the borrower’s details, contact information, borrower type, photo and current issues (if any).

Click the Active button to toggle the borrower’s “active” status.

Privilege

Each borrower must have a privilege type which defines their privileges.

Issues

If the borrower has borrowed any catalogue items, then clicking “list in circulation” will list the issues in the circulation module (that is, go to the circulation module and make that borrower’s issues the found set).

Clicking the gear widget next to any issue will show a pop-up window with details of that issue. You can also return or extend the issue.

Address/Fees Tab

Enter the contact details for the borrower on the Address tab.

Any fees levied will be displayed and you may click the gear widget to see details of each fee.

Ad hoc fees may be added using the “Add Fee” button.

Reserves/History tab

This shows the dates for any reserves which you can remove (expire) or issue.

Letters tab

Lists saved copies of any letters generated to the current borrower.

Click the “list in letters” button to view in the letters list.

New Borrower

Click the “Command-New” button to create a new borrower.

Each borrower should have a unique bar code.

Each borrower will need a borrower type, otherwise the Athenaeum will not correctly calculate that borrower’s privileges during the issue process.

Creating Logon accounts

For a borrower to logon (sign-in) to Athenaeum and be identified, they need their own logon [account].

If you are self hosting with Athenaeum with your FileMaker Server, then you can configure that server to authenticate against your active directory - covered in the Active Directory chapter.

Or you can create internal Athenaeum accounts as described below.

Each borrower will need a unique identifier (e.g. their name in some suitable format), a logon type which defines their privilege and a password.

You can create logon accounts individually or in bulk.

Individual logon accounts

The logon details are defined at Borrower Detail -> Address tab:

To create a logon for a borrower, that borrower must have:

• a logon type
• a logon name
• a password (well, it could be blank, but why would you do that?)

Logon types

There are five main logon types:

search

users with this privilege can only search the catalogue

reserve

these users can search as well as reserve and review

issue

issue users can log in to Athenaeum using the desktop client and issue, return, extend and check borrower loans (as well as search, of course)

catalog

a restricted librarian user that can logon to the desktop Athenaeum client and add items to the catalogue

librarian

a user that can pretty much do anything

User name

The user name identifies the person logging in to Athenaeum. Each user must have a unique logon name (otherwise they can’t be uniquely identified).

Create the account

You must enter values for both borrower logon fields before creating an account. If either of them are empty (that is, you can see the placeholder text), the create button is not visible.

When you have entered a logon type and user name, the create account button is visible:

Click that button and you are prompted to enter (and re-enter a password)

a simple default password is pre-entered - the password is simple, in keeping with the level of security required in most library situations

If the passwords match and the account name has not been used, it is created.

The “logon created checkbox” is displayed and the reset account and delete account buttons are visible¹.

Bulk account manipulation

Rather than stepping through each borrower and individually creating accounts, you can find any set of borrowers and create or delete accounts in bulk.

Viewing any found set of borrowers in the borrower list click utility->import & accounts

Create account names

This will loop through each borrower and, if a borrower does not have a logon account specified, will generate one.

This will be in the format

first.last[n]

where [n] is a number added to the logon account if the generated name is already used.

Create logon accounts

Will loop through each borrower and attempt to create a logon account according to the type and and name specified.

A short random password is used for each logon. Note that details of logons can be emailed to each borrower, which includes the password.

Delete logon accounts

Will loop through each borrower and remove the logon from Athenaeum.

Bulk action notes

• you can review the results of the various bulk actions in the log (Navigation->Log)

• use the replace function to set the logon type for a found set of borrowers

• after creating your logon accounts, remember to configure your web templates to allow login, if you want users to login and then be able to reserve, review, see their issues/overdues and history.