Hi Lesha,
         We have ours set up to exclude items with holds, so some
tweaking by Helpdesk *is* possible. We had to make this change because
our students rapidly worked out that they could check in an item and get
it off their record without actually giving back the book. We were
getting at least 30 occurrences per week of people coming to collect
holds when we hadn't got the book.

Can't help for sure on your more specific quetsion, because all our
material is returnable anywhere in the system, although I have a nagging
feeling that we asked some time ago if we could exclude short loan items
from specific machines, and we never actually did this, so my assumption
is that the answer must have been No...

Best,

Richard

Richard Perkins
Film & Theatre Librarian
University of Warwick
Coventry
UK
 
02476 522331

-----Original Message-----
From: This list is for current and potential users of the Innopac system
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Fossey, Lesha
Sent: 03 October 2007 18:39
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Self-returns - excluding specific item locations?

 
Hi all

We've recently installed a self-returns machine, which accepts checkins
(our self issue machines are checkout only) and sorts them according to
various criteria. We need this machine to NOT accept particular groups
of items from other libraries (i.e. those items from very short loan
collections, which might have imminent bookings on them for collection
at another site). At the moment it's accepting anything, and if it's
from another site (based on the locations served associated with the
self returns login), automatically checking it in and changing the
status to "in transit". This is definitely an Innovative issue not a
machine issue, because the first piece of info which comes back from
Millennium via SIP2 is "Y" i.e. yes the item has been checked in. 

I've contacted the helpdesk to ask if we can exclude particular item
location codes from being self-returned (so Millennium says "N" and the
item is therefore returned to the patron, meaning we can say that those
specific categories of items must be taken back to their owning
library). But I've had no response from the Helpdesk, so I don't even
know if what I want is possible....

So, what I'd like to know, from those of you who have self-service
machines which take returns (user sorted or machin-sorted), CAN you
exclude items from being self-returned based on item location? (or
indeed some other item criteria)?
If at least I know for sure it can be done (as it must be able to,
surely?) then at least I can wait patiently for the helpdesk to do
it....

Lesha

--
--------------------------
Lesha Fossey MA MCLIP
Head of Library Services
University of Exeter         
Stocker Road
Exeter EX4 4PT

Tel:   01392 263878
Fax:  01392 263871
E:     [log in to unmask]