Loan Period Codes/Due Dates Overview

overview, polaris, shared-ext-housekeep

Kelly Hock

Overview

Loan period codes determine the length of time an item can be checked out to a patron. Loan periods are set per loan period code, per patron code, per branch. Loan period codes, for the most part, are the same name as material type codes and fine codes. But, they are a different code and operate independently. This report shows your library’s loan period codes.

Below is an example of the Loan Period Code settings in SA:

Which library’s settings are used

The settings of the transacting branch (where the item was checked out or renewed) are honored when calculating a due date. More information about how circulation rules are calculated at the CLC can be found here.

Due Date modifiers

Dates Closed and Hours of Operation

Dates Closed and Hours of Operation affect when an item is due – when a branch is closed on a day an item would normally be due, it will be due the next open day. See this article for more information.

Auto-renew

Auto-renew does not affect due dates, but it can seem like items have a longer loan period, since auto-renew happens before the item’s due date but uses the original due date as the date of renewal. Click here for more information about the Polaris Auto-Renew feature.

Special Loan Period

At the time of checkout, staff can manually select a due date, including making the due date in the past. You can set the Special Loan Period for that session only, or for all checkouts. The Reset button reverts the due date back to the system setting.

Reset Due Date

If an item is not overdue, the due date can be changed in the Items Out view of the Patron Status workform. Although this is called “Reset Due Date,” any date can be chosen (as long as it’s not a date in the past).

Special Renew

In the Items Out view of the Patron Status workform, you can renew an item and designate a special due date for the renewal.

Offline Mode

Due Dates in Offline Mode Use the Standard (default) Loan Period set for the transacting branch. There is one Standard Loan Period for all items checked out for a branch while in offline mode. Enter a HelpDesk ticket if you’d like to know your library’s default loan period.