Ephemeral Checkout Wizard

The Ephemeral Checkout wizard is used to check out impermanent materials to a library user. Libraries may have items that they want to circulate, but do not want to track for overdue notices or billing purposes. Impermanent materials can include items such as donated paperbacks and pamphlets.

This wizard checks out a number of copies to an item ID you created for a type of impermanent materials. For example, your library uses the item ID of ROMANCE for paperback romance materials. The user wants to check out seven of these paperback romance novels. You can use the Ephemeral Checkout wizard and the ROMANCE item ID to check out the items.

The Ephemeral Checkout wizard checks an item out and then immediately discharges it. The wizard repeats the charge and discharge sequence for every item presented for check out. In the previous example, the Ephemeral Checkout wizard would repeat the charge and discharge sequence for all seven paperback romance novels in one transaction.

Checkout transactions are recorded for statistical reports and checkout data, but they are not used for generating late notices or bills. If you display an item’s record, checkouts done with the Ephemeral Checkout wizard do not display in the list of current checkouts, but they are counted in the total number of charges for the item.

To check out impermanent materials

In the Special Circulation Functions group, click the Ephemeral Checkout wizard.

In the User ID box, scan the user’s ID or use the User Search helper to locate the user. If you type the user ID, click Get User Information to display the user record. You may also use the Current user button to access the last user displayed.

In the Item ID box, scan the item’s ID, or use the Item Search helper.

In the # Copies box, type the number of items.

For example, your library uses an item ID of HEALTH for physical fitness pamphlets. The user wants to check out three fitness pamphlets, so you would type 3 in the Number Copies box, and HEALTH in the Item ID box.

Click Check Out Item to User.

Repeat steps 3 through 5 for all items presented for check out.

As items are checked out, they are added to the List of Checkouts. The total number of items checked out displays.

If you select an item or group of items in the checkouts list and right-click, a circulation menu opens. From this menu, you can perform a variety of circulation tasks. See Right-click Menus.

To continue, click one of the following options.

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Check Out to New User to check out materials to another user

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Close to exit this wizard

Important Considerations When Using this Wizard

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If the user’s status has a delinquency type of DELINQUENT, BLOCKED, or BARRED, an alert window will display.

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If your site uses the User Groups feature and this user’s responsibility level is LINKED, then this user will inherit the delinquency status of the worst-case user in the group. If a user in the same group has a DELINQUENT, BLOCKED, or BARRED type user status, and alert window displays.

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It may be possible to find a user by a previous user ID, if configured in policies. Go to the FAQs: Searching User Records topic.

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If the user has a credit account and policies are configured to automatically pay fines/bills with money from the credit account, fines/bills created during check out may be paid automatically with funds from the user’s credit account. If bills are automatically paid, a message will display indicating that the amount has been paid in full. If a bill cannot be paid in full with funds from the user’s credit account, the bill is added to the user record. For more information, see FAQs: Credit User Accounts.