FAQs: Suspending a User’s Loan Privileges

Loan privilege suspension is the temporary revocation of a user’s privileges to borrow library materials. Some libraries elect to suspend user’s loan privileges rather than assess monetary fines. For example, a library may decide to temporarily block library access instead of charging a fine to a child patron for overdue materials.

How can a user’s loan privilege be suspended?

A library can suspend a user’s loan privileges automatically or manually. The library can define suspension periods in the Billing Structure policy. For example, if the user returns overdue items, the Billing Structure policies can be configured to suspend the user for 3 days for each overdue item.

You can also manually suspend a user with the Suspend User Wizard. The wizard is useful if the library does not automatically suspend users for overdue items, or if you want to suspend the user for reasons not associated with borrowed materials.

What happens when a user’s loan privileges are suspended?

The user cannot check out any library materials during the suspension period unless you enter an override code. The user can still pay fines, return items, and renew items. SirsiDynix Symphony creates and attaches a suspension record to the user record. The suspension record contains information about the suspension, such as item information (if an item is associated with the suspension), the number of suspension units, and the date on which the user will be permitted resume borrowing materials.

What do I do if I see the “User has privileges suspended” message?

If a user with suspended loan privileges attempts to check out items, the following message displays.

User has privileges suspended

You may enter an override code to continue checking out items to the user.

To continue checking out items to the user

In the User Suspension Override box, type the override code.

Click Override & Checkout to User.

How do I see suspension information for a user?

Use the User Display wizard to display suspension information in a user’s record. The Suspension tab appears in the user record. For each suspension, the title of the associated item (if any), the next date on which the user may borrow materials, and the date the user was suspended appear. Click the Date Suspended glossary link to show additional suspension information, such as the reason for the suspension.

How is suspension time calculated and accessed?

The User Profile, Circulation Rule, and Billing Structure policies determine the length of the suspension.

If an item is overdue, the Billing Structure policy for the loan period is consulted to determine the number and type of suspension units to be used for the suspension. The Billing Structure policy is also consulted to determine the maximum suspension for a single item type. If the overdue item’s suspension period exceeds the defined maximum suspension amount for the item type, the value set in the Billing Structure policy is used.

The User Profile policy is consulted to determine if the suspension period for the user is greater than the defined overall maximum suspension amount.

When an overdue item is returned to the library, the suspension time will be calculated upon discharge. The calculation considers how much time elapsed from the date and time the item is due until the date and time the user checks in the item. The suspension period is then calculated based on the number of days overdue and the number of suspension units set in the policy file. The suspension is added to the user record automatically after the item is checked in and the next allowed loan date is set.

Suspension time accumulates as items are checked in, just as overdue fines are cumulative. If the user’s privileges are already suspended, and the user returns additional overdue items, SirsiDynix Symphony adds the new suspension time to the existing suspension time.

For example, a user returns 4 overdue items at one time. The policies are configured to assess a 2-day suspension for each day an item is overdue. All 4 items are returned 1 day late. Each overdue item incurs a suspension of 2 days, for a total suspension of 8 days. When the user has 1 day remaining for the suspension, he or she returns another overdue item. The new 2-day suspension is added to the remaining day of the previous suspension, increasing the user’s suspension time to 3 days.

The Maximum Suspension Amount value and the Maximum Suspension Unit attributes are not considered when the user is suspended by a date selection in the Suspend User wizard. They are checked only when a user is suspended by number of days with policies or the wizard. Therefore, you can suspend a user even if the maximum suspension threshold has already been reached by using the Suspend User wizard and suspending the user with a date selection.

How does a holiday or library closed date that occurs while an item is overdue affect the suspension calculation?

If the library has configured its policies to charge overdue fines for days when the library is closed, suspensions will also be assessed for closed dates. Likewise, if the library decides not to collect fines for days the library is closed, then library closed dates are not counted in the suspension time.

For example, a user returns a book 2 days overdue. The item loan period is expressed in days, and suspension policies are configured to specify the number of suspension units as 4, and the suspension unit in days. The library does not assess fines or suspensions on closed dates.

If the library was open both days the book was overdue, the suspension calculation would be 2 days overdue times 4 suspension unit days, for a suspension period of 8 days.

If the library was closed on one of the days the item was overdue, that day is not counted in the suspension calculation. The suspension calculation would be 1 day overdue times 4 suspension days, for a total suspension period of 4 days.

What happens if a holiday or library closed date occurs during a user’s suspension?

If a holiday or library closed date occurs during the calculated suspension for a user, the next allowed loan date will be adjusted by one additional day for each closed date.

For example, a user returns a book 2 days overdue. The item loan period is expressed in days, and library policies are configured to specify the number of suspension units as 1, and the suspension unit in days. The user’s suspension is calculated to be 3 days, and the next allowed loan date is originally calculated to be on Memorial Day. Because the library is closed for the holiday, the next allowed loan date is moved to the following day (Tuesday).

How do grace periods affect suspensions?

Grace periods affect suspensions as they affect overdue fines. The grace period is not included in the suspension calculation.

Can I assess a fine and suspend the user for overdue items?

In the Billing Structure policy, you must select either the Bill option or Privilege suspension option under Overdue Checkouts. While you cannot create a Billing Structure policy to assess both a fine and suspension, you can define policies to bill the user for certain item types and suspend the user for other item types. An individual user can have suspensions and fines on his or her user record, depending on the configuration of the Billing Structure, Circulation Rule, Circulation Map, User Profile, and Item Type policies.

Examples:

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A library may suspend users for overdue items with the item type of BOOK by defining a Billing Structure policy called SUSBOOK. In the SUSBOOK policy, the library specifies a value of 1 in User suspended for, and selects the Days option. Under Overdue Checkouts, the Privilege suspension option is selected. The library may suspend users with the PUBLIC user profile for overdue items with item type BOOK using the SUSBOOK billing structure. The library could also assess fines to PUBLIC users for items with item type VIDEO using a different Billing Structure policy.

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The library may decide to suspend users with a JUVENILE user profile for all overdue material, and charge fines for users with an ADULT user profile for all overdue materials.

Can a group of users be exempt from suspensions?

Yes. The Maximum Suspension Amount value in the User Profile policy can be set to 0 to prevent suspensions from ever accumulating for users with the particular profile.

What happens when the maximum suspension threshold for users is reached?

If the suspension amount you assess when you suspend the user causes the user’s total suspension amount to reach the maximum suspension threshold set in the User Profile policy, the suspension is truncated to the maximum suspension amount permitted by the policy. In addition, the following message appears when you click Suspend User.

Number of days suspended has been reduced, due to maximum in user profile policy.

For example, a user with the PUBLIC user profile has already been suspended for 6 days. The Maximum Suspension Amount attribute in the PUBLIC User Profile policy is set to 10 days. If you type 6 in the Suspend by number of days in the Enter Suspension Information window, the suspension is truncated to 4 days, and the message appears.

If the maximum suspension amount has already been reached before you attempt to suspend the user again, the following message displays when you click Suspend User.

You cannot suspend this user for this number of days due to the user profile policy.

The Maximum Suspension Amount value and the Maximum Suspension Unit attributes are not considered when you suspend the user by a date selection. They are checked only when you suspend a user by number of days. Therefore, you can suspend a user even if the maximum suspension threshold has already been reached by suspending the user with a date selection.

Is there a maximum suspension policy for items?

Yes. The Circulation Rule policy controls the circulation of items. In this policy, the Billing Structure attribute lists the Billing Structure policy associated with the circulation rule. The Maximum Suspension Amount attribute in the Billing Structure determines the maximum suspension policy for items.

For example, an item circulates using the 2WEEKS circulation rule policy. The 2WEEKS circulation policy specifies the 2DAYSUS billing structure policy in its Billing Structure attribute. In the 2DAYSUS Billing Structure policy, the Suspension Unit is Daily, and the Maximum Suspension Amount value is 10. Therefore, the maximum suspension for an item that has a circulation rule associated with the 2DAYSUS billing structure policy is 10 days.

Why can’t I suspend a user from another library?

If your library is part of a multilibrary system, the circulation maintenance library group policies and user maintenance library group policies must be set up correctly for you to be able to suspend users in other libraries.

When a suspension is generated for a user, a library is recorded in the suspension record. The library recorded depends on the type of bill. When a suspension is created:

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With a suspension reason that has an associated item, the library that charged the item is stored as the library on the suspension record.

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With a suspension reason that does not have an associated item, the station’s library is stored as the library on the suspension record.

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For library privileges, the library of the station using the New User Registration wizard is stored as the library on the suspension record.

During the suspension creation process, SirsiDynix Symphony checks the library stored on the suspension record against the station library’s circulation maintenance group policy and the user maintenance group library. If the stored library is not in the station library’s circulation maintenance group and user maintenance group, the suspension will not be created.