What information can be updated with a patron import file?
Patron imports can be used to change any field in patron records except for the Barcode field.
Operations
Over the summer our IT department wants to add or re-add the Chromebooks and iPads to our catalog. What are the recommended methods of doing this correctly?
If you have used Alexandria or Textbook Tracker to catalog non-book items such as laptops, chargers and other technology it is a good idea to use a specific item policy or policies to manage them. In most cases you will want a title record for something like a Chromebook to include all of the copies instead of 1/1 with titles/copies.
If you are using an import file, you will need to create a title record with an ISBN first so the import setting “Title update matching” works for title and ISBN/LCCN.
Read Best Practices for Cataloging to learn how to catalog equipment in Alexandria.
If you have any questions please call Customer Support at 1-800-347-4942 to get help with importing files.
How do I update Patron records with a file on my computer?
- First, make sure the file is tab-delimited (not a csv file).
- Make sure you have a way to match the patron information with the info in the file, such as barcode, RSN (Record Sequence Number), GUID (Gobally Unique Identifier), Government ID (SSN), Community ID (Student #), or Primary Email, First Name, and Last Name (all 3).
- See Patron Imports Best Practices for more information.
What’s the best way to automate my patron overdue or hold notices?
How do you want notice to be sent? If you’d like the program to do most of the work for you, try Automatic Email Notifications. Go to Preferences > Circulation. In the Circulation Settings tab, click the Enable automatic email notifications checkbox. This feature automatically sends email notices to the patron’s email address for in-stock holds, overdue fees, and a number of other things. Read more about it in Circulation Settings.
For those of you who want greater control over your notices – such as when they go out and to whom – use scheduled notice reports. For example, you could set up an Overdue Items and Unpaid Charges Notice report for each grade or homeroom and schedule it to email the teacher every month so they can help remind students.
- Go to Operations > Notices, add a new notice, and choose the Circulation category.
- Test out a few of the report notices to see which ones work best for your situation. When you’ve found one, click Create at the bottom right.
- Build your report in the Selections and Options tabs.
- In the Overview tab, schedule the report to run at a specific frequency and time.
- You can also enable email notifications and specify to whom the notices will be sent. Separate email addresses with a comma.
And if you find it meets your needs, you can even use both methods at the same time!
How do I forgive charges?
To forgive a charge for an individual patron, use Circulation.
- Make the patron current and go to the Charges tab.
- Select the charge (or by holding <shift> or <command> you can select more than one).
- Click Make Payment. (Or Forgive Charge.)
- Click the box to Forgive remaining balance, and click Process.
To forgive charges in batches, use the Forgive Charges utility.
- Go to Operations > Utilities > Patrons > Forgive Charges.
- Use the Selections tab to choose who you are forgiving the charges for.
- Use the Options tab for what type of charges to forgive, or in a specific date range.
- Click Run.
Why isn’t my zipped or compressed file importing patron pictures?
Usually, this means the file is larger than 50mb. You need to separate the file into smaller sizes in order to import them.
Can Alexandria assign barcodes to imported patrons?
Yes, if a barcode is not included within the import file, Alexandria will automatically assign a barcode to those patrons.
How can I import items into Alexandria?
Go to Operations > Import and select the category of what you are importing. Upload the file from your computer, and make sure to configure the field map. Note: Marc records don’t need to be field mapped. See Import for more information.
How do I remove items that I have discarded, and do they count in my system?
- a. To remove Items that you have discarded, you can run the Remove Discarded Copies utility. We recommend running the Discarded Copies report first, to get a list of which items will be removed.
- b. Discarded Items in your database do count in your system counts, as they are still in your database. This is also true for lost items. They are in a pending status until they are removed.
Why does it say my Import file is not the correct file type, even though they are .mrc?
Usually this means the wrong import type is selected on the left. Make sure you have Items selected, and the import should run correctly.