FAQ

How do security groups limit access?

Each level has the access of all the groups below them, but does not have access to any security groups on the same level or above them. See Security for additional information.

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.

Where can I find counts and how many Patrons/Items am I licensed for?

To find your license and system information, go to the help menu in the topnav and click About Alexandria. This will show you your patron/item count and how many you have left in your license.

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.

When a date is entered to the Advance After field in Grade Table preferences, will grades advance automatically after that date?

Entering a date will not automatically advance the Patron Grades. Learn more about Grade Table preferences.

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.

How do I add a new librarian/admin account?

An admin account is simply a patron account with a different security group set (like District Administrator). New librarians should set their security group accordingly, usually as high as they are allowed to select.

Can I choose the next patron barcode Alexandria will assign?

You can! First, navigate to Preferences > Patrons > Patron Defaults tab. In the Barcode Settings section, specify the beginning number for auto-assigned barcodes – choose a number that doesn’t conflict with your item barcodes and has enough room to continue sequentially for all future patrons. Learn more in Patron Preferences.

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.