The process to sign up a patron for “borrow by mail” is fairly simply. Please see the following steps.
- You must ensure the patron code is “borrow by mail -allowed” you can do this in the patron registration. Then click save.
- The patron must place the hold via the PAC.
- When they place a hold they will see a check box saying “please mail this to me”. They must check this for every hold they place.
- Library staff will see “borrow by mail” hold on the picklist as it is identified by an envelope icon. Library staff will check in the hold as normal.
- If staff are placing holds for patrons they can add a Staff Display Note to the holds request. This will NOT produce an envelope icon on the pick list, but staff will see the note when the item is checked in.
- This item will be transferred to the patrons registered library. This is an unchangeable process within the Polaris software.
If Libraries would like to forgo the Polaris procedure and mail the items directly, that is acceptable. To do so:
- Identify “mail-to” holds by finding the envelope icon on your pull list
- Instead of checking in the hold, go to the pick list and click on the item, which will open the hold request.
- In the top right of the hold request you will find the patron barcode, click to open the patron record.
- Directly check out the item to the patron (extend the due date, to include mailing time)
- Locate the patron’s mailing address by hovering over the (I) icon
- Libraries that receive a borrow by mail item in the grey bin, or pull their own patrons item, will receive a “Borrow By Mail” hold’s notice when the hold is checked in.
- The hold slip print display will contain the patron’s information including: Patron name, item information, phone and address information, and the Borrow by Mail hold notes
