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Co-op Support During COVID-19

BC Libraries Cooperative staff currently work remotely and regular Support will continue to be available to you via email and phone.

Regular phone support hours remain 9:00am to 4:00pm PT Monday to Friday with emergency support available 24/7.

Expanding Library Services

With provinces introducing re-opening plans we know that some libraries will be expanding their available services. We anticipate a high volume of tickets so ask that you give us several days notice for all changes and appreciate your patience as we work through the requested updates.

Library Hours

If your library is re-opening to the public with reduced or different hours than before make sure to update your library hours in Evergreen to ensure your due dates are calculated correctly. More information on adjusting library hours can be found here: http://docs.libraries.coop/sitka/_organizational_units.html#operation-hour

You may also need to adjust the Closing End date for closures entered in the Closed Dates Editor. Changing the Closing End date will not affect the due dates of items currently checked out.

Public Catalogue

If you would like the text of your public catalogue banner changed to reflect the current state of your library services please send us a ticket with the updated wording.

For BC Interlibrary Connect libraries, your public catalogue can be scoped to search only your library . Please send in a ticket if you would like this change made.

Check In

If you are doing check in, please check in items belonging to other libraries as normal so that they go to the status of In Transit. A bug has been discovered with the “Suppress Holds and Transits” check in modifier which causes items to appear to have returned home when they have not.

You may wish to use Amnesty Mode or Backdating at Check In to void any fines patrons would otherwise be assessed on returned items. http://docs.libraries.coop/sitka/_check_in.html#_check_in_modifiers

When an item is captured for a hold there is a delay before the email or text message notification is sent. If the item is checked out during this period no email or text message will be sent. Please contact Support if you wish to change your current delay for email hold notifications (default is 5 minutes). Text notifications are shared by all Sitka libraries and cannot be changed.

Check Out

Libraries open to the public may be using self check out stations to minimize patron and staff contact. Contact Support if you would like the Evergreen self check interface set up for your library. Learn more about the Evergreen self check here: http://docs.libraries.coop/sitka/eg-self-check.html

Circulation Policies

If you wish to change your existing loan durations, number of renewals, and fines please send a ticket to Support with the changes to your policies. To view your current circulation policies run a report (reporter permissions required) or view your policies in Evergreen (Local System Administrator permissions required) – http://docs.libraries.coop/sitka/_circulation_policies.html

Circulation policies are complex and it can take significant time to make the changes.  We recommend submitting your request at least one week before you’d like the change go into effect.

Overdue and Courtesy Notices

  • Courtesy email and text notifications can be turned off or edited.
  • Overdue email notifications can be turned off or edited.

Note: Spruce libraries can now customize the 3 day courtesy email notice, 7 day overdue email notice, and 14 day overdue email notice.  These notices are all currently turned off for Spruce libraries. Please contact Support if you would like to turn them on.

Please contact Support if you wish to turn off or edit your existing notifications.

Paper Overdues

We will not be disabling paper overdue notices.  If your library is not currently mailing out paper overdues we recommend you simply ignore the daily paper overdue emails.

Automatic to Lost

Some libraries have a trigger that automatically sets items to lost after they have been overdue for a set period.  If you would like to turn off this trigger please contact Support.

Holds

If your library will be filling local holds please read through the following:

  • Holds can be filled and checked out while an emergency closure is in place.
    • The Library Setting – “Target copies for a hold even if copy’s circ lib is closed IF the circ lib is the hold’s pickup lib” must be set to TRUE
  • Local holds are currently enabled for most libraries.  Holds will appear on your pull list and can be filled by checking in items normally.
    • If you are a multi-branch library and will not be transiting items between branches to fill holds please send us a ticket as we will need to make significant changes to your hold policies.
    • If your library specifically requested placing or filling of local holds to be turned off, please send in a ticket asking for it to be turned back on.
  • If you would like to change your existing hold limit please send a ticket to Support with the new limit.
  • Patron Notifications
    • For hold email notifications libraries can ask to extend the delay before the email notification is sent, change the text of the email notification, or turn off the email notification completely.
    • Text message notifications are set globally and so cannot be turned on or off for individual libraries. Text messages have a delay of 30 minutes before the message is sent
  • Libraries with closures in place (through the closed dates editor) will have due dates for any new check outs fall the day after the closure ends.
  • Libraries participating in BC Interlibrary Connect
    • If you haven’t already, please send a ticket requesting that ILC be turned off for your library.
    • Your public catalogue can be scoped to search only your library.  Please send in a ticket if you would like this change made.
    • Information from the BC Public Libraries Branch on the state of the provincial interlibrary loan and BC One Card programs can be found here.
  • Libraries participating in Spruce Interlibrary Connect
    • Libraries can request to have ILC turned off; however, as only library staff can place ILC holds,  libraries may find this unnecessary.

We will be posting further updates as libraries start to re-open additional services. Please contact us if you have questions.


In the event your library closes due to COVID-19, the following are procedures for Sitka’s Evergreen:

Use the Emergency Closing option in the Closed Dates Editor to adjust your existing due dates

  • http://docs.libraries.coop/sitka/_closed_date_editor.html#_emergency_closing
  • If you do not have a firm date for re-opening we recommend entering the current expected closure period and then adding additional emergency closures as needed.
  • If you have already entered one closure and need to extend the dates you will enter a new emergency closure
    • The starting day of the new closure must be set to “today”

Close Interlibrary Connect

  • If you participate in reciprocal borrowing through Evergreen (BC, Spruce, and Sea to Sky Interlibrary Connect), and you would like to close Interlibrary Connect, send a ticket to sitka@bc.libraries.coop

Post an announcement on your public catalogue

  • A banner with a brief message can be applied to your public catalogue. Send a ticket to Support with your requested wording.
  • The library setting “OPAC login message” will add a message that appears in the public catalogue after patrons log into their account. Any local system administrator can set this up Administration -> Local Administration -> Library Settings Editor

Access Evergreen Remotely

  • As Evergreen is web-based the staff client can be accessed outside your library if staff are unable to access your library computers and still need to complete tasks, like setting up an emergency closure.
  • Please ensure you are using a secure connection when accessing Evergreen.
  • Evergreen is not currently accessible via mobile devices.

Batch Update Patron expiration dates

Patron Self-Registration

If your library will remain open and you want to extend loan durations

Please contact us at sitka@bc.libraries.coop if you have any questions or need assistance with a library closure.