Welcoming New Patrons
Answer
Welcoming New Patrons
The registration of a patron may be the librarian's only chance to speak about the services of the library. Make the most of it!
When you welcome new patrons, tell them of the library's services. Because member libraries of TRAC issue a TRAC card as its library-borrowing card, advise new patrons that this also allows them to use other libraries in the Marigold, Northern Lights, Peace, and Yellowhead Library Systems. Give new patrons a short tour of your library and advise them of your library hours.
There are some restrictions for cards issued to patrons that live in non-participating municipalities, so provide them with all applicable information. See page 9 for more details on registering non-residents. As of 2016 reserve and on-settlement library patrons no longer have to pay non-resident fees. Patrons will be treated by the Library Board as local residents and will need to acquire a home library card and will be subject to local/municipal card fees if applicable.
Checking for Pre-Existing Records
Before registering a new patron, it is important that you check whether there is a pre-existing account that needs to be settled.
- From the Polaris Shortcut Bar, go to the Patron Services menu and select Patron Records or press F7 on your keyboard. The Patron Record find tool will appear.
- In the “For:” field, type the patron’s name (Last, First). Always include the comma between the last and first names. Click the Search button or press the Enter key.
- If there are no other records for that patron, you can create a new record. If there is a record, you can change the patron’s home library to your own in the Registered at field in the “Patron Registration” if they were previously registered at a library within your system. If you do not have the permissions to make this change, or if the card was issued from a library outside the system, send the NLLS Public Services staff a ticket via NLLS Help Desk. Once the home library is changed, change the patron’s address, then switch to the “Patron Registration – General” view to update the “Where They Live” (municipality) field. If a pre-existing record was missed and a new record is created by mistake, you must merge the two records so that any items out, fines, or charges are maintained in the new record. Please contact NLLS Public Services staff for assistance with merging patron records.