This page will provide three pieces of information:  1. Instructions for generating a list of current circulation policies,  2. Instructions for importing the file into an Excel spreadsheet, and 3. an explanation of reviewing/ revising policy data.

1.  Instructions for Generating a List of Current Circulation Policies: 

   To generate a list of current circulation policies, select the following menu options from the reports menu: CIRCULATION -- CIRCULATION STATISTICS / POLICIES... ---- Circulation Policies (for import into Worksheet) When the report parameter screen is presented prompts will appear for the policies range and the general location code.  The policies range must remain @ - @.  However, there is an option to generate a list of policies for a specific location.  Regardless of whether or not a location is specified, the resulting report file will also contain any global circulation policies.  For the procedure to function properly, you must use the "Execute Now Interactively" option when running the report. After the report file is generated, the message: *** IDENTIFYING DUPLICATE POLICIES PLEASE BE PATIENT *** will appear on the screen.  During this time the procedure is identifying any circulation policies that are duplicates and are potential candidates for merging.  See the reviewing/revising policy data section for more details. The report file is available on the system, but it is also transferred to a web site.  While the resulting file is available in SPRINT, the width of the file makes it unsuitable for viewing or printing.  Using SPRINT will result in some information being truncated from the report.  Instead it is recommended that you review the results that have been transferred to the web site.  The file on the web site can be viewed with most web browsers and  can be easily imported into an electronic worksheet application like Microsoft Excel.

2. Instructions for importing the file into an Excel spreadsheet:

   When the procedure is completed two e-mail messages will be generated.  The first message refers to the file available for review in SPRINT.  The second message contains information about the file's availability on a web site.  It includes the filename and the web address from where the file can be downloaded.  On the web site, the file will be named username_POLICIES_yyyy-mm-dd_n.TXT where username is your account, yyyy-mm-dd is the current date, and n is a succession number (1, 2, 3, etc.). To download the file follow these instructions for Windows-based machines: a. When presented with the list of files, RIGHT-CLICK on the desired file and select the Save Target As... or Save Link Target As... option.  Save the file as a text file in any desired directory.   b. When the file has been saved, close your web browser. c. Start Microsoft Excel. d. Select Open... from the File menu.  Locate the directory in which the file was saved.  Change the Files of type: option to reflect Text Files and select the file from the displayed list and select the Open button   e. Excel will recognize that the file is not an Excel worksheet and will launch the Text Import Wizard.  Selecting the Finish button will import the data into a worksheet f. Some of the columns may appear as a series of ### symbols indicating that the column is not wide enough for numeric data.  To correct this situation use the "<Ctrl>+A" to select the entire worksheet.  From the Format menu, select the Column> option and then select AutoFit Selection.   g. To save the file as an Excel Worksheet, from the File menu select the Save As... option. Change the Save as type: to Microsoft Excel Workbook.  Change the filename if desired and select the Save button.

   
   
3. Reviewing/revising policy data:

   In preparation for migration to Sirsi K-12, each library needs to review their current MultiLIS policies carefully. This report helps you easily see all the policies currently defined. By reviewing the column data, it makes it easy to see both the subtle differences as well as any redundancies that may exist between current policies. a. Libraries are strongly encouraged to eliminate unused/duplicate policies as they will only end up complicating the Circulation map in Sirsi K-12. Libraries are encouraged to make corrections to the spreadsheet data and share this information with your DASite provider so that your Sirsi policies can be set up correctly at the time of your data migration. Example: Grades 9-12 were set up with separate user categories, yet all policies are exactly the same: 1-0000009 *9th Grade 5  $1.00  25  5  2  10  10  $0.00  $0.00 $10.00 10 $0.25 $0.00 3 1 1-0000010 *10th Grade 5  $1.00  25  5  2  10  10  $0.00  $0.00 $10.00 10 $0.25 $0.00 3 1 1-0000011 *11th Grade 5  $1.00  25  5  2  10  10  $0.00  $0.00 $10.00 10 $0.25 $0.00 3 1 1-0000012 *12th Grade 5  $1.00  25  5  2  10  10  $0.00  $0.00 $10.00 10 $0.25 $0.00 3 1 These 4 user categories could be combined into one User Profile for Sirsi K-12: General CIRC policies STUDENT1 - High School Students Max overdues - 5 Max balance - 1.00 Max # loans - 25 Max # holds - 5 Claims returned - 2 Renewal period - 10 Extended loan period - 10 Replacement fee - $0.00 Hold fee - $0.00 Max fine per item - $10.00 Loan period - 10 Fine per day - $0.25 Fine per hour - $0.00 Max # renewals - 3 Pardon Period -1 b. Identify policies that are obsolete and can be eliminated when they define their Sirsi policies.  Examples include policies for collections like filmstrips or transparencies that might not even be in the library any longer and policies that were appropriate at one time, but do not reflect the current circulation practices of the library c. Identify policies that need revised (fine amounts need changed, loan periods or loan limits need updated, etc.) You might want to make these changes even now in MultiLIS and not wait until the Sirsi migration. d. Identify policies that should be implemented district-wide now or in the near future.  Each library in a district might have its own policies that, while unique, closely resemble those of the other libraries in the district.  This actually can lead to confusion for patrons as the progress from building to building.  Implementing district-wide policies will simplify these issues and will benefit the library staff, DASite staff, and patrons. Click here to understand more about the Sirsi K-12 policy structure.