[LM_NET] HIT: Destiny Holiday Hours

[Angie Woodson <librarypup@GMAIL.COM>]

Unfortunately, it doesn't sound like there is a quick easy fix for my
dilemma.  I suppose my main gripe is that the calendar function of Destiny
just doesn't work in a way that is very beneficial for the user.  To me, it
makes sense that the program would skip those days that we are out for
vacation and then figure the due date without taking those days into
account.  Maybe as some suggested I'll submit this suggestion to Destiny as
a way to improve the program.  In the meantime, we'll do things as we've
always done....run overdue notices the week after we come back and just deal
with all of the beeps telling us that every student has overdue items:)

Merry Christmas to everyone and below are the responses I received.  Thanks
to everyone for responding...


-- 
Angie Woodson
Media Specialist
Van Buren Elementary
225 Shaw St., Plainfield, IN 46168
317-839-2575
awoodson@plainfield.k12.in.us

_____________________________________________________________


It seems to me that with all versions of circ/cat plus we always had to do
this.  You could adjust the dates to make everything come out okay doing it
on a daily basis.  I just don't bother as I don't print out overdues all the
time.  I believe that our trainer did jake us aware of this issue but I do
remember it from the training that I received so many years ago.  You could
request a change with their request a change feature because this is an
issue for all of us that use any Follett product and maybe any of the others
too.  My problem with an elementary school would be that I would like the
books due the day they come to library as we do have a fixed schedule.
However, with my kids who come in more frequently I don't always worry.



Our elementary schools have the classes on a fixed schedule. When a
class comes to the library, we check-in the books then run an overdue list
for that class
only. We normally have the due date as the day before the class is
scheduled,
so that any book that doesn't come in will be overdue. We don't issue
the bills until the book is 2-3 weeks past due. Adding the closed dates to
the calendar
helps us keep track of just how long the student has neglected to return
his/her book.



We have Destiny (new this year) and prior to that we had Spectrum. To be
honest, I don't see what the problem is. We have always had our due date to
be the first day back from break, if that's how the calendar calculated the
due dates for books that would be due during the break. Of course, they
don't all come back on that day, but that's ok, because we still have a
large number of returns to deal with on the first day back. I don't think
there's any getting around that, unless you make the due date before the
break. Either way, you are still dealing with tons of books. For the
students who don't return them on the due date, they get an overdue notice
sometime during the week.
The books all make it back sooner or later. I have too many other things to
attend to; concern about due dates is not one of them. I only become
involved if the book is two weeks or more overdue. They get a one week grace
period before the consequences for overdue books kick in.
I'd be curious to hear how if this is a concern for others.



We went thru this last year (our 1st year with Destiny). And you got the
same kind of "helpful" response we got. I have just thrown in the towel
on some of the "improvements" over Circ +. FWIW



You could choose to use a fixed due date instead of 14 days.  Or, if they
are checking out as a class you could change the due date as they were
changed out to reflect the next time they would be coming to the media
center.



I used Alexandria years ago - and I really loved the way they did due dates
when school was closed. Destiny is a pain. Like you said, everything will be
due the day we get back. I just tell the students that the books are due
that first week - and I won't print out any overdue notices until I check in
all the books on Friday, January 11th.  Fortunately we don't charge fines so
it won't mess up their records...



There is a feature in Destiny we use to adjust due dates. When you check out
the first book of the day that you don't want due on the "scheduled" day, go
down to where the title of the book is and you will see the "scheduled" due
date. If you click on that date, a calendar should pop up which allows you
to set a new due date--just for that patron or for all checkouts for that
day. The only catch is that if you use more than one computer for checkout,
you have to do this on each computer. And, you have to be logged in with
administrator privileges.
I'm writing this from home/memory, so I hope I got it right!



I agree with you on this situation, but what I do is either one of two
things.  I either remember that last week before break that I need to put in
a special due date each day that week, or the week we come back and I'm
running overdue letters, is to renew anything due Monday, that should be due
Tuesday-Friday of that week to the correct date then.  That's one of the
features I like about Destiny.  The ability to see your overdue letters
before you print the whole batch of them. A pain? Yes, but somehow my way
feels a bit easier than what Follett is having you do.  Not much, but a
bit.  I'm lucky in that I'm at the simpler elementary level.  I only run my
overdues on the classes that come in each day so the most I deal with is
8 classes on my busiest days.


-- 
Angie Woodson
Media Specialist
Van Buren Elementary
225 Shaw St., Plainfield, IN 46168
317-839-2575
awoodson@plainfield.k12.in.us

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