Borrower+Services

=Q: Only the Check In button is Active.= A: You need to load a borrower before the other buttons are available.

=Q: A borrower says they returned a book but it is still showing on their account. How do I remove it?= A: Place a check mark in front of the disputed item and choose "Clams Returned" from the Mark Selected drop down menu at the bottom of the screen. This will remove the item from the borrower's account and not charge the student. Video

=Q: A student just transferred to my school. How can I check out to them?= A: All CPS students are loaded into SOAR. When searching by name, click All Locations on the Borrower Search screen.

=Q: How do I add a new borrower?= A1: New students and teachers will be added automatically through the sync with IMPACT. A2: Parents, volunteers, and other staff can be manually added to SOAR. Search for their name, selecting All Locations on the Borrower Search screen (They may have already been added at another location) If the person is not found, click the New Borrower button in the lower left Fill in the required information, indicated with a * For the type select Parent/Volunteer (All other borrower types are synced with IMPACT, and the accounts will be removed if not in the file) When creating an ID use something longer than 4 digits. A phone number is usually unique and easy for the borrower to remember

=Q: How can I add/update photos of my students to SOAR circulation?= A1: Send the disk or file of photos to the attention of Joe Horning at the Department of Literacy: Libraries, Bridgeport Office, GSR 39. The photos need to be named with the ID number or have a csv reference file in the following format (ID number, file name) A2: To add or replace photos of individual borrowers Load the borrower's account and click Borrower Info Click the Change Photo button at the bottom of the screen Browse for and select the new photo Click Upload and Save If you have a webcam attached to the computer, it can also be used to capture the image. (Adobe Flash must be installed for this to work) = = = Q: How do I mark an item lost? = A: Load the borrower's account Place a check mark next to the item(s) Select Lost from the "Mark Selected" drop down at the bottom of the page Adjust the charge if necessary and add a comment (optional but recommended).

= Q: How do I pay for a lost item? = A: You will first need to mark the item as lost Load the borrower's account Select the Charges page If the borrower is not paying all outstanding charges, uncheck items as needed Enter the amount to pay on the right Click Pay

A: By default, SOAR generates a one-time courtesy notice to borrowers with an email account on the date that an item becomes overdue. Although it is requested, there currently is no district method of loading all student email addresses. There are two methods to add student emails to your school’s SOAR accounts:
 * Q: How can I generate emailed overdue notices? **

__** Method #1 - CO batch load of student email addresses **__ The Department of Literacy: Libraries can load your student emails for you.
 * Download an export of your student email addresses. Instructions to obtain an export of student email addresses can be found at __https://cpssoar.wikispaces.com/file/view/Retrieve_Student_Usernames_FINAL.pdf__
 * Email your download with a request to Joe Horning at jrhorning@cps.edu . Include the frequency at which you would like email notifications to be sent.
 * Joe will notify you via email when your student emails have been loaded.

__** Method #2 - School load of student email addresses **__ You can also manually enter the email addresses for individual borrowers in LS2 Staff.
 * Load the borrower’s account
 * Click the Borrower Info button
 * Enter the email address
 * Click Save
 * Email Joe Horning at jrhorning@cps.edu to request recurring notifications and include the frequency at which you would like mail notifications to be sent.

__Note__: There is a maximum of 30 notices per item. (e.g. if the notice interval is set to 7 days, students will receive an email once a week for 30 weeks). You can still print overdue notices for the items that are no longer receiving emails.