Other Information
Other Information
There are times when the full PINES functionality is unavailable – during a PINES upgrade, or unexpected outage, when a library's internet or local network service goes down, or when doing outreach in an area without an available internet connection.
Rather than shutting down all circulation operations or trying to track checkouts on paper, you can use the Evergreen Offline Interface to process checkouts. There are several advantages over the paper method: 1) the barcode scanner can be used to reduce typing errors and save time, and 2) a receipt will print after each checkout.
This interface stores a local transactions file that contains information about all of the circulation actions made while offline. When the computer can reconnect to the PINES server, that offline file must be uploaded and processed as soon as possible.
Prior to using the web-based offline interface for the first time, you will need to:
Start
Checkout
Renew
The offline interface does not provide information about what items a patron already has checked out, how many times the patron has already renewed their items, or if the items they are renewing are on hold for another patron. So, if a library chooses to renew items through this interface, the system will provide a list of errors when the offline file is uploaded that staff will need to follow up on.
In-house Use
Checkin
The Checkin function should not be used in PINES because it will not be able to alert staff if the item has any holds, transits, routing alerts, or any other type of statuses that require staff attention.
Register Patron
The offline interface has no way of knowing whether or not the patron that is applying for a library card already has a card in the system. If your library chooses to register patrons using the offline interface, you will need to be very diligent about checking each new account for older duplicate cards after you reconnect to the server. If you find duplicates, create a help desk ticket for each one so that they may be merged (see: Multiple Patron Accounts / Patron Record Merging).
Once you are able to reconnect to the PINES server and log into Evergreen, you will need to upload and process all of the activities that were recorded while you were offline. (This needs to be repeated for each workstation that used the offline interface.)
ACTOR_CARD_NOT_FOUND
Indicates the patron's library barcode was mis-scanned/mis-typed. Attempt to correct it if you can determine the error, but that may not be possible.
ASSET_COPY_NOT_FOUND
Indicates the item barcode was mis-scanned/mis-typed. Attempt to correct it if you can determine the error, but that may not be possible.
CIRC_CLAIMS_RETURNED
Indicates a book previously marked as claimed returned was found and checked out. Check the current patron to be sure it is checked out correctly, and check the item’s history to make sure any erroneous messages or fines are removed from the prior patron's account.
COPY_IN_TRANSIT
Indicates a book was checked out that had been marked as in transit. Check the patron to make sure that the book was checked out correctly to his or her account.
COPY_STATUS_LOST
Indicates a book previously marked as lost was found and checked in.
MAX_RENEWALS_REACHED
Since the patron already has the item in hand, you will need to go into the patron's account and either override the extra renewal to allow it or change the due date to the new due date.
OPEN_CIRCULATION_ EXISTS
Indicates a book was checked out that had never been checked in. This is not usually an issue because the book should usually appear on the patron's account correctly even though the error appears on this list. However, you should look up the item's history to be sure that it is showing up correctly and no longer indicates that it is checked out to the previous patron.
PATRON_ACCOUNT_EXPIRED:
If you are downloading the offline patron list on a daily basis, and if the Circulation Staff are paying attention to the error messages that pop up while using the Standalone Client, you should rarely see this error. On the occasions you do see it, go into the patron’s account and renew their card for a few days. Make a note in the patron’s account to renew their card the next time they are in the library and check out the items to that card. You may also wish to add a message to the Patron Message Center (see: Alerts, Notes, and Messages) to alert them that they'll need to renew their card (see: Card Expiration and Renewal) the next time they come into the library.
If for some reason the workstation that was used for offline circulation cannot be used to upload the transactions file, that file can be exported and then imported into a different workstation for uploading and processing.
The easiest way to view offline transactions before uploading them is to export them. However, if that is not possible, you can view them via the browser's internal tools. (Clearing your browser's local storage (cache) will erase the offline transaction data, and you will no longer be able to access it.)
In Firefox:
In Chrome: