Explanation of dates for serials check-in

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Article Type: General
Product: Aleph
Product Version: 18.01

Description:
I'm trying to understand what is meant in the Aleph Acq/Serials module by "issue date" and "expected date" in Serials check-in. I see that the "issue date" for a new pattern (visible on the Arrival tab) corresponds to the date in the 853 X field. I also see an "expected date" which is 30 days later. I know we have set all claims intervals to 30 days. When will the system put the first issue on the claims list, thirty days after the "issue date" or 30 days after the "expected date"? What does Aleph mean by these date fields?

Resolution:
The issue date is the date the system uses to put things in order (e.g. January 1 is displayed before January 2). The date you specify in the Pattern’s "Start Date" field of the tab 4 level-x screen will be used as the first item record's issue date. The system then adds the appropriate interval you specify for the following item record’s issue date. The number of days you specify on the Subscription Record’s 3rd tab (the First Claim delay) is added to the issue date of an item to get the expected date. So, if your start date is 1/1/2007 and your First Claim delay is 30 days, your expected date is 1/31/07. This is the day that this item will show up on a claim report and it is the date a patron would see and expect that the item has arrived.

Another way to say this is that the "expected date" is the first claim date. Issues will appear on the claim report based on this date. Aleph calculates it by adding the date entered in subfield 3 in 853X as the start date plus the number of days entered in the First Claim field on the subscription record. One way to change when issues show up on the claim report is to adjust the Expected Arrival Date field at the bottom of the submittal form. You could run it at the end of the month, but set this date on the submittal form to be the issues expected by the first of the month.

Thanks to Michael Lampley, Texas Christian University and Cherie McCraw, College Center for Library Automation for posting this information to the ALEPH-NA list.

Article last edited: 10/8/2013