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    Need information on 'Materials' or 'Media' booking [Item Booking]

    • Article Type: General
    • Product: Aleph
    • Product Version: 18.01

    Description:
    Please point me to detailed documentation on 'materials' or 'media' booking.
    How to set it up etc... I understand there is a difference in this and 'advance' booking.
    We tried advance booking and it doesn't fit our needs.
    Is media booking the one that uses the Z37 table z37-request-type 'B'?

    Resolution:
    There are v18 references to Item (Media) Booking in the following sources [items 1-3 can be downloaded from the Document Portal]:

    1. v18 System Librarian Guide - Circulation; pages 116-123
    2. v18 ALEPH Configuration Guide (search "booking")
    3. v18 User Guide (pages 196-203).
    4. Attached v18 Item Booking training materials

    Item/Media Booking allows for a request to be made in advance for a specific item, by a specific patron, at a specific time.
    Item Booking requests differ from standard ALEPH hold requests because they have specific start/end dates and they have priority over all other requests.
    Item Booking can be used for any type of material however it's typically used for media items that can be loaned for brief periods and are in high demand (e.g. meeting rooms, projection equipment, laptops, etc.).
    Item Booking uses "z37-request-type 'B'" in the z37 (hold request) table.

    Item Booking uses the following configuration tables:

    tab_booking - Head/Tail times for item booking
    tab_delivery_locations.eng - List of delivery locations for booking requests
    tab37_booking_delivery - Booking Requests Delivery List Configuration
    tab37_booking_pickup - Booking Requests Pick-up List Configuration
    tab_hold_request - checks for hold requests [checks with a "BK-" prefix: BK-PRE, BK-POST, BK-CIRC, etc.]
    tab31 - Patron Statuses [col. 21]
    tab15.eng - Item Statuses [cols. 15, 16, 17]
    tab27 - Hold and Booking Requests Send Method Configuration [col. 5]

    Advance Booking is typically used for reserve materials (e.g. films, slides, video recordings, CD-ROMs, etc.).
    You can pre-define slots for booking (e.g. item can be booked from 9 to 12, 12 to 3, 3 to 6 and then from 6 until opening hour next day).
    Advance Booking uses tab43 - Reserved Items Schedule for defining advance booking parameters.
    The z320 and z321 Oracle tables are used for Advance Booking. p_cir_60 creates z321 records for items with particular item statuses, based on tab43.

    (keywords: item process status pc_tab_exp_field.eng)


    • Article last edited: 10/8/2013