p_cir_24 / p_cir_12: many slips not printing when expected
- Article Type: General
- Product: Aleph
- Product Version: 16.02
Description:
Things at one multi-campus college improved when we started running cir_24 regularly. However, at another multi-campus college it didn’t solve the problem of many slips not printing when expected. The only difference between the two CIR_24 configurations is that one uses zero (0) days since last run and zero (0) days on the recall parameter while the one that does not work uses one (1) day in both. Right now, in both cases, we run cir_24 AFTER the cir_12 run in the overnight. Does it make any difference when we run this job relative to cir_12? What is the impact (result) of the difference in the two elapse time parameters?
Resolution:
There are some cases where the slip will not print. Please review the list of possible reasons for this below and see if perhaps the library that is not getting slips as anticipated meets some of these conditions.
1. For cir_12, if the request is part of a group of parallel requests a slip will be printed only for one of the group's available items.
2. In the "Check Availability" field in cir_12 - you may have the system check the availability of items when a batch of call slips is printed. If the request is a booking request (not a hold request) and the item is not available, nothing will be printed.
3. Usually, the library prints slips for "new" requests (no slip or letter has been printed previously). Depending on the 'Check Availabilty' parameter, the system prints a slip only if there is an item available on the shelf. If no item is available, a hold request is changed to "waiting" and a "Hold Request Not Filled" letter can be printed for the patron; a booking request is not printed. Under normal circumstances, a "waiting" request is filled when the item is returned to the library.
4. In cir_12 for the "Max Number of Days Since First Retrieval" - a slip will not be reprinted if the number of library open days since the first time a slip was printed is higher than this parameter's value.
5. As per the cir_12 help [“Call slips will not be printed for items which are being re-shelved”] slips do not print because the requested items are being re-shelved at the time the service is run.
6. As per the cir_24 help [Enter the number of days that have elapsed since the service has been last run] - the # of days entered should match the time it takes for a returned item to be re-shelved and be ready to be picked up.
7. As per the "Print Hold Delete Letter to Patron" field in cir_24, if the service determines that no item can fulfill the request, the request will be deleted (and thus no slip is printed).
The only difference between the "0" and the "1" in the elapse time parameters is that the "1" allows 1 day for re-shelving whereas the "0" doesn't allow any re-shelving.
It shouldn't matter whether you run cir_12 before/after cir_24; however, since you'll want to have the materials available on the hold shelf by the time you send the letters out (or at least by the time the patron comes to retrieve the item), your method of running cir_12 before cir_24 seems the most logical.
- Article last edited: 10/8/2013