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    Manually setting item statuses in Voyager and common uses of those statuses

    • Product: Voyager
    • Relevant for Installation Type: Multi-Tenant Direct, Dedicated-Direct, Local, TotalCare

     

    Question

    Manually setting item statuses in Voyager and common uses of those statuses.

    Answer

    • There are 25 item statuses in Voyager. You cannot create additional custom statuses.
    • Items may have more that one status applied at a time
    • Some of these statuses are applied and removed through transactions in Voyager (such as Not charged, Charged, Renewed, Overdue, Recall Request, On Hold, Lost - System Applied, etc.)
    • Other statuses can be added and removed manually (Missing, Lost - Library Applied, Withdrawn, Cataloging Review, Missing, etc.)
    • Item statuses are ranked and this impacts what displays in the OPAC (See: Why Do Some Item Statuses Show as Available in WebVoyage?)
    • To manually apply a status, search for the item record in Circulation
    • Then select the Item menu > Status or the Status button
    • The top half of the window shows statuses currently applied
    • The bottom half shows the statuses that can be applied.
    • Items that have more than one status show a plus sign in the Item Status column in the Item Record
    • Pick and Scan can also be used to manually apply item statuses. See: What changes can Pick and Scan make?
    Manually applied item statuses and some common uses:
    Item Status Common Use Example use/ Further Details
    In Transit Manually applied to denote that the item is en route from one location to another, but outside of traditional Voyager functionality such as Call Slip. Example: The item was cataloged at the main campus, and is being shipped to the branch location where it will then be permanently shelved. Adding an "In Transit" status alone does not prevent the item from being requested by patrons during the transit period. Please also consider adding an "In Process" status to prevent requests.
    Missing Manually applied when the item could not be located, and the item is not checked out to a patron's account. Example: A library does an inventory project, and fails to locate an item. Adding a missing "Missing" status can denote the item's whereabouts were unknown at a given time.
    Lost Library Applied Manually applied when a library deems the item as lost.

    Example: 1) When a patron has an item checked out to their account and they report that they have lost the item before the "Lost System- Applied" status is applied according to the lost intervals in Voyager System Administration, and they'd like to take care of their responsibilities. Library staff may accept payment/replacement from the patron (or forgive the patron), discharge the item from the patron's account, and then apply the "Lost Library Applied" status to record the item's known lost status despite being discharged from the patron's account.

    Example: 2) Libraries that do regular inventories may mark an item as "Missing" following a first unsuccessful search, and then if the item is not located by a second search at a later interval, they remove the "Missing" status and apply the "Lost Library Applied" status.

    Further Details: Application of a Lost Library Applied status may mean that the item is then forwarded by staff to subject area liaisons for replacement/withdrawal considerations.

    Claims Returned Manually applied to an item that is not yet discharged from the patron's account, but where the patron claims that they did return the item. Further Details: This status is used to denote an "active search" process, during which both staff and the patron look for the item.

    Voyager System Administration settings can be set to prevent the patron from being billed/receiving further notices for the claimed returned item.

    Damaged Manually applied to an item when it has been damaged according to library policy.

    Further Details: This status is complicated, in that while it may be possible for an item with a "Damaged" status to be requested, the status must be toggled off to fill the request. 

    Most libraries do not use the "Damaged" status as a long-term status, but, some libraries do use it to indicate a damaged item which will remain in the collection without being repaired or replaced.

    The choice to use the Damaged status is up to your library, however, it would be best for your library to use it consistently.

    Withdrawn Manually applied to items that have been withdrawn from your collection, but where the record is not going to be deleted for some reason.

    Further Details: Your library will decide what workflow you will follow when withdrawing materials. If the records are kept in the database, the Bib/MFHD for items with a Withdrawn status are usually OPAC suppressed.

    At Bindery Manually applied to items that are in your local mending area for repair, or that have been sent out for binding. Further Details: This status prevents items from being requested by patrons while the status is applied.
    Cataloging Review Adding either additional status of "Circulation Review" or "Cataloging Review" to the item will cause a pop-up prompt when the item is charged or discharged in Voyager Circulation.

    Example: If library staff need to be notified when the item is returned for a cataloging  purpose, applying a Cataloging Review status will pop-up an alert for library staff.

    If a new item is added to the database, but the requester needs the item before it is fully cataloged, library staff may add a "Cataloging Review" status to the item. When the item is returned and discharged, Voyager will pop up a "Cataloging Review" alert.

    Further Details: When adding a Cataloging Review status, also add an item note to explain the reason for the status/who the item should be returned to for next steps. Library staff can be trained to return items with these statuses to a supervisor or other staff member to take the action recorded in any applied item notes.

    Cataloging Review does not prevent the item from being requested, if its status is otherwise available.

    Circulation Review Adding either additional status of "Circulation Review" or "Cataloging Review" to the item will cause a pop-up prompt when the item is charged or discharged in Voyager Circulation.

    Example: If library staff need to be notified when the item is returned for a circulation purpose, applying a Circulation Review status will pop-up an alert for library staff.

    Further Details: When adding a Circulation Review status, also add an item note to explain the reason for the status/who the item should be returned to for next steps. Library staff can be trained to return items with these statuses to a supervisor or other staff member to take the action recorded in any applied item notes.

    Circulation Review does not prevent the item from being requested, if its status is otherwise available.

    In Process Manually applied when the item's record is being reviewed, or a similar "processing activity" is being performed.

    Example: A library may mark their new material as "In Process" once the item record is added to the catalog, but before it is ready for circulation. The "In Process" status prevents the item from being requested by patrons during its processing.

    Additional Information

    See the System Administration User's Guide and the Circulation User's Guide for more information about Item Statuses.


    • Article last edited: 30-Jul-2020
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