Automatic renewal
Automatic renewal of items can be enabled for loan policies in the Service Configuration. Once enabled for a loan policy, all items that fall under that loan policy will be eligible for automatic renewal. Generally, automatic renewals are processed at 07:00 (institution time) on the day that the item is due.
Note: Automatic renewal will only apply to items once it is turned on, and the items are checked out or manually renewed. Items checked out before automatic renewal is turned on will need to be manually renewed or checked in and then checked back out for automatic renewal to apply.
I prestiti esistenti con rinnovo automatico adotteranno i termini dei criteri aggiornati al rinnovo. Ad esempio, se si prolungano i periodi di prestito o si modificano i limiti di rinnovo, queste modifiche influiranno sui prestiti una volta rinnovati. Per aggiornare le condizioni dei prestiti senza attendere il rinnovo, utilizzare il rinnovo globale WorldShare Circulation o effettuare il check-in e il prestito dell'elemento.
Enable Automatic renewal
To enable this setting for a loan policy:
- In the Service Configuration, navigate to WMS Circulation > Loans > Loan Policy and then click the pencil icon (View/Edit) in the Actions column for the loan policy you wish to edit.
- Under Renewal > Automatic renewal, click Yes.
- Once enabled, all items with this loan policy will be eligible for automatic renewal. However, the following limitations apply:
- Staff or the patron can attempt to manually renew an item that is eligible for automatic renewal. Automation will resume the next time that the item is due.
- If the Limit renewals time is set for longer than the loan limit renew time, the loan limit renew time will apply.
- The number of automatic renewals is limited to the configured Automatic Renewal Limit (see step 4 below).
- The number of automatic renewals allowed by the Loan Policy is limited to the number entered in the Automatic Renewal Limit field. Enter the number of times items can be automatically renewed (if desired), or leave No Limit checked to allow automatic renewals with no limit.
- The total number of renewals (automatic & manual) is limited by the relevant Loan Limit Policies. Automatic renewal will not occur if either limit has been reached. If configured, the Automatic Renewal Failure Notice will not be sent.
Additional configuration
When enabling Automatic renewal for a Loan Policy, it is also recommended that you:
- Set up an Overdue Grace Period for when items cannot be automatically renewed, so patrons have time to return the items without incurring fines.
- Create an Automatic Renewal Failure Notice to inform patrons when an automatic renewal fails.
When does an automatic renewal occur?
Items will successfully auto-renew if:
- The renewal will not exceed the total number of renewals (automatic & manual) set in the Loan Limit Policy.
- They are not needed to fulfill an outstanding hold request. See the scenarios below for when items that fulfill a hold will be automatically renewed.
The following table outlines common Circulation scenarios and whether or not automatic renewal will take place under them:
| Scenario | Renewed? | Patron notification |
|---|---|---|
| No pending holds, within limits | Sì | |
| Hold exists, another copy is available | Sì | |
| Hold exists, no other copy, min loan period not met | Sì | |
| Hold exists, no other copy, item not recalled | No | Avviso di prestito in ritardo |
| Hold exists, no other copy, item recalled | No | Avviso di richiamo |
| Patron expired/blocked/has outstanding bills | No | Notifica automatica di errore di rinnovo |
| Renewal or loan limit reached | No | Loan Overdue Notice will be sent once the item is overdue. |
| Renew Fixed Bill configured | No | Notifica automatica di errore di rinnovo |
|
Patron account in breach of Patron Type Policy (e.g., exceeded max overdue items) |
No | Notifica automatica di errore di rinnovo |
|
Loan limits exceeded (e.g., renewed more times than allowed via staff override) |
No | Notifica automatica di errore di rinnovo |
| Staff override required for circulation | No | Notifica automatica di errore di rinnovo |
About the Automatic Renewal Failure Notification
The Automatic Renewal Failure Notification is only sent when the system attempts a renewal and the attempt fails. If no attempt is made to renew the item, the system does not count that as a failure, and no notification will be sent. See the table above for common Circulation scenarios and whether automatic renewal will take place under each.
Once an automatic renewal has failed, the system will not retry on subsequent days.
About the Recall Notice
Items that are currently checked out in WorldShare Circulation can be recalled from the current patron. Recalling an item does not count as a renewal attempt, therefore, the Automatic Renewal Failure Notification will not be sent, and the Recall Notice (if configured) will be used instead.
For more information on recalls and working with recalled items, see Recall items. For more information on configuring the Recall Notice, see Recall Notice.