Patron Records

See Grand Rapids Public Library Training Documents for a list of all Evergreen training topics.

Patron Record Overview

After logging in to the staff client, search for a patron to see a patron record

On the left you can see basic information about the patron. The color of the background around a patron's name indicates the patron's status:

• lime green = patrons of normal status
• yellow = patrons with an alert message
• orange = delinquent patrons
• purple = blocked patrons
• red = barred patrons
• light grey = expired patrons
• dark grey = inactive patrons

Use the buttons on the right to view additional information and perform functions for the patron:

• Refresh refreshes the display, similar to reloading a page in your browser.
• Check Out allows item checkouts. See Checkout for more information.
• Items Out displays the items the patron currently has checked out. You can renew, add bills, or checkin items from here.
• Holds displays the items the patron currently has on hold. See Editing Existing Holds for more information.
• Bills displays the patron’s current bills and fines, and accepts payment. See Bills and Fines for more information.
• Edit allows you to update and edit the patron record. See Editing Existing Patron Records for more information.
• Info offers additional information about the patron, such as notes, statistical categories, surveys, and groups.
• LLC Info displays summary information of the patron's Lakeland Library Cooperative account.
• Exit closes closes your patron's record but does not print a receipt.

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Patron Search

After logging in to the staff client, to find a patron by library card number press F1 or click Search >for Patron by Barcode.

• Retrieve your Patron by scanning or typing their library card number into the green box and clicking Submit or hit Enter. Scanned library card numbers automatically include Enter. You'll see the patron's record.
• If a patron’s library card number is unavailable, press F4 or click Search >for Patrons

• All the white boxes are searchable fields in patron records. First and Last Name may work well for many patrons, but you may need to broaden or narrow your search using a ZIP code, Phone Number, or ID, for example.
• Click Search. Results appear on the right.

• Click a search result in the list on the right to see a summary of the patron information on the left. You can use this summary to confirm that you have the right record.
• If you find the correct patron in your search results, click Retrieve Patron to enter the record. If this is not the correct patron, click Search Form to search again.
• Clear Form clears all information you've previously entered into Patron Search
• You can limit your search to patrons Everywhere, in the Local Library System, and This Branch. In general, search Everywhere.
• You can Include inactive patrons in your search.

At times a non-GRPL library card number may not appear in the Evergreen database. Use LLC patron info to find that patron's information.

• In general, this should only happen when the patron registers at a non-GRPL library and then visits a GRPL library that same day. Searching a barcode queries Millennium for real-time updates.
• When Evergreen and Millennium talk that night, the new patron's record will be brought into Evergreen.
• You'll be able to see the patron's address as well as a summary of items out and money owed.

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Registering New Patrons

Before registering a new patron, check thoroughly that the patron is not already in the database. See Patron Search for more information. Click Circulation >Register Patron or press Shift+F1

User Identification

• Required fields or errors are red.
• Barcode - scan or type the barcode number of the new library card.
• Username - click in this area and Evergreen will enter the barcode number. Leave the barcode number as the username, and inform patrons they can create their own username through My Account.
• Password - replace Evergreen's automatically generated password (located to the right) with the last four digits of the patron's phone number. Use 1234 for patrons without a phone.
• Verify Password - retype the password, either the last four digits of the patron's phone number or 1234.

• Make sure patrons understand at the time of regustration that their username is their library card number and their password is the last four digits of their phone number. Patrons use usernames and passwords to log into My Account.

• First Name - enter the patron’s first name in all caps.
• Middle Name - enter the patron’s middle name in all caps.
• Last Name - enter the patron’s last name in all caps.
• Suffix - when appropriate, select a suffix from the drop down menu.
• Date of Birth - enter the patron's birthdate. Dates must take the form of YYYY-MM-DD. You can also use the calendar by clicking the calendar icon and selecting accordingly.

• Date of Birth determines whether patrons are juveniles or adults. If you enter a birthdate indicating the patron is under 18, then a new entry window will pop up where you can enter the parent/legal guardian information.
• For juveniles, click the parent/legal guardian's Primary Identification Type and enter the parent/legal guardian's Primary Identification.
• Enter the juvenile's parent/legal guardian information in the new window. Enter in all caps the guardian's name. This information will then be automatically entered in the juvenile patron’s notes field under the patron’s Info tab.

• Primary Identification Type - select from the drop down menu. Select Other for any identification other than Driver's License or State ID
• Primary Identification - enter the primary identification number.

• When you choose Driver's License as the Primary Identification Type, Evergreen autofills Primary Identification with MI-. Add the patron's number after this. If the Drivers License is from another state, change MI to the state’s official USPS abbreviation.

• Click Forward>> or 2. Contact Info to proceed.

Contact Info

• Email Address - enter your patron's email address, if available, exactly as it appears.

• While you enter the rest of the patron information in all caps, use lowercase letters to enter the email address correctly.
• Patron email addresses are used for overdue notices and hold availability notification. Patrons can also change their email address themselves within My Account

• Primary Phone - enter your patron's primary phone number as in the example (123-456-7890).
• Alternate Phone - enter an alternate phone number, if available, as in the example (123-456-7890).
• Home Library - select your patron’s home library from the drop down menu.

• Evergreen defaults to the library in which the patron registers for their Home Library.
• Home Library determines the patron’s permission to place holds on certain items, such as age-protected items, and becomes the default pick-up location. See Placing Holds

• Click Forward>> or 3. Addresses to proceed.

Addresses

• Label - Evergreen allows for multiple addresses. Label the address appropriately, for example Home, Office, Cottage, or P.O.
• Zip - enter the zip code.

• Someday, once you enter the zip code, Evergreen will automatically enter the City, County, State, and Country. For now, you'll have to type it all.

• Street 1 - enter your patron's street address.
• Street 2 - enter additional street address information, if available.
• Evergreen's default marks a patron's first address as Within City Limits, Valid, Mailing Address, and Physical Address.

• Additional addresses also default to Within City Limits and Valid. Click to uncheck these.
• Only one address can be marked Mailing Address or Physical Address; checking this in a different address removes the check from the original address
• An address should only be marked Valid if it is. Uncheck Valid immediately when the address becomes invalid. This will not disable the account but it will stop mailings.

• Click Create a New Address if the patron provides a second address, such as a work place.
• Click Forward>> or 4. Groups and Permissions to proceed.

Groups and Permissions

• Profile Group - select the patron’s profile from the drop down menu.
• Account Expiration Date - Evergreen automatically enters the expiration date depending on the patron's profile, or you can edit the date.
• Active - leave this checked. You can uncheck it at a later time if you need to disable the account but not remove it from the database.
• Banned - leave this unchecked. Check this only when a patron is banned from all libraries. Banning will stop patrons from using a library card and will alert staff that the patron is banned. When you check Banned, Evergreen requires you add a note in Alert Message. In the note, indicate what library has banned the patron along with dates and reason for banning. Sign the alert in standard notation, for example gr/eb.
• Set as Family/Group Lead Account - this indicates if the patron belongs to a group or household that has several library card carrying members. We will not use this feature.
• Claims Returned Count - leave this blank. This will automatically generate each time the patron submits a claims return. You can change the number or Reset it to 0 if you find that the patron was correct and the item has been returned.
• Alert Message - enter information in here whenever you need to alert staff about something regarding this patron. Be sure to include the date and sign the alert in standard notation, for example gr/eb, for future reference. Click Clear to remove a message.
• Click Finished>> or 5. Statistical Categories to proceed.

Statistical Categories

Statistical Categories are generally system-wide stats, but you can also have local library stats. The System Administrator can add statistical categories to this area. These can be helpful for acquiring statistics that are more catered to your library's patrons, for example, census tract, gender, Friends Member, Primary Language, Story Time Member, Book Club Member, and so on.

• Select the appropriate statistical category option from the drop down menus or enter the information in the blank box.
• Click Forward>> or 6. Surveys to proceed.

Surveys

• Surveys may be local or system-wide. They may be optional or required.
• At present, we have no surveys.
• Click Forward>> or 7. Finish to proceed.

Finish

• View Summary - shows a summary of the information you've entered. When updating a patron record, changes to the existing record are in color. From here you can Print Page or Return to Editor.
• Save User - saves the information you've entered. Evergreen alerts you that your user update succeeded.
• Save and Clone User - saves the information you've entered and clones it to a new registration, a handy feature when registering multiple patrons at the same address.
• Cancel - cancels all the information you've added in this editing session. For new patrons, the record will disappear entirely, for existing patrons, only this editing sessions updates disappear.

Note that you can jump from section to section in the patron record as needed rather than addressing them sequentially. Note also that none of your changes hold until you click Save User.

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Editing Existing Patron Records

After logging in to the staff client, to find by library card number the patron record needing editing press F1 or click Search >for Patron by Barcode.

• Retrieve your Patron by scanning or typing the library card number into the green box and clicking Submit or hit Enter. Scanned library card numbers automatically include Enter. You'll see the patron's record.
• If a patron’s library card number is unavailable, press F4 or click Search >for Patrons. See Patron Search for more information.

Once in the patron record, click Edit

• On the left you'll see a summary of your patron's information. On the right you'll see the Evergreen User Editor exactly as you see it when registering new patrons.
• You can jump from section to section in the patron record as needed for editing and updating specific items. You need not address each section sequentially.
• You must Finish your edits by clicking Save User, otherwise none of your changes will be saved.

Common Edits and Updates

• Reset Username - Enter the patron's barcode as the username.
• Reset Password - Enter the last four digits of the patron's phone number or use 1234 for those patrons without a phone.
• Update Phone Number - Enter new or changed phone numbers in the Contact Info section.
• Update Address - Enter new, additional, or updated addresses in the Addresses section. Don't forget to also update the patrons Statistical Categories.
• Reset Account Expiration Date - after verifying patron information, enter an expiration date of three years from today's date for standard patrons or the appropriate date for specific patrons, such as college student, michicard, and so on.

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Alerts and Notes

After logging in to the staff client, to find by library card number the patron record needing editing press F1 or click Search >for Patron by Barcode.

• Retrieve your Patron by scanning or typing the library card number into the green box and clicking Submit or hit Enter. Scanned library card numbers automatically include Enter. You'll see the patron's record.
• If a patron’s library card number is unavailable, press F4 or click Search >for Patrons. See Patron Search for more information.

Once in the patron record, there are two ways to add an Alert or note.

• Click Edit
• Click Groups and Permissions.
• Enter a message in the Alert box.
• You must Finish adding an alert by clicking Save User, otherwise the alert will not be saved.
• Evergreen immediately places a yellow box around the patron's name, adds a yellow text box under the patron's name with the alert message in it, and when next you open the patron record includes a stop screen with the alert as well.
• These alerts do not appear in My Account in the public catalog.
• To clear an alert, click Edit, Groups and Permissions, and Clear. Remember to Finish through Save User.

If you wish to add multiple messages to a patron record or have them appear in My Account the public catalog, use a Note.

• Once in the patron record, click Info.
• Click Add New Note.
• Check the box if you would like the note to be Patron Visible.
• Enter a Title and Note and click Add Note.
• Evergreen provides only a subtle notice to staff and patrons when there is a note on the patron's record

• From Info you can also Print notes for patrons or Delete them.

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Lost Cards

After logging in to the staff client, to find by library card number the patron card that has been lost press F1 or click Search >for Patron by Barcode.

• Retrieve your Patron by scanning or typing the library card number into the green box and clicking Submit or hit Enter. Scanned library card numbers automatically include Enter. You'll see the patron's record.
• If a patron’s library card number is unavailable, press F4 or click Search >for Patrons. See Patron Search for more information.

Once in the patron record, click Edit

• On the left you'll see a summary of your patron's information. On the right you'll see the Evergreen User Editor exactly as you see it when registering new patrons.
• You can jump from section to section in the patron record as needed for editing and updating specific items. You need not address each section sequentially.
• You must Finish your edits by clicking Save User, otherwise none of your changes will be saved.

When you can replace the patron's lost card

• Under User Identification click Mark Lost then enter the new library card number.

• When marking a card lost, you must enter a new library card number. Evergreen will not let you save the patron record without a new barcode.
• You must Finish marking the card lost and issuing a new one by clicking Save User.
• If you scan a lost card, Evergreen alerts you that you've entered an inactive number while opening the correct patron record.

When you cannot replace the patron's lost card

• Under Groups and Permissions uncheck Active.
• Add a standard alert message, such as "Patron reported card lost 8/13/08 gr/eb."

• You must Finish setting the card to inactive by clicking Save User.
• If you scan an inactive card, Evergreen alerts you that you've entered an inactive number while opening the correct patron record. From there you can set the card back to Active and Clear the alert.
• If the patron attempts to log into the public catalog with an inactive card, Evergreen pops up the message, "This account has been deactivated. Please contact your local library."

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