Books
Checking out a book is one of the easiest tasks when working at the desk. To start:
- Open the ALEPH Circulation module. If ALEPH is not already open, click the icon on the desktop. The login and password are both 'SMUCIRC'. Click on the 'Loan' tab (or F5 on the keyboard):
- Next, make sure the top text box is selected, and scan the barcode on the patron's ID card. The patron's information will be displayed on the screen.
- Occasionally a patron may have a block on their account. An error message will display on the bottom portion of the check-out screen. For more information about the types of blocks a patron might have on their account, visit the Global Blocks and Local Blocks sections of the manual.
- A patron may have books on Hold, in which case a message will appear, alerting you to the Hold. To find out more about Holds, visit the Holds and Recalls section of the manual.
- If the item being signed out is in bad condition, place a 'Loan Note' (button to the right), so we know upon return of its condition.
- The second text box will now be selected. Using the same technique used to scan the ID, scan the barcode of each item being signed out. Most often the barcode is located on the inside back cover, but newer books may have the barcode on the outside front cover. If there is a dust jacket, the barcode will be found underneath.
- Pay attention to the screen when checking out each book. Each item will show on the screen once it is checked out to the patron, and sometimes it may take a moment, so you may miss a book or two if you try to scan another one too quickly. You may see messages about the item being signed out; for example, it may not be in the ALEPH database, in which case you would receive an 'Unable to find item' message.
After all items have been signed out, the next step is to print the Due Date slip. Click the 'Print Session' button, which is located on the right:
The following due dates apply to SMU patrons when signing out SMU items:
- Undergraduate students and university staff may loan books out for three weeks at a time.
- Thesis undergraduate students may loan books out for six weeks at a time.
- Graduate students have term loans (due dates being September 30, January 30, and May 30).
- Faculty members may loan books out until the next May 30.
The final step is to desensitize each book, allowing them to pass through the security gate without setting off the alarm. Simply rub the spine of each book on the large magnetic metal device, one of which is located at each workstation.
A patron can renew a book manually at the Circulation desk, or online through his Novanet account, up to three times. For more information about renewals, click here.
Back to Check-out
A patron can renew a book manually at the Circulation desk, or online through his Novanet account, up to three times. For more information about renewals, click here.
Back to Check-out