Payment Plus is still a new system with undiscovered wrinkles. Only errors that are reported can be fixed.

If you get an error message during a payment transaction – REPORT IT TO LIBRARY IT.

The preference is for a screen shot of the error message – image saved and sent is best, but at least print the page so that the error message can be reported accurately.

If you get a FATAL ERROR message during a transaction, do not repeat the transaction on the same or another PC. Report the error to Library IT at the first opportunity. Override the fine if necessary. It is likely that the transaction will still have gone through (but slowly due to poor network speed) and the fine payment made on both systems 10 or more minutes later.

Thank you for your vigilance
Helen

Welcome to EL and PSL going live with Payment Plus today!
An update of changes, additions and issues.
Donna has updated the Library web page Fines and Payments to describe the new system from our borrower’s perspective. Note that the name has changed in ‘My Account’ to ‘Pay Online’. Thank you to Alison McIntyre for this suggestion – more instructive than ‘remote payment request’. The only change students will see is that they will now receive email confirmation of a fine payment. They are unable to pay lost book charges through Pay Online whilst we still use Registry invoices. This is being looked at.

Alert staff have reported that there is a real time delay for CSGold when logging in to pay separate charges on the same borrower record An example is logging in to pay a lost book fee, going out, then logging in again to pay fines for the same borrower. You will receive a message ‘Please wait until the previous transaction has completed. This will take up to 2 minutes.’ This means what it says – the fine payment has NOT been processed on either CSGold or Horizon. Log out, wait, then try again. Documentation will be added to the Wiki.

If you use the ‘Fines’ option to check a balance, the failure to pay the fine due to insufficient funds or a negative balance will trigger the ‘Remote Payment Failure’ block in the borrower’s record on Horizon. If you want to avoid this, use the ‘Balance’ option first before proceeding to a fine payment if appropriate.

A small but persistent problem is that where a fine is so old the ‘Max days with fines’ box appears, the box reappears in the borrower’s Horizon record even after the whole fine is paid. If there are no fines in the Current Blocks screen behind it, ignore and override. Library IT are working on fixing this.

Library IT will begin removing the old Diebold system, starting will Education Library this week and then other branches, Interloans and Bindery next week in the rough order that the branch or service went live.

Please continue to report problems and comment on the system.
Helen

There has been some discussion about the amount of time items from the open shelves are kept on our Hold shelves before the hold status expires.

Currently open shelf items are held for 6 full days beyond the date that the item achieved the status ‘Item held’ i.e. up to 7 full days. The expiry kicks in at 5 minutes past midnight of the date given, so the item is actually only available until closing of the day before the ‘expiry date’ shown on Horizon.

Things to consider:
• Items on hold are not available to other borrowers during this period
• Notification has increased – more emails, texts, My Account
• Borrowers do not always cancel their hold (online or in person) when they don’t require the item anymore.
• IBDS has hugely increased the number of items able to be requested and put on hold – strain on Hold shelf capacity
• IBDS transit requests may spend a couple of days reaching the chosen pick up library which increases the time the item is unavailable to other borrowers.
• Expired items cleared from the Hold shelf without a following request are reshelved. IBDS makes it very easy for the same person to re-request the item and have it collected again and put back, adding to the IBDS workload.

Stats provided by Philip:
From 2000 to 2005, up to 28% of holds were not being picked up from all hold shelves throughout the library.
In 2006, the number of notices to users was increased (up 63% on 2005) – holds not picked up dropped to 26%; to 24% in 2007 and to 18% in 2008. This was the year that e-text notification was introduced, plus the additional customised emails throughout the day. To date in 2009, only 16% of total holds placed are not being picked up.

It has always been intended that IBDS was not a quick service, and to avoid any problems or delays with hold shelves, users have the option of getting the items themselves.

Should the Hold shelf period be increased, reduced or stay the same?
If changed, what would be a reasonable number of days to allow notification and time to collect the item before the item moves to the next requestor, or is reshelved?
Please share your thoughts as a Comment.

Helen

UC Financial Services have requested us to place sanctions on Library services for 27 students who have failed to pay their tuition fees. ICTS have also stopped IT services for these students. Each student has been ‘unapproved’ on Horizon which prevents any further CKO. This Alert Block has been added to each record:
“Borrower unapproved. Services cancelled. Contact Financial Services at Registry .”
To resolve the situation the student must go and see Financial Services to sort out a payment plan. We will then be contacted and asked to restore services. I am chasing up the 5 students who currently have books out.

Helen

This Sunday, 20th September, Megan Pearce will be acting as Extended Hours Supervisor whilst Angela Berry is on leave.
Megan will be the contact person for IT issues and larger issues, such as what to do if your branch has a sudden staffing shortfall.
Please contact her at Law Library on x8774

Wendy Dowsett will look after Central Library issues.

Helen

Payment Plus training sessions have been arranged in the Level 5 Training Room for the following days next week:
Tuesday 11-12
Wednesday 2-3
Thursday 11-12
Content: demonstration of the new system, followed by hands on practice using test subjects and test money, then question time.

All relevant Library Managers have been asked to assign staff to a training session and they should inform you of the day and time. I will post their arrangements on the Payment Plus Wiki as I receive them, so please check.
There is also a possibility of a session at Education Library training room, date and time to be advised.
You will get the best value out of the session if you have a look at the test system first – link throughTeam Portals/Lending. Anyone who is unable to attend the training (this may include AYOs and Casual Team) should ask their trained colleagues to buddy them.

Helen & Library IT

Nows your chance to get familiar with Payment Plus before we start the training – have a go – tell us what works, doesnt work, could be changed!

Details are on the Wiki Team Portal, Lending. Please remember that this test system is working on Horizon’s test742b test database, and also using the test Diebold system so no real money is changing hands.

Helen

PaymentPlus is the new system for paying library fines, charges, and other library services which will replace the Diebold icon on lending desks. PaymentPlus will deduct money from the user’s account and clear the appropriate blocks on Horizon at the same time.

We would like some help with testing this new system from Thursday 3rd to Wednesday 16th. The more the merrier from any part of the Library!

Details are on the Wiki Team Portal, Lending. Please remember that this test system is working on Horizon’s test742b test database, and also using the test Diebold system so no real money is changing hands.

Please report the results of your testing to Helen Doidge. We want to know what you liked, what you found confusing, and what didn’t work.

PaymentPlus will have a gradual roll-out, but we hope that it will go live for library staff by the end of September. Full training will be given closer to the time.

Helen & Alison R.

The overview of requesting items from Storage and Bindery has just been updated. It outlines the 3 options for requesting material: online storage request; Horizon request; manual request.
Manual requests are not made often because there is generally little need for them, however, staff should be aware that there is a printed form and that it should be available at every Library Service desk for the odd occasion when the other 2 request options are not available. The mouseover on Library Catalogue for Bindery and Bindery Prep status has just been updated to reinforce the message that unrequestable items in Bindery may be available in electronic form.

The overview can be found in the Wiki underTeam Portals, Lending, Storage & Binding as Requesting Material from Storage Locations & Bindery
The form can be found at the same place, printed and placed at your Service desk.
Helen (in consultation with Serials Team and Library IT)

All notices (including pre-overdues) have now been sent for Thursday 6th August.
Helen