Lost Letters
- Chris Lee
The Lost Item workflow uses several Alma Letters to alert patrons and partner libraries. There are several additions to these Letters that may be worth considering with Rapido.
Ful Overdue And Lost Loan Letter
The Ful Overdue And Lost Loan Letter email alerts patrons when an item is overdue and the fee is charged. The fee for lost items is set as a blanket $90, but it is preferred that the patron not actually pay the entire fine. The fee is primarily to encourage the patron to return the book and can be reduced to the cost of the book. To make it easier for patrons to address the fine if the item is indeed lost, you may want to add a message that appears in the letter to let the patron know they can contact you to discuss the fine. The following code will add such a message to the letter when it is a Rapido request:
<xsl:if test="notification_data/display_list/overdue_and_lost_loan_notification_display/physical_item_display_for_printing/profile_names='RESOURCE SHARING OVERDUE AND LOST LOAN PROFILE'">
<tr>
<td>
To discuss any lost Resource Sharing fees please contact our Resource Sharing Office at:
<a href="mailto:EMAIL">EMAIL</a>
</td>
</tr>
</xsl:if>
This text is just an example and can be changed to fit the needs and style of the individual library. When adding this code make sure to put the Overdue and Lost Loan Profile used for triggering this email for Resource Sharing in line 1. Also replace email in line 5 with your desired contact email.
Ful Overdue And Lost Loan Notification Letter
The Ful Overdue And Lost Loan Notification Letter email lets the patron know the item is overdue and they will be charged if the item is not returned. You can add a similar code from the Ful Overdue And Lost Loan Letter to let the patron know who to contact.
<xsl:if test="notification_data/display_list/overdue_and_lost_loan_notification_display/fines_fees_list/user_fines_fees/fine_fee_ammount/normalized_sum='90.00'">
<tr>
<td>
<br />
To discuss any lost Resource Sharing fees please contact our Resource Sharing Office at:
<a href="mailto:EMAIL">EMAIL</a>
<br />
<br />
</td>
</tr>
</xsl:if>Ful Lost Email Letter
The Ful Lost Email Letter alerts the Lending Library that the item has been declared lost. I could not find any current examples of this and am investigating and will add recommendations shortly.
Additional Letters
There are numerous Alma Letters available to help with notifying patrons and other libraries when items are overdue or lost. The above letters are the most common ones used in the CSU, but there are additional letters that you may find useful. For more information on Alma Letters please visit the Ex Libris Knowledge Center.