Setting Up Borrow by Mail Circulation

With Polaris Borrow by Mail options, staff members and patrons can request library materials and have the requested materials delivered by mail. Libraries can restrict Borrow by Mail options by patron code, establish a fee for the service, and allow exceptions to the fee for some patrons, such as homebound patrons.

Note:
Polaris Borrow by Mail is available by license. There is no additional cost, but Borrow by Mail features are available only if the license is activated.

Within a library system or consortium, one or more branches can be designated as Borrow by Mail processing centers in Polaris Administration. Processing centers may be actual branches or virtual organizations set up for this specific purpose. When a Borrow by Mail request is placed, the pickup location defaults to a designated processing center, and the item is routed to this location by normal holds routing procedures. You can designate multiple processing centers. Or a branch may handle both normal and Borrow by Mail requests by establishing itself as a processing location. In this case, an optional message alerts staff to a Borrow by Mail request when the item is trappedAn item is said to be trapped for a hold when an item that fills a request is scanned at circulation and the system links the item to a specific request, either automatically or by displaying a message that prompts you for a decision. at circulation.

At the processing center, Borrow by Mail items are placed in packets (one item per package), with an accompanying letter, mailing label, and return address label. They are checked out to the patron and then shipped. A tracking number can then be entered into the request workform. After check-out and until the item is returned, the request status is Out.

To set up Borrow by Mail, you first designate processing centers at the system level. Other Borrow by Mail settings are available at the library, system, or branch level. See Define Borrow by Mail parameters.

For more information about using Borrow by Mail functions in the staff client, see Borrow By Mail Circulation.