Media Dispenser - Errors and Troubleshooting

You may occasionally encounter the following conditions and error messages:

• The system finds no matching item in the dispenser unit - The check-out process continues. The item is checked out anyway, because it is assumed that the item is in the case.
• No response from the dispenser unit - An item is scanned for check-out but the dispenser unit does not respond. In Polaris ExpressCheck, the item check-out fails and a message is displayed (see Enable the media dispenser). In the staff client, the following message is displayed: The dispensing unit is not responding. The item may be retrieved manually. Do you want to check this item out? The staff member must select Yes or No. Yes continues the check-out transaction; No stops the transaction.
• An item will fill a hold request or is already held - There is no change to current program behavior, which depends on library policy. These checks take place before the system queries the dispenser unit.
• Items in the dispenser may have a status of Held - For example, the empty case may have been on the hold shelf or self-pickup shelf. The Held item is be checked out to the patron according to normal check-out processing. The patron goes through a normal dispenser check-out to retrieve the disc.
• The item is already out to this patron - Since the item has not gone to In, and so is not in the dispenser, the transaction is a simple renewal.
• Patron claims not to have an item checked out from the dispenser - Treat this claim as you would any other claim in Polaris.  Staff may have to check the dispenser.
• Polaris shows that an item is already out to another patron - If library policy allows the patron to continue check-out and the item is in the dispensing unit, the item is removed from the last patron’s record and checked out to the current patron. If the item is not in the dispensing unit, the item is now checked out to the current patron in Polaris but in fact is either still out to the previous patron or is missing. The library should follow its usual practice for trouble-shooting missing items, and if the item is found it should be checked in from the patron record.
• The dispensing unit has “locked” the item for another patron - At ExpressCheck, this might happen if a patron scans an item case and the check-out is successful, but the patron leaves the case at the workstation and does not retrieve the item. Another patron scans the case, but the dispenser has queued the item for the first patron. The ExpressCheck workstation then displays a message: The dispensing unit is holding this item for another library member. The item cannot be checked out. Please contact a librarian. You can edit the message in Polaris Language Editor (string ID EC_TEXT_CHECKOUT_ERROR_DISPENSER_BIND).
• Multi-part sets - The recommended practice is to have a separate item record for each part. If one item barcode is attached to a multi-part set, ExpressCheck has no provision to define or display an alert message for multi-part sets. In the staff client, if the item record contains a blocking note to check for multiple parts, the note is displayed as usual.
• Post check-out error conditions - These situations may occur after Polaris processing is complete:
• Check out is successful but the patron does not claim disc - The transaction is complete in Polaris. The dispenser unit has a time out. Trouble-shooting for the dispenser unit is possible by examining the dispenser queue.
• Check out is successful but the wrong item is dispensed - This might happen if an item is incorrectly loaded. The patron must contact library staff, who must examine the dispenser unit.
• Check out is successful, but no item is dispensed - This might happen if the item material type is not correctly entered or identified. The patron must contact library staff, who must examine the dispenser queue.
• Check out is successful, but the DVD case already contains another item - This might happen if the correct item was not loaded into the dispenser unit. The patron should return the item to library staff.