Expired EContent

EContent publishers may restrict eContent circulations using one of the following methods:

• Number of copies

• Expiration date

• Hybrid (expiration date or number of copies, whichever comes first)

Polaris processes expired titles differently depending on the eContent vendor.

cloudLibrary Expired EContent

cloudLibrary (formerly 3M Cloud Library) sends a “remove” event when a library’s access to an eContent title ends because a checked out copy has reached the maximum circulation limit, or a copy with any circ status expires because it has reached the time limit specified by the publisher.

The Polaris API consumer services detects the remove event, and Polaris reduces the number of available copies by one - either by suppressing the record from display in PAC or by changing its status to Withdrawn. If cloudLibrary sends a single remove event for a title with multiple copies, Polaris removes the oldest item with the earliest creation date. If two items have the same creation date, the item with the lower item record ID is selected.

If the expired item’s status is Checked Out, the Display in PAC setting is changed so that the item does not display. When it is checked back in, its Display in PAC setting is turned back on, and its circ status changes to Withdrawn. If the expired item’s status is In, no changes are made to the Display in PAC setting, and the status is set to Withdrawn.

When an eContent item has expired, the item record stays in the database and remains linked to the bibliographic record and the resource entity. The History view of the Item Record workform includes information about the Modified by API consumer service status changes from In to Withdrawn and Withdrawn to In, and the Modified by API consumer service changes to the Display in PAC setting.

Important:

If your library does not prevent withdrawn items from displaying in PAC, these expired items will still display in PAC availability information.

If the library orders another copy of the cloudLibrary title to replace the expired copy, the eContent item with a Withdrawn status is set to a status of Checked In, and it is set to display in PAC.

You can use the standard Cataloging Bibliographic report, Integrated eContent With All Copies Expired, to see the eContent bibliographic records where all the linked item records have a status of Withdrawn. In the Report Wizard window, select the vendor account from a drop-down list of all integrated eContent vendors. The report columns display the bib ID, title, author, the number of resource entities, and the vendor account with all copies expired.

 

OverDrive and Axis 360 Expired EContent

An overnight synchronization process identifies discrepancies between the number of eContent item records in Polaris, for a given title, and the number of copies at the eContent vendor. For a given title, if the provider reports fewer copies for the library than there are eContent item records in Polaris, then item records are deleted from Polaris. The following rules determine which item records are deleted from Polaris:

• The eContent item record with the lowest item record control number that has a circulation status of “in” is deleted. The system administration setting “Retain deleted item records” is followed.
• If no eContent item records have a circulation status of “in,” then the record with the lowest control number with a circulation status of “unavailable” is deleted. (EContent item records have a circulation status of “unavailable” when they are checked out via the vendor’s app to a consortium patron who is not in the local Polaris database.)
• If no eContent item records have a circulation status of either “in” or “unavailable,” then no item record is deleted. When one of the copies is subsequently checked in, then the next night’s synchronization process deletes the extra item record. In the interim period between the check in and the sync process, a “place hold” button appears in the PAC, unless there are no copies reported by the eContent vendor, in which case the button says “all copies expired.”

All Integrated EContent Vendors

If all eContent item records for an eContent title have been deleted, or have a status of Withdrawn, the resource entity still remains on the bibliographic record, and after the patron logs in, the PAC Check Out/Place Request button is changed to All Copies Expired and disabled so it cannot be clicked. The button’s hover text is: Your library’s license for this title has expired. Please contact a librarian for more information. This text can be changed in WebAdmin.

To prevent the eContent title from displaying in the PAC if all copies are withdrawn, the library can set the title to not display in PAC. Other options are to revert or delete the resource entity, or delete the bibliographic record. If you delete the resource entity from the bibliographic record and the library purchases more copies, the API consumer service will create a new resource entity and the associated eContent item records.

Note:
When the library replaces the expired copies, the API consumer service does not check or reset the Display in PAC setting on the bibliographic record. If the library sets the record to not display in PAC and then purchases added copies, a staff member must manually check the Display in PAC box on the Bibliographic Record workform.