How Polaris Calculates Due Dates (Loan Periods)

General

When a patron checks out an item, the due date  is calculated based on a combination of 3 factors:

• The patron's Patron Code
• The item's Loan Period Code
• The Checkout Branch

Each unique combination of Patron Code / Loan Period Code / Checkout Branch exists as an entry in the Loan Periods table in Polaris' system settings.  When a checkout occurs, Polaris looks up the matching combination in this table and returns the corresponding loan length.

Example

Here is a simplified example of what the Loan Period table might look like:

If an Adult patron checked out a Magazine at Branch A, Polaris looks up that specific combination and assigns a loan length of 7 days. 

If the same patron checked out the item at Branch B, Polaris finds a different table entry and assigns a loan length of 21 days.

This WebReport displays the table of Loan Periods for each library in Pinnacle.

All daily (ie: non-hourly) checkouts are due at 11:59 PM on the due date. For information on hourly loans, see below.

Additional Modifiers to Due Date Calculation

Closed Dates 

• An item cannot be due back on a date where the library will be closed.  
• If the calculated due date falls on a closed date, Polaris will select the next open date as the due date.

Zero Day Loan Periods 

Some combinations will return a loan length of 0 days.  

When this occurs:

• Polaris will present a warning message. 
• If the staff member continues with the checkout, the item will be given a checkout length of 1 day.

Hourly Loans

Some loan periods can also be configured to have a loan length calculated in hours, rather than days (such as "Local - 4 hours").  When an item with an hourly loan is checked out, Polaris calculates the due time based on the specified number of hours.

For hourly loans, Polaris will also consult the the Hours of Operation settings for the checkout branch.  

If adding the full hourly loan period would result in a due time after the library closes, Polaris cannot assign the full number of hours. Instead, it will prompt the staff member with a message about an "overnight loan"

• Yes  - Grants an "overnight" loan. The item will be due the next morning (based on the branch's opening time settings.)
• No  - The item will be due the same day at the library's closing time.

Example

If a 4-hour item is checked out at 6:00 PM, and the library closes at 9:00 PM:

• A full 4-hour loan would extend to 10:00 PM
  
• Because the library closes at 9:00, Polaris will prompt the staff about converting the loan to overnight:
  • Selecting Yes makes the item due the next morning
  • Selecting No makes the item due at 9:00 PM.