How to define the preferred contact method for a patron
It is possible for patrons to have multiple methods of contact, including phone numbers, email and fax, in addition to secondary options for all mediums. This document will outline how to flag on the patron account which of these methods should be used as the primary option when contacting the patron.
Where to set the preferred method of contact flag
The option to add a flag to define the preferred method of contact for the patron will appear when creating a new patron or editing existing patron information.
Under the Contact information section on the add/edit patron form there will be a line called Main contact method.
To the right hand side of this line there will be a box. Click on this box and a dropdown menu will appear with the options for contact mediums that can be set as the main contact method for the patron.
Select the appropriate option from the dropdown menu and click Save.
If the Contact information section or the Main contact method line do not appear on the patron form, please check the Interleaf Technology Help Centre for Help.
Where on the patron account will the flag display?
On the staff side, the contact method flag will appear on the Details tab of the patron account, under Contact Information.
On the OPAC side, if patrons are able to modify their personal information, the flag will appear under the your personal details tab, under the Contact Information section.
If the your personal details tab does not appear on the patron account, it is possible that patrons have not been provided the ability to view and edit their personal information. To provide this functionality, on the staff side go to Koha administration > Global System Preferences and search for OPACPatronDetails.
A system preference of the same name will come up.
Set this system preference to Allow patrons to notify the library of changes to their contact information from the OPAC and click Save all OPAC preferences.
Please note that enabling this feature will allow patrons to view and edit all of their personal information from the OPAC side. These changes will in turn need to be checked and confirmed by library staff members before the changes will be applied on the OPAC.
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