How to manually add and remove restrictions from a patron account

How to manually add and remove restrictions from a patron account

This document will outline how staff members can manually add a restriction to a patron account to prevent checkouts and renewals. It will also demonstrate the process of manually removing a restriction from a patron account.

Step 1 - Navigate to a patron account

To manually apply a restriction, search for a specific patron in the Search patrons tab of the search bar.


Step 2 - View and apply restrictions

Once on the patron account, scroll to the bottom of the screen to view the checkout table.

The checkout table will include a Restrictions tab, on the right hand side.

Click on the Restrictions tab to view any existing restrictions and to apply new ones.

To apply a new restriction click the + Add manual restriction. This will show a form that can be filled out to apply a restriction.


The Comment field is optional, but can be used to indicate why the restriction has been applied.

The Expiration date field is also optional, but it can be filled out if the restriction being created should be automatically lifted on a certain date. If this field is left blank, the restriction will only be lifted when a staff member manually removes it from the patron account.

Once these fields are filled in satisfactorily, click the Add restriction button.

Step 3 - How restrictions appear on the patron account

Once the restriction is added it will appear as a warning in red on the Details tab on the patron account.

Details of the restriction will also appear under the Restrictions tab on the checkout table.

Under the Check out tab, instead of a checkout box, staff members will see a warning about the restriction, as well as the option to view the restrictions and, if the associated patron permission has been applied (Override blocked renewals (override_renewals)) to the viewing staff member, an option to temporarily override the restriction.

For more information on patron permissions, please view our Help Centre.

Step 4 - Removing a restriction

Restrictions with expiration dates set will automatically disappear from patron accounts and patrons will be able to check items out again on the expiration date. However, these restriction can also be manually removed.

To remove a restriction, click the Remove button in the Restrictions table under the Restrictions tab. This will cause a popup box to appear, asking to confirm the restriction should be removed. 

Click OK and the restriction will be removed.

Once the restriction is removed, the warning will disappear from the patron account and the Restrictions tab will be empty.

If a restriction is applied without specifying a due date, the restriction will not be removed until it is manually removed by a staff member. A restriction without an expiration date will appear in the same places and in the same way as restrictions with expiration dates, with one difference. Under the Expiration column in the Restrictions tab, the restriction will be marked as Indefinite


Version History

Version

Date

Detail

Author

1.1

24/11/20


Document created

Holly Cooper

1.2


10/12/20Details addedHolly Cooper

Retention Policy

Permanent









    • Related Articles

    • Suspensions vs Restrictions

      There are several features on Koha that can impact on patrons being able to engage in normal circulation actions, e.g checkout and renewals. This document will outline key differences and similarities between the two main features related to this, ...
    • How to create a new patron account

      This document will outline how to manually add a new patron account. Step 1 - Find the tool to add new patrons Go to Patrons module on the homepage. There will be two options, add a new patron or use the Quick add new patron. Clicking on either ...
    • How to create a template for predefined notes on patron accounts

      As well as being able to type notes manually into the patron account it is also possible to define default templates to populate the note field. Step 1 - Find the Bor_Notes Authorised Value Go to KOHA administration > Basic parameters > Authorized ...
    • How and why to Limit Patron Permissions

      In KOHA there is the option to limit or extend the permissions on individual patron accounts. These permissions govern what modules the different patrons have access to and by extension, the specific tasks users are able to complete.  Step 1 - ...
    • How to hide fields on the add patron form

      Patrons can be added to Koha through the Add patron form on the staff side. For details about how to use this function, please check our Help Centre. There are two versions of this form, a long and short. This document outlines how to collapse ...