Patron check-out in Follett-Destiny library catalog

Patron search by homeroom

Writing detailed instructions is one of the ways that I commit a procedure to memory. The instructions that follow, address checking items out to patrons with the Follett-Destiny library management system. I first composed them in October 2013, and elaborated one year later with illustrations to accompany the procedure.

The first step is to go to the “Circulation” tab the Follett Destiny library management system. Next, select “Check-out” from the associated left-hand menu. You have the option of locating a patron By Homeroom” or by inputting the patron’s name.

Under the first option, click on the “By Homeroom” tab on the right near the top of the screen. Use the drop-down menu (shown above) to select the teacher’s name. The screen will display names and photos of students associated with that homeroom.

Patron search by name

You can also do a search by inputting the patron’s name; select “To Patron” tab on the top right of screen, then input the first and/or last name.

By selecting or unselecting “Only my patrons,” you can limit your search to only your library or patrons registered to other school libraries in your school-district system. When you hit “Find Patron” to the right of the input field, Follett-Destiny will display possible matches.

Library check-out

When you’ve located the patron record, click on the name to open it. In the “Find” field, scan or manually input the barcode number of the library book (not to be confused with the ISBN barcode). If scanning, the system will register it automatically; if manually inputting the number, hit “Find Copy” to the right of the input field.

Successful check-out

When check-out is successful, the number of items checked out by the patron will have increased by one, as indicated beneath the patron’s name. The book’s title and cover thumbnail will be displayed among the patron’s “Checked Out” books. The copy number displayed to the right of the title will match the number on the barcode that you scanned or input manually.

Watch for patrons who have reached their limit for the number of checked-out books, or patrons who owe overdue fines. Fines will be displayed in black in the record field beneath the patron’s name. (A figure in red indicates that the patron is owed a refund.)