Koha Question of the Week: How Do I Make a Patron Attribute Show in the OPAC (or Not)?

by Hebah Amin-Headley on Aug 25, 2023

Each Friday, we will bring you a new Koha Question of the Week. We will select real questions that we receive and share the answers with you!

Question: How Do I Make a Patron Attribute Show in the OPAC (or Not)?

Answer: Patron attributes are a useful way to collect demographic or administrative data on patrons. Some of that information may be strictly internal needs, like whether a patron has signed a maker space waiver, opted in to an email newsletter, or is currently in collections. Other attributes may be things that would be useful to let patrons self-report and modify, like indicating a program of study in an academic library.

Whether an attribute is visible in a patron's account on the OPAC, and, if visible, also editable by the patron, are options that can be set in the patron attribute, under Administration -> Patron attribute types.

If a library only wants to display the information to patrons but not permit them to modify the information themselves, selecting "Display in OPAC" for that attribute will display the value in the Personal Details tab of the OPAC, simply informing them of what the library has listed on the account.

If patrons should be able to modify those values, either in free text or by selecting from a drop-down of authorized values, like choosing an academic department, the attribute needs to have "Editable in OPAC" selected. The attribute can only be selected if "Display in OPAC" is also displayed. For libraries that permit self-registration, "Editable in OPAC" also adds attribute selection to the self-registration form.

Additional Resources

Monday Minutes: Patron Attributes