Patron Account Messages with Koha and Aspen Discovery

by Kalleen Marquise on Jan 27, 2023

Set Up Default Messages in Koha

In Koha, you can set default patron messages that staff can select to automatically display in the patron account via a drop down.

Tip: A good rule of thumb for Koha, is that if it something related to a drop-down menu, you will find it in Authorized Values.

You can add, edit and review existing note templates by going to Home › Administration › Authorized values › Authorized values for category BOR_NOTES

From there you would add a new note template by clicking on the grey button that says "new authorized value for BOR_NOTES."

Borrower Message

Staff can add Borrower Messages to a patron account by navigating to the patron account and finding the Add Message button along the top or the +Add a new message underneath existing messages. Either way, you'll end up in the same place!

A box will then pop up and from a drop-down staff can select either:

Staff - Internal Note
Opac - {Patron Name}

Under Predefined notes, you can select from a drop-down of notes that were set up in the BOR_NOTES table.

If you don't want to use the pre-fill notes, there is also a free text box for you to fill in a more detailed message.

Once added, Messages will display in the patron account in the Koha Staff Interface.

Internal borrower messages will show in red in the patron account in the Koha Staff Interface.

Notes that the patron can see will be displayed in black in the Koha Staff Interface.

Information on the date the borrower note was created and what Koha user added the message will also be included in the Staff Interface.

Note: The information of the date of the message and the library that created the message DOES NOT show in Aspen. Aspen will only show the body of the message.

If you are a consortium, you might want to look at the System Preference > AllowAllMessageDeletion and decide if staff should be able to delete messages added from other libraries.

Being able to delete messages is tied to the Add, Modify and view patron information edit_borrowers permission in Koha.

To have these messages display in Aspen, go into Aspen Administration > Primary Configuration > Library Systems > click into your library system > ILS/Account Integration > Messages > check Show Borrower Notes. These messages will start to show to patrons immediately.

Note: A word caution before making any of these messages visible to patrons, check with staff on how they are using these fields and what type of patron data they are storing here to prevent any sensitive information from showing to patrons.

In Aspen, the patron will see the borrower messages displayed in all areas of Your Account as bannered messages across the top with the body of the message.

When Koha messages are deleted they will also delete from Aspen in a couple of minutes or upon reloading of the patron account in Aspen.

OPAC Notes

There is another place to store information you want to share with or about a patron. These don't appear as prominently as Borrower Messages in the Koha Staff Interface but might be useful for certain types of information you want to store in the patron account. This field is called OPAC Note.

You will see this upon registering a patron in Koha. You can also navigate here in the patron account > Details > Library use > OPAC Note.

A library might want to use the OPAC Note if there is something that a patron can see but might me more permanent information in regards to their account instead of a Borrower Message.

Some examples of using an OPAC Note are adding wording like:

Approved to use Makerspace
Teen Volunteer
Friends of the Library Member
Library Board Member
Signed Library of Things Waiver

To have this OPAC Note display in Aspen, go into Aspen Administration > Primary Configuration > Library Systems > click into your library system > ILS/Account Integration > Messages > check Show OPAC Notes. These notes will start to show to patrons immediately.

Note: A word caution before making any of these notes visible to patrons, check with staff on how they are using these fields and what type of patron data they are storing here to prevent any sensitive information from showing to patrons.

In Aspen, the patron will see the OPAC Note displayed in all areas of Your Account as bannered messages across the top with the body of the message.

Debarment Notes/Manual Restrictions

In Koha, there is a way to add a manual restriction to a patron's account.

You can find this tab across the top of the patron record.

Here you can see any previous restrictions, Remove a restriction, or +Add manual restriction

Restrictions might be added if you want to block the patron's account for a certain period of time. Comments can be added to specify why the manual restriction was added and you can even add a date of when the manual restriction was finished.

Some examples of why you would want to use these restrictions via the calendar:

Patron must bring in missing parts within a specific time frame and until that happens, their card is restricted
Patron has violated the library's Code of Conduct and the card has been restricted for a certain period of time
The patron lives in the area seasonally and wants to restrict their card while they are out of town

If you leave the Expiration field blank, the default will be Indefinite or until the manual restriction is removed.

When the Comment field is filled out in the Manual Restriction, the Comment will show to staff in the Koha Staff Interface in red as a Restricted message.

To have a Debarment Note display in Aspen when a Manual Restriction is active in a patron account, go into Aspen Administration > Primary Configuration > Library Systems > click into your library system > ILS/Account Integration > Messages > check Show Debarment Notes. These notes will start to show to patrons immediately.

In Aspen, the patron will see a generic message, that reads, "Please note: Your account has been frozen. Usually the reason for freezing an account is overdues or damage fees. If your account shows to be clear, please contact the library."

This is the default message regardless of the comments added in the manual restriction field in Koha.

If you want to change this generic message in Aspen, you can manage this within Aspen's Translations module to reflect how your library is using these manual restrictions. Learn More About Languages & Translations.

Set Up System Messages in Aspen

If you are using Aspen, there are additional ways outside of Koha to add messages to your library catalog to convey information to all users.

Throughout Aspen's Administration settings you will find text boxes to customize the catalog to your patrons and workflows.

There is also a System Messages module in Aspen Administration > Local Catalog Enrichment > System Messages.

Click Add New to start a new message.

Then, fill in the body of the message and choose from the drop down where it should display:

All Pages (these show across the whole catalog; a closure message, an emergency message, a welcome to the catalog message, etc.)
All Account Pages (messages related to important account information)
Checkouts Page (messages related to checking out and returns; we're going fine free!, we have a drive thru, the book drop is closed, etc.)
Holds Page (messages related to hold pick up; delivery is behind; holds must be claimed at the desk, etc.)
Fines Page (messages related to fines and taking payments)
Contact Information Page (messages related to how they can update their patron account information)

You can apply a Message Style to add a banner to the message.

You can assign a start and end date for a message to show if it pertains to a specific time period.

You can make the message dismissable.

Once you select your Libraries and Save, it will publish the message now or on the Start Date to Show you've set.