Add a Checkout Receipt or Loan Reminder to Inmagic Genie

When you loan a resource through Inmagic Genie's checkout or self-checkout features, the due date is calculated and displayed on the screen. However, there is no printed or emailed confirmation for the user. If the MyGenie feature is configured, the user may log in later to see a complete list of all the items they have borrowed and their due dates, but many users won’t want to do so.

For some libraries using Genie, the concept of a due date is only a suggestion of when to return the item, but for others, it's important that items be returned so they’re available for others.

Fortunately, it's easy to use the batch email feature added to Genie in version in version 3.3 to create an emailable checkout receipt.

Genie comes with an overdue email report that can be used to email an overdue notice to users with items out past their due date. It’s quite simple to copy and edit this report into a checkout receipt that can be emailed in a batch. The message might be something like "Thank you for visiting the library. Below is a list of items loaned to you recently, and their due dates. We appreciate you returning or renewing them before their due date."

A suggested workflow would be to search each morning for items signed out the day before, or over a weekend, and send this friendly, helpful notice straight to users in boxes. 

A similar report can also be created and emailed a few days before a due date, with just a slightly different message, such as "A reminder from the library. The items listed below are due on the dates shown. Please let us know if you wish to keep them longer."

The existing overdue loan reports are in the MyReports.config file. If you copy the LoanOverdueSelect and EmailLoanOverdue reports (used to select, then email overdue notices) and create 2 more sets, such as LoanReceiptSelect and EmailLoanReceipt, and LoanDueSoonSelect and EmailLoanDueSoon, you'll have a set you can tweak to use as a checkout receipt and a "due soon" reminder notice.

Be sure to add the LoanReceiptSelect and LoanDueSoonSelect reports to the list of available reports at the end of MyReports.config.

Although it's not possible to schedule these emails to be sent automatically, it's only a few minutes work to do this at the start of each work day, and a helpful service for users, better than only receiving the overdue notice after the due date.

As always, please contact us if you'd like our help setting these up for you.