Location: Member Products : I-Share : Using OBC
Voyager Upgrade: Using Voyager’s Offline Backup Circ [OBC]

 

When to use it

  • Use OBC when your circ desk is open, but Voyager is down or you cannot connect to it.
  • Only for charges or renewals
  • Only for YOUR items
  • Onsite reciprocal charges—UB Charges work fine. Remember: YOUR items/YOUR circ desk.

When NOT to use it

  • Can’t use it to discharge
  • Can’t do certain UB transactions:
  • Can’t charge other libraries’ items. E.g., items on your Hold Shelf for your patrons that came from a remote library.
  • Don’t use it for Short Loan/Reserves
  • Don’t use it when patron’s library ID is an SSN or in a similar 9-digit format

Bottom line

  • As long as it’s YOUR item at YOUR Circ Desk, using OBC to check out works fine. You can check out your items to other I-Share library patrons, providing they present a valid ID card. The OBC files will upload successfully and create stub records for these transactions.
  • Keep items that belong to other libraries on your Hold Shelf; don’t check them out to your patrons. Before prolonged downtimes, extend the “Hold Shelf Life” parameter in SysAdmin to cover the period that the system will be down. Note: the upgrade to 6.5.3 will happen overnight. This precaution will not be necessary.
  • You can’t do anything that would require a discharge transaction.

Downtime Capture Files

  • OBC option displays when the connection to Voyager is not available.
  • Capture files are not version specific. Files from one version of the software are interoperable with other versions of the software.
  • Error checking of patron or item barcodes is not available in OBC. Offline Charge Mode will accept any barcode that is scanned or typed in.
  • Details on using OBC in Voyager 6.1 Circulation User’s Guide, pg. 6-27 to 6-30 or pg. 6-27 to 6-35 in the Voyager 6.5 Circulation User’s Guide.
  • REMEMBER: Copy any OBC files you have created from: c:\voyager\circulation\offline to a folder that will not be overwritten by a new client installation! This is particularly important if you use the update checker to download new clients.

First thing, after upgrade

  • After upgrade, move the captured offline files into the 6.5.3…Circulation\Offline folder.
  • At first login to 6.5.3 Circulation, the system will tell you that you have charge transactions from previous offline sessions.
  • Before you do anything else in Circ, follow the instructions to upload the OBC files.
  • For each capture file you created, a report will be generated. Check for errors.

Next thing: DISCHARGE!!!

  • Discharging the backload--probably the next Voyager 6.5.3 circulation task
  • Recommendation: backdate the discharges to start of upgrade.
  •  

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