https://bugs.koha-community.org/bugzilla3/show_bug.cgi?id=39792 Bug ID: 39792 Summary: Patron Home Library has too much responsibility Change sponsored?: --- Product: Koha Version: Main Hardware: All OS: All Status: NEW Severity: enhancement Priority: P5 - low Component: System Administration Assignee: koha-bugs@lists.koha-community.org Reporter: cbrannon@cdalibrary.org QA Contact: testopia@bugs.koha-community.org CC: gmcharlt@gmail.com The patron home library setting controls too much, particularly with consortium libraries. We use the home library to list the patron's patron (default) library and pickup location. However, we have to track patrons via taxing group for our consortium. Because patrons can change which library is their default library, we can't use this setting as a reliable source for what tax group they belong to. So instead, we have to use a patron attribute. However, this patron attribute, while perfect for reporting who belongs to which group, serves no functionality like controlling what database subscriptions a patron has access to based on their taxing group. Most SIP communications do not support this extra attribute on the vendor side. Nor does this attribute help when it comes to purchase suggestions. Purchase suggestions are directed at their home library, rather than the library that they are funding through taxes. With our current setup, we can also use one single account for a staff member so they can be from a different taxing group than the library they work at. We don't let staff have the ability to change their branch on the staff side of Koha, because it would be too easy for them to be in the wrong branch when they are doing transactions. Without having this separate taxing entity attribute, we would have to have two accounts for staff, one for personal library use, and another for work use. I think too much weight is being put on the home branch setting. I would love to be able to use the home branch setting as a setting that only the library sets, not something the patron controls. It would define what library or tax group they are paying into, and would still be the setting that vendors use, and what the purchases suggestions would be directed to for that patron. I would like to see a second setting that would only control the default pickup location, which the patron would have control over, but we could set for them on request. Ultimately, it might be a good idea to have a separate third setting for libraries to set for purchase suggestions, but if a default pickup location were created, that would be a huge improvement. I might even suggest a fourth setting (maybe in preferences along with the catalogue preference) that allows you to set the library or libraries that the staff member can log in to. If not set, they could log into any of the libraries. Otherwise, it would only allow them to log into specified libraries. This would change the login form though. I would exclude picking the library on the login form, and prompting the staff member for the library from a list of allowed libraries after they login. This might be suited for multiple bugs, but I think this needs to be considered so that this one setting doesn't control so many things that might be in conflict with each other. -- You are receiving this mail because: You are the assignee for the bug. You are watching all bug changes.