Using Rapido CB for Item Circulation
Polaris uses Rapido's circulation APIs to manage requests. These APIs function the same as INN-Reach APIs in Polaris. You can view these API transactions in the INN-Reach Admin Tool for troubleshooting purposes.
This section covers the following topics:
Processing Lending Requests
On the lending side, requests appear in Polaris in the same way as INN-Reach requests. However, Rapido does not provide information about the borrowing patron. Consequently, lending side requests are associated with Rapido institutional patron records instead of virtual patron records.
You can set up institutional patron records at the System, Library, or Branch level, depending on how the lending institution wants to group its loaned items. While creating the institutional patron records, make a note of the patron ID. You must enter it in the Rapido: Institutional patron ID setting in Polaris System Administration (web-based) to complete the setup.
Processing Borrowing Requests
To process borrowing requests, member libraries must set up a new item template named "RAPIDO Item <Rapido_ID>" (Innovative provides the <Rapido_ID> during implementation). Polaris uses this template to create virtual item records when loaning items. Your institution must define a separate template for each branch that wants to process borrowing requests.
Rapido does not specify the format of the item that the patron is borrowing, so Polaris uses the same template for different material types. When receiving an item, however, library staff can adjust the material type of the virtual item.
When an item ships from the lending institution, Rapido includes a due date value specifying the date by which the item is due back. To account for shipping time, you can specify the average number of days needed to return an item to the owning institution using the Rapido: Days spent in transit back to the lending institution setting in Polaris System Administration (web-based). Polaris subtracts this value from the due date to determine the borrowing patron's due date. Consequently, the due date that the patron sees on the borrowing side is different than the due date that library staff sees on the lending side.
Processing Renewals
When a borrowing patron renews an item, Polaris uses the loan rules set up at the borrowing institution to calculate the new due date and sends it to the lending institution. Rapido sends an Owner Approved Renewal message back to the borrowing institution.
During this exchange, Rapido might calculate a different due date. Polaris updates the due date on the borrowing side.
