Hyperlinks on Email Notices

A customer recently asked, "Why isn't there a link to the overdue title on my email notice?" Here's why. 

1. Overdue notices are generated within the Horizon program itself and their configuration is not very flexible.
2. There's a very limited amount of space to add the lengthy link to ValleyCat. 
3. They could look at the list of titles they have out, but could not renew any that are overdue. 

You might ask, "Why then do Preoverdue Notices contain a link to the general "My Account" page?" Here's why: 

1. They are generated by a third party program that's a bit more flexible than Horizon.
2. The link to "My Account" is much shorter. 
3. Since the item is not yet overdue, the customer can still renew their item(s).

It would be great if we could configure email notices to be more user friendly, but that's not possible with our current system. But at least now you know the reasons.  

Email Notices

Borrowers have the option to receive all of their notices by email – that includes holds, overdue and billing notices, as well as an option for preoverdue reminder notices. (See other posts related to preoverdue notices. ) They can sign up for the service in person at any branch or via http://www.fresnolibrary.org/email.html. Requests made via the webpage will be handled by Support Services.

How do I activate email notices on a patron’s account?

• In the borrower's account, for Notice by: Select Email
• E-Mail Name: enter borrower’s name as it appears in the name field above. This information will appear in the To: field of the email. 
• E-Mail Address: Enter patron’s email address. It is important to be very accurate. One typo will cause the notice to fail. Case does not matter, although most people enter it in all lower case letters for easier readability.
• Preoverdue: Check this box if patron wants to receive a reminder notice 3 days before an item is due. They can opt out of this option if they choose and still receive all the other notices by email.
• Phone: Make sure all phone numbers are set to 'No Telephone Notices'
• Save

How do I stop or deactivate email notices on a patron’s account?

• Notice by: Select Stnd
• E-Mail Name: delete name
• E-Mail Address: delete email address
• Preoverdue: uncheck box
• Phone: If the patron wants to receive their notices by phone, set one of their phone numbers to 'Home' or one of the 'With Telephone Notices' options. If they want to receive notices by U.S. Mail, leave the phone set to 'No Telephone Notices' option.
• Save

What if a borrower’s email changes? Staff can change their email in Horizon, but borrowers can also update their own e-mail address directly from the "My Account / Profile" page in ValleyCat as follows:

• Go to fresnolibrary.org – Catalog – My Account
• Enter their library barcode and PIN
• Click the Review Address/PIN tab
• Email Information – type in new email address
• Click Update. It is immediately updated in Horizon.

What if the email address is incorrect? Notices sent to a bad email address are returned to a Support Services mailbox. The undeliverable email notice will be printed and sent via U.S. mail to the borrower. Their account will be reset to standard mail delivery so they will receive future notices by U.S. mail. A Message to Borrower block will be placed on their account to “Update Email Address and Reactivate Email Notices”.

Horizon still shows “Hold Notification – Mail” block for email notices. The hold notification block on the borrower’s account in Horizon will show “Hold Notification – Mail” even if they receive email notices. The Horizon block message does not differentiate between U.S. Mail and Email. The only way to tell if they have email notices activated is to look at their registration record.

Can borrowers receive notices by more than one method (i.e. email and phone)? No – they have to select one method of delivery – phone, email OR standard mail.

Can borrowers receive email notices in Spanish? No, they are only available in English.

rev. 1/2018

Preoverdue Notices Option

Since 2005, our patrons have had the option to receive library notices (holds, overdue, lost) by email. (See On The Horizon 2.5) We’ve recently added several new email notice options as described below.

Horizon Option for Preoverdue NoticesEvery patron who signs up for email notices, also has the option to receive “preoverdue” notices. A preoverdue notice is generated 3 days before an item is due to remind the patron to renew/return it. The email includes the following message/link along with the title(s) affected:

“Courtesy reminder - The following items are due soon. To renew items go to http://hip1.sjvls.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?profile=fhq&menu=account or contact the library. Please do not reply to this email. The mailbox is unattended.”

In order to receive these reminder notices:

1. The patron must sign up to receive Horizon email notices and
2. The Preoverdue option must be checked.

Can a patron receive Horizon preoverdue notices if they get notices by regular mail or phone? No, they must be signed up for email notices. Patrons can sign up in person or online at http://www.fresnolibrary.org/email.html.

Do they have to receive preoverdue notices in order to receive other notices by email? No, they can opt out of the reminder notices, but still receive all other email notices. Note: existing patrons signed up for email notices who used their card in 2008, have been automatically signed up to receive preoverdue notices.

rev. 1/2018