No Remote Database Use for Fresno Non-Resident Borrowers

The library subscribes to a long list of online databases that can be accessed from any PC - either inside the library or remotely (outside the library - i.e. office, home, etc.) Our subscription agreements for these databases stipulate that only residents of Fresno County are allowed to access them from outside the library. We do this by requiring remote database users to verify their library card number through RPA before they get access.

This means that FCPL borrowers with the following non-resident borrower types do not have remote access to any of our databases. (Although they can still access our databases from inside the library.)

• fnc - Fresno (out-of-state) NonResident


• fnr - Fresno (in-system) NonResident


• fnrch - Fresno (in-system) NonResident Child


• fnrya - Fresno (in-system) NonResident Young Adult


• fns - Fresno (out-of-system) NonResident


• fstnr - Fresno STAFF Non-Resident

All other Fresno borrower types are able to access our databases from inside and outside the library as long as their card is active (not expired or lost).



rev. 8/2018

Area Codes & TeleMessaging

Telemessaging (TM3) is the automatic phone notification system that calls customers about overdue items and holds. In the past, Telemessaging was set up to only call phone numbers that had area codes in CA, AZ, OR and NV. 

But with the rise of cell phone use, many people keep their out-of-state phone number regardless of where they live. So we removed the area code restriction since it only costs a few cents for the Telemessaging call even if it's long distance. 

Telemessaging will call any area code, except for out-of-country area codes (i.e. 441=Bermuda). For obvious reasons, it won't call numbers with 911 as the area code or the prefix. It will not call numbers with a 999 prefix. See Telemessaging and 999.








rev. 8/2018

"Small Fee for Holds" Message in ValleyCat

Whenever a customer places a request in ValleyCat, they receive the Request Confirmation page shown below. It will always contain the message "Please note, some libraries charge a small fee for holds" regardless of their btype or location. Thanks to Measure B, Fresno does not charge a fee to place a hold so it does not apply to our customers. However, some other SJVLS jurisdictions may charge their customers for this service. Hence the message. Since we all use a single Horizon/ValleyCat system, this message cannot be customized to fit each customer/location.










rev. 8/2018

Print a Check In Receipt

Some customers would like to have a receipt for the items they are returning. This applies to all locations whether you use self check or not. We will always print a check in receipt for them if they make this request.

In Horizon

In the CKI window, click the Clear button so no items are showing.

Check in all of the requested items.

Press F11 to print the receipt.

**As of 2/2018, Horizon CKI receipts may not have the customer's name on them.  This is due to a bug in Horizon 7.5.127 which may crash Horizon when pressing F11 for a receipt.  When we upgrade to a newer version of Horizon this bug should hopefully be fixed.  This does not affect Self Check (CircIt) check in receipts.


In Self Check

Change the screen to Check In.

Place the items on the pad and/or wand them in as appropriate.

Click Done. A receipt will print automatically.

rev. 2/2018

Group and Sort Blocks

Horizon provides several display options for viewing block information that you may find helpful when reviewing a borrower’s account. For example, you can choose the order in which you want blocks to display on any blocks views. You can sort blocks by date or by item. If a borrower has incurred more than one block for a single item, you can group all of the blocks for that item together. However, regardless of which sort option you choose, Horizon always displays non-item blocks first (i.e. address correction). The block display option(s) selected will remain in effect even if you log off, change users or change locations.

Sorting BlocksBy default, Horizon sorts blocks by the date the block was incurred, starting with the most recent date. If you sort by item, fines are sorted by fine amount, with the largest fine being listed first. To sort blocks by date, choose Blocks, Sort by Date. To sort blocks by item, choose Blocks, Sort by Item.

Grouping Multiple Blocks for a Single Item
By default, all blocks for a single item are displayed independently. You can choose to group multiple blocks for a single item together under a summary block. To group and display multiple blocks for a single item, choose Blocks, Group All Related.

Note: Multi-line messages on a borrower’s account can appear jumbled if you have the “Group All Related” option checked. In the Horizon menu bar, go to “Blocks” and uncheck “Group All Related”. Now the lines of text in the message should appear in the correct order.



rev. 2/2018

Language Code In Borrower Registration

The automated TeleMessaging phone system calls customers when they have overdue items or holds is available in both English and Spanish. Customers can also call the system to review what items they have checked out and renew items. The “Language” field in the borrower record determines the language TeleMessaging uses when it calls a patron or when the patron calls the system. There are 3 codes:

0 – ENGLISH (never use this one)
eng – US-English
spa - Spanish

Always use “eng” if the borrower requests English. Do *not* use the “0” code for English. Enter "spa" if the customer would like to receive the messages in Spanish.

If left blank the default language will be English.


rev. 8/2017

Change Horizon Default Location

If you recently moved to a new branch or work at more than on branch, you can change your default Horizon location yourself. Here's how:

• Click the Horizon icon to open the program.
• Enter your 3+4 User and Password…but don’t click OK yet. Instead, click the Options button.
• Select new Location from the drop down list.
• Click Make Default checkbox –then press OK.

rev. 8/2017

1000000000 Barcode Phenomenon

Sometimes the barcode of 1000000000 will get assigned to an item as it is linked. The staff person linking the item fails to enter a complete barcode and Horizon fills in the missing digits automatically. Horizon knows every item barcode starts with a 1 and has 10 digits. So if I’m linking an item and leave the barcode field blank then press Enter, Horizon reads the Enter as a “0”, adds a 1 in front and fills in the remaining digits with 0s. The only way to avoid this happening is to watch the screen while you are linking items to make sure the correct barcode is assigned to the item.

This same type of phenomenon can occur anytime a partial barcode is entered while linking an item, as well as checking an item in or out. For example, if a 2 is entered, the resulting barcode is 1000000002; if 107 is entered, the resulting barcode is 1000000107; etc.

At Check Out
If a 1000000000 barcode exists (or a variation), it is then possible this item will appear on a patron’s record during check out –if the staff person presses Enter in the barcode field of the CKO window or enters a partial barcode that matches an existing barcode in the database.
If this happens to you, simply check in the 1000000000 item to remove it from the patron’s account.

At Check In
It could also happen at Check In. If you hit Enter at Check In without entering a barcode, a transit slip could be generated that sends the item in hand to whatever branch owns the 1000000000 item. This means the item in hand is *not* checked in. In fact, it's probably still checked out to the patron. Pay attention to the routing slip. If it lists the 1000000000 barcode, don't put it in the shipment. Rescan the item.

Whenever you notice a bad barcode, notify the branch that owns that item. They should pull the item and correct the barcode in Horizon. If you are not sure who to contact at that branch, email Kathleen Smith and she'll take care of it. That will clear up the problem until another item is accidentally assigned an erroneous barcode number. Again, the best way to reduce the probability of this happening is to watch the screen while you are linking items.

rev. 2/2018