Privileges — Publication Type View
Viewing and editing circulation rules for a chosen Publication Type across all Member Types
Same Data, Different Slice
The Privileges matrix is a table of lending rules with Member Types on one axis and Publication Types on the other. Both Privileges screens show cells from the same underlying table — they are simply two windows onto the same data:
Editing a row in either view saves the same underlying Privilege record. A change made here is immediately reflected in the Member view, and vice versa.
The Screen
The screen layout mirrors the Member view. At the top, a Publication Type drop-down selects the type to view — the same 7 types from the sample library (Games, Fiction, Non Fiction, Ebooks, Board Games, Grade 8, Textbooks). The grid below shows one row per Member Type with all 8 privilege columns. Clicking Edit opens the row inline for editing. The Print button produces a summary of all Member Type rules for the selected Publication Type.
The page also provides a direct link back to the Member Type view: "You can also maintain privileges by Member Type."
Fiction (01) — Live Example
The grid below shows the actual Privilege settings for Fiction books (01) across all 17 Member Types in the sample library. This view makes it immediately clear how Fiction lending rules vary by borrower group — something that would require switching between 17 different Member Type views to see in the Member view:
| Type | Description | Quota | Days | Days Grace | Fine | Days/Fine | Renew | Max Fine | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edit | 01 | Grade 1 | 2 | 21 | 0 | R0.00 | 1 | 14 | R500.00 |
| Edit | 02 | Grade 2 | 3 | 14 | 0 | R2.00 | 1 | 14 | R500.00 |
| Edit | 03 | Grade 3 | 1 | 14 | 7 | R0.00 | 1 | 14 | R500.00 |
| Edit | 04 | Grade 4 | 3 | 14 | 7 | R0.00 | 1 | 14 | R500.00 |
| Edit | 05 | Grade 5 | 3 | 14 | 7 | R0.00 | 1 | 14 | R500.00 |
| Edit | 06 | Grade 6 | 3 | 14 | 7 | R0.00 | 1 | 14 | R500.00 |
| Edit | 07 | Grade 7 | 2 | 14 | 7 | R0.00 | 1 | 14 | R500.00 |
| Edit | 08 | Grade 8 | 3 | 14 | 7 | R0.00 | 1 | 14 | R500.00 |
| Edit | 09 | Grade 9 | 3 | 14 | 7 | R0.00 | 1 | 14 | R500.00 |
| Edit | 10 | Grade 10 | 3 | 7 | 7 | R0.00 | 1 | 14 | R500.00 |
| Edit | 12 | Grade 12 | 5 | 21 | 7 | R0.00 | 1 | 14 | R500.00 |
| Edit | 13 | Leavers | 3 | 14 | 7 | R0.00 | 1 | 14 | R500.00 |
| Edit | P | Part Time | 8 | 14 | 3 | R1.00 | 7 | — | — |
| Edit | PR | Parents | 8 | 14 | 3 | R1.00 | 7 | — | — |
| Edit | S | Staff | 5 | 30 | 7 | R0.00 | 1 | — | R500.00 |
| Edit | ST | Students | 8 | 14 | 3 | R1.00 | 7 | — | — |
| Edit | T | Teacher | 3 | 14 | 7 | R0.00 | 1 | 14 | R500.00 |
Fine amounts shown in amber have a real fine rate. — = blank (no limit or not applicable). Green Days values highlight the notably longer loan periods granted to Staff (30 days) and Grade 12 (21 days).
Patterns Visible in the Fiction Data
The Publication Type view makes cross-member-type patterns immediately visible that are hard to spot switching between individual Member Type screens. The Fiction grid reveals several deliberate policy decisions:
| Pattern | What the data shows | Policy reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| No fines for school grades | All grade-based Member Types (01–12 and Leavers) show Fine = R0.00 for Fiction. The only exception is Grade 2 (R2.00). | The school's policy is to encourage reading without the barrier of overdue fines for pupils. Grade 2 has a small fine as a learning prompt for returning books. |
| Fines for adult borrowers | Part Time (P), Parents (PR), and Students (ST) all have Fine = R1.00 and Days per Fine = 7. No renewals, no Max Fine cap. | Adult and community borrowers are treated differently — a modest weekly fine encourages timely return without a hard ceiling. |
| Grade 1 gets the longest pupil loan | Grade 1 has Days = 21 and Quota = 2. Most other grades have Days = 14. | Younger readers benefit from more time with each book, reflecting reading pace and the nature of picture books. |
| Grade 10 gets shortest loan | Grade 10 has Days = 7 — the shortest of any pupil grade. | Likely a deliberate tightening at a critical academic year, or a data point worth reviewing when using the Publication Type view. |
| Grade 12 gets most books and longest pupil loan | Grade 12 has Quota = 5 (highest pupil quota) and Days = 21 (equal to Grade 1). A 7-day grace period and R0.00 fine. | Matric students may need more material for research or extended study. The library treats them with more trust than intermediate grades. |
| Staff gets the longest loan of all | Staff (S) has Days = 30 — the longest loan period across all member types for Fiction. No renewal limit, no fine. | Staff are trusted borrowers who may need books for extended periods — classroom use, project research, etc. |
| No renewals for adult members | Part Time, Parents, Students, and Staff all have blank Renew columns. | Adult borrowers cannot renew Fiction books — they must return and re-borrow if needed. This may reflect limited copies and high demand. |
If the library wanted to review whether its Fiction fine policy is consistent, selecting Fiction in this view immediately shows every member type's fine rate in a single scrollable list — far more efficient than checking each Member Type individually. The Grade 2 fine of R2.00 stands out immediately against the otherwise uniform R0.00 for all other grades.
When to Use Each View
| Task | Best view to use |
|---|---|
| Set up lending rules for a new Member Type just added to the system | Member view — select the new Member Type and configure its rules for each Publication Type at once |
| Set up lending rules for a new Publication Type just added to the system | Publication Type view (this screen) — select the new Publication Type and configure its rules for each Member Type at once |
| Check whether the Fiction fine policy is consistent across all pupil grades | Publication Type view — select Fiction and scan the Fine column down all Member Types |
| Check what a specific member (e.g. a Grade 5 pupil) can borrow across all material types | Member view — select Grade 5 and review all Publication Type rows |
| Change the loan period for Ebooks across all member types following a policy change | Publication Type view — select Ebooks and update each Member Type row |
| Change the loan period for Teachers across all material types | Member view — select Teacher and update each Publication Type row |