Getting Started with the Readerware Loan Client

When you open the Readerware loan client the main window is displayed. the top section of the window is used to select and maintain borrowers. The bottom section is used to select the items you want to checkout or return.

Setting up your default searches

Before you start using the Readerware Loan Client there are some settings you need to decide on:

How do you want to search for borrowers? - You can search for borrowers by ID, name, phone number etc., select the search you want to use from the drop down list. There is a default search, the one that is selected when you start the program, it is important to make the search you will use most often the default search. For example if you will be using borrower ID cards with a barcode, you should select the ID search as the default. This means that the ID search is selected when you start the program and you can simply scan the barcode to identify the borrower. If you plan on searching on last name, set that as the default search.

How do you want to search for books, albums and videos? Again you can search on virtually any field but it is important to set the default search. If you will be searching by the product key, the ISBN of a book or the UPC of a DVD etc., select the Product Key/Barcode search. If you will be searching by author or artist, select the Primary Contributor search. If you have assigned your own barcodes to every item, select the ID or User Number search.

To set both the default borrower and item searches, select the Preferences menu item, then Search List. There are separate sections for the borrower and item searches. You can customize each list, you can show and hide searches, you can move the searches up and down the list. The first search is the default search, so move the desired search to the top of the list to set the default search.

Why is this important? Suppose you have set the default borrower search to ID and the default item search to ID. Your borrowers have barcoded ID cards and your books, albums and videos have a barcoded ID label on them. To checkout items you would:

Scan the borrower barcode
Scan the first item barcode
Scan the second item barcode
etc.
Click on the Loan button

That's it, all the selected items are checked out.

Selecting the mode

The Readerware loan client operates in two modes, loan mode and return mode. It is important to select the mode as this changes the way the program operates.

For example in loan mode you have to select the borrower and the items to check out. So when you are in loan mode Readerware sets up the default searches so that you can quickly do this.

In return mode things work a little differently. You start off by selecting the borrower as normal but then Readerware displays all the items currently on loan to this borrower. You can select the items and return them.

The mode determines how the basic functions within the program work, so it is important to set the mode first.

By default the Readerware Loan Client opens in loan mode but you can change that in Preferences.

Using hotkeys

You can assign any function to a hotkey. So for example, rather than click on the Loan button to checkout, you could hit the F2 key. You can set hotkeys in preferences. Select the Preferences menu item, then Hotkeys.

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