Staff Login

Staff members who track kits need to log into KitKeeper as Staff or Admin

• Go to your library’s link to KitKeeper.


• Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on the Staff Login link.


• Enter in your library’s username and password.  If you do not know your login info, please contact Plymouth Rocket

 

Once you are logged in, you should see the Staff Action Table and the Kit Management Functions as seen below.

Teams field in Kit and Editor Records

• This field is found when adding editor and kit records.

• Teams– “Teams” is a term used to link editors and kits.  Editors are assigned to a team based on what library they work in i.e. staff at the Mayflower Library would be on the Mayflower team.  Kits that are owned by the Mayflower Library would also be assigned to the Mayflower team.  Mayflower team members can only track, edit and delete kits that are assigned to the Mayflower team.  A Mayflower staff member cannot edit any records belonging to the Wingnut Library.  This prevents libraries from editing records belonging to other libraries.

• It is important to assign a team to every kit and every editor by either selecting the correct team from the drop down menu or typing in a team name into the blank field.  Editors and kits without assigned teams will not be able to edit or be edited by anyone other than the system admin.

What is it?

• This table is the work horse of the staff login.  It shows everything that needs to be done for each kit based on Kit States.  For more information about States, please see What is meant by a Kit State?
   
• Staff members can use the drop down menu in the upper right hand corner to choose what type of action they would like to see ie “Kits that require my attention.”
   
• The top of the box has a color legend indicating when actions need to be taken.
   
• This will be used primarily in the processing and check in of kits.
   

How Do I Read it?

• The chart has a drop down menu that lets the user choose which kits they would like to work with.  For example, choosing Kits that require my attention will bring up a list of all of the kits that need to be checked in, sent out, etc.
   
• All of the titles are listed vertically and are color coded by their status.  The legend for the colors is a static field at the top of the chart.  For example, any titles highlighted in red means that any actions that they require are overdue.
   
• Every title entry has 6 states listed vertically across the box with a Track button at the end.  A black box around a state tells the reader where the kit is currently.  As the kit progresses through its journey, the black box will move down the lost of states to the end like a washing machine going through its cycles or a train moving down the track.
   

What is the Track Button For?

• The track button is the check out function of the KitKeeper system and allows staff members to track the progress of a kit. 
   
• Once the track button is selected, the Kit Tracking page will open.  This page allows the staff member to scan the barcode of the kit to send it to the next part of its journey.  For example, when a pickup library has received a kit, a staff member will log into KitKeeper, find the correct title in the Staff Action Chart, click track and then scan the barcode of the kit. 
   
• Only scan the barcode once.  Any extra scans will cause KitKeeper to incorrectly display the location of a kit.
   
• Once the kit has been tracked, an email will be sent to the library or patron automatically when they need to come pick up the kit or do some action.
   

In short, how do I track a kit?

1. Select what action you would like to take from the drop down menu in the upper right hand corner i.e Kits that Require My Attention.
    
2. Find the kit that you would like to work with and click Track.
    
3. The Kit Tracking Window will open up.  Verify that the correct button for the action you would like to take is highlighted. 
    
4. Scan the kits barcode OR click the highlighted button and follow the instructions on the screen.
    
5. After scanning the barcode a confirmation screen will appear asking you if you are sure you would like to do this.  This is the time to cancel the action if a kit was mistakenly scanned.

The Kit Management Function box appears when staff and editors log into KitKeeper.  It is the hub to find out information about kits, locations and patrons. See an example of what it looks like below.

Select:  

This a drop down menu that lists all of the kits for a library in alphabetical order.  Important note: the drop down will only show the kits that are owned by your library, not all of the kits in the entire system.  

Scan:

Scan the barcode of any kit into this field to change its status.  The status can be ACTIVE, REPAIR, INACTIVE, etc.

Finder:  

The button Where are Our Kits? Bring up a list of the current locations of all of the kits that belong to your library.  This screen is a helpful tool for finding missing kits, checking up on locations and troubleshooting.

Statistics:

This button helps create reports about usage of kits for your library or any library in the system.  The drop downs on this screen can help create reports that single out certain values such as the usage of all nonfiction kits or kits used by children.

Patron Kits:  

This field is for searching for patrons or book clubs that have kits on reserve or checked out.  Typing in names or partial names in this field will bring up a list of what the patron or book club has checked out or has on reserve.

Every so often, kit management experiences a hiccup and a kit is supposed to be sent to Library A, but instead ends up in Library B by mistake.  This is a not a big deal, as far as KitKeeper is concerned and is easily fixed.  You probably noticed this mistake either by scanning the kit into KK and discovering the kit at the library.  How do we fix this problem so the kit is ultimately sent to the correct library?  It is as simple as changing the kit’s status and sending the kit along to the correct library.

1. Log into KitKeeper as Admin (Staff Logins are unable to change kit statuses)


2. Scroll down to the Staff Action Table and select All Actions (any branch and any time) and find the title in question.


3. If the button Pickup Library is receiving the Kit is green, then there is no need for further action.  The Kit is all set and can simply be forwarded to the correct library.


4. If the Patron is picking up the Kit is green, then the kit has been incorrectly scanned and needs to be reset.
   • Select the Administrative Reset of Kit Use button at the bottom of the screen.  See image below.
   
   
   • Read the warning screen carefully and then select OK
   
   
   • Click Reset Record
   
   
   • This will bring you back to the tracking page for that title.  Everything has been reset.  Make sure to select Home Library is checking and sending the Kit.  This will tell KitKeeper that the kit is en route to the correct library and not sitting on a hold shelf waiting for a patron pickup
   
    

Important notes:

• Resetting a Kit Status Record changes in the information in the Kit Action log.


• Notify the receiving library of any changes so that they know a) where the kit is and b)what to tell any patrons who have received emails to pick up kits that are not at the library.


• Only Admin logins can change kit states.


• KK will not reset only one step of the Kit Use screen.  It will only reset the entire record.  However, it is easy enough to click the tracking buttons until the kit use record is up to speed (as described in step D).


• Need more help?  Please contact us at Plymouth Rocket.

 

Whether you need to know what phone number a patron has listed or what their current and future reservations are, KitKeeper can display that information.

Patron Reservations

See all of the current and future reservations for a patron.

1. Login as Staff


2. Scroll down to Staff- Kit Management Functions


3. 3.Enter part of the patron/book club’s name into the field next to Patron Kits to find a specific patron’s kits or simply click Go to browse through all of the patron kit reservations.


4. KK will create a list of kits for that patron including the kit name, kit status, target pick up date and a track button.

Patron Information

KitKeeper can pull up any information it has on a patron including name, barcode, email, and pick up library.

1. Login as Staff


2. Scroll down to Staff- Kit Management Functions


3. Enter part of the patron/book club’s name into the field next to Patron Info to find a specific patron’s infromationor simply click Go to browse through all of the patron records.


4. This screen will show the information that KK has on file for that patron.

Note:

• KitKeeper only displays the information that was supplied to it.  If patrons make their own reservations, then KK will show the information that they entered in themselves.  If KK uses barcode authentication, then the information will be pulled from your library’s automated library system.  You will have to change the information in the library system for it to reflect in KK.


• Patron reservations and patron information will only show up if a patron has a current or future reservation in the system.  If nothing shows up for a patron, then they do not have a reservation.  KK does not store patron information indefinitely.

The “To Ship List” is a list of kits that need to be tracked and sent to other libraries.  This list is particularly important for libraries that routinely lend out their kits to other libraries.  KK generates the list and allows users to print it out for further use. 

Generating the “To Ship” list

1. Login to KitKeeper as Staff


2. Scroll down to the Staff Action Table


3. Choose Kits that I Need to Ship from the drop down menu.  This is your “to ship” list.

Printing the “To Ship” list

1. Click on the Print this List button at the bottom of the Staff Action Table.


2. A list of all of the kits ready for shipping comes up.  At this point, you can choose to sort the list by title or author.  Then choose Print from your browser screen to  print out the list


3. Each kit listed also has a link to its own unique routing label.  You can print out each routing slip from this screen as well.