Initializing the discard process
Every library has a dedicated “Discard User” assigned to them. The User ID of this user is “DISCARDXXX” with XXX replaced with your library’s code. Here is an example user:
To initiate the Discard process for an item, simply charge the item to your library’s Discard user. Symphony will handle the rest.
Charging an item to a Discard user changes the item’s Current Location to “DISCARD”. This has two effects:
- Items in this location cannot fulfill holds.
- Items in this location are shadowed from display in the catalog.
At this stage in the process, discharging the item will reset the item’s location. Until the Convert Discard report runs (below), items that have been discarded in error can be fixed in this way.
Convert Discard report
Each library’s Discard user has a corresponding “Convert Discard” report associated with it. This report is not assigned to a user at your library, so you will not see it in your report lists. These reports run throughout the day every Saturday on items that have been charged for at least 6 weeks. The report performs two functions:
- Discharge items from your library’s Discard user.
- Retain each item’s Current Location as “DISCARD”.
This clears all charges from your Discard user. If you notice items charged to your Discard User for more than 6 weeks, please contact SWAN.
This report's purpose is to prepare items for the Remove Discard Report.
The 6-week delay on purging discards was implemented to guarantee that any circulation statistics related to discarded items are included in monthly reporting.
Remove Discard report
This is a single report that runs on the Symphony server Saturday evening after all Convert Discard reports have completed. This report looks at all items that have the Current Location of “DISCARD” but are not charged to any user (i.e. that have gone through the Convert Discard Report). These items are then removed from the system entirely.
After the Remove Discard report deletes an item, no trace of that item exists in the Symphony database. All corresponding circulation statistics are also purged.
Please note that the Symphony database has some restrictions on deleting items that apply to this process. Open orders, serial control records, and active item holds can prevent the discard process from completing. If this happens, the deletion will be attempted every week when the Remove DISCARD report runs until successful.