Paid memberships all follow the same processing guidelines.
Instructions are separated in Part 1 and Part 2. Complete up until the end of Part 1 is to be completed when we receive the application. Start at Part 2 when payment has been received.
Paid membership includes Alumni, Public, Former and Partner Staff memberships. The amount paid for each membership will differ, as per the table below.:
| Paid Memberships | |
| Alumni Students | £15 |
| Former Staff with under 5 years of service | £15 |
| Public | £30 |
| Partner College Staff | £20 |
Patrons must provide contact details, both email and phone number, for us to proceed with processing. If there is no way of contacting the patron, we cannot accept this membership. If the patron cannot provide, please see FAQs for guidance.
Membership dates cannot be altered on WMS. Membership is linked to payment date, not billing or notification date. As such membership will begin once the payment has been processed on WMS. Please ensure to process payment promptly when received.
1. Open LibAnswers and locate the membership application form
2. Open the ticket, transfer to the Membership queue, and tag as Membership
Edit the LibAnswers ticket so that the email any replies will be sent to the patron's email, rather than the 'do not reply' email.
3. Check all application details and attachments to ensure they are correct and acceptable, following the guidance in the troubleshooting section below. Please ensure all contact details including email address and phone number are included.
If there is an issue with the application, follow the guidance below to contact the patron and reach a solution. Continue with the next step once you have resolved the issue. If you are unsure about whether an application is viable, feel free to contact the LSS or GLT for advice.
If there is no issue with the application, continue to the next step.
4. Open the Membership Folder as linked above
5. For each application we create a new folder. Create a new folder for the applicant, formatted Surname , Forename. i.e. Doe , Jane
Expiry date will be added at a later step once the membership bill has been resolved.
6. Open this new folder. Inside save a copy of the following application documents, ensuring they all meet criteria and are named so they are easily identifiable.
Applicant ID photo
Copy of LibAnswers membership application
7. Once all saved, open the Membership Spreadsheet as linked above to continue
8. Start a new line per membership application.
9. Work your way through the columns by using the application documents and the guidance below.
| Column Headers | |
|---|---|
| LibAnswers Ticket Number | Input the LibAnswers ticker number / QID |
| Name | Input the applicants full name |
| Membership Type | Choose membership type |
| Library Number |
All non-sconul members have a X number as their barcode. Input the next unused X number in the series to allocate this to this member. ( Ensure this number is not in use by other patrons by checking it against WMS records, and crossing it out of the membership folder found in the back office. ) |
| Expiry Date | Leave this blank until a later stage. |
| Application Status | This column will auto-populate. |
| Application Received | Input date the application was received |
| Application Saved in SharePoint | Input todays date |
10. When it gets to Patron Added to WMS, please open the next tab Adding Patron Record and complete the steps there.
24. Populate the Patron Added to WMS column with todays date.
25. Populate column Cost Added to Account with todays date.
We must now inform the patron that these charges have been added to their account.
26. Return to the LibAnswers ticket, and use the macro Membership - Fees / Reminder. Edit details as appropriate and submit ticket as OPEN.
Submitting ticket as Open ensure the ticket is easy to find once we recieve payment.
We must now wait for membership payment to be received before we can progress any further with the membership processing. When the membership fee has been paid, return to Application Processing - Part 2
11. Open WMS
12. Open the Admin tab along the top menu bar
13. Select User Management > New User, from the left-hand drop down menu.
14. Under Personal Information, input the applicants First Name and Last Name
Leave the Expiration Date blank, as this will auto-populate once the membership has been paid for.
15. Under Library Record , input the patrons Address, Telephone and Email details.
Ensure Primary is chosen as the option for all three.
16. Under Circulation, enter the patrons Barcode / Library Number as referred to on the membership spreadsheet.
Input the application Patron Type i.e. External Alumni or External Former Staff
Under Home Branch, select Ipswich Library.
17. Under Interlibrary Loan, ticket Blocked.
18. Under Delivery Notification, enter the patrons email in the Email field.
19. Once all the information has been inputted, press Create.
20. Open the newly created patron account to review the data we have just inputted. This can be done under the Circulation tab.
You will see that the membership fee has been automatically added to the patrons account.
21. Select the Profile tab on the new profile.
22. Under Identity Management, press the Set / reset password option, to prompt the patron to set up a password.
23. Once complete, return to tab Processing the Application to complete the rest of the membership spreadsheet.
Start Here once the membership fee has been paid
27. Once the membership fee has been paid, open the next tab Membership Fees and complete the steps there.
37. Locate column Payment Received & on WMS, and enter todays date.
38. Return to column Expiry Date. Update this with the new expiration date from WMS.
39. Next find column Patron Added to Mailing List.
To complete this we need to add the patron to the mailing list.
40. Open the Membership Mailing List quick link above.
41. Start a new line for each applicant
42 Complete the spreadsheet , including First Name , membership expiry date, library number / barcode , membership type and email address.
43. Once completed, populate Patron Added to Mailing List column with todays date.
44. When it reaches column ID Card Request, please open the next tab Ordering ID Cards and complete the steps there.
51. Populate the ID Card Requested column with todays date.
52. Return to the original application on LibAnswers. Respond to patron using the macro Membership - Membership Approved. You can now close the ticket.
53.Populate field Patron Acceptance Email Sent with today’s date
Now that the membership has been processed, and ID card requested , we must wait for the membership card to be ready to collect. Return to the tab ID Card Collection once ready to collect
28. Open the sales notification email to identify the patron / membership.
29. Locate the original membership application and merge the sales notification into this email.
30. Open the patrons account on WMS.
31. Open the Bills tab, and identify the membership payment.
32. Click on this payment, and select Resolve Bill
For Action, select Pay.
Amount to pay should auto-populate with the full amount of the payment.
For Amount tender, enter the pull sum of the membership fee. The member must pay the full sum of the membership fee before we can process the application
Write a note to state whether they have paid online or in person.
Press Resolve Bill
33. Once you have resolved the bill, the membership will automatically be applied to their account. The membership expiry date will be visible on their profile page.
34. Open the Membership Folder quick link above.
35. Locate the applicants file.
Update the file name to include the new expiration date.
36. Once updated, return to Application Processing - Part 2 to complete the rest of the application
45. Open the Membership ID Cards quick link above to open Minerva.
46. Copy and paste the following template into the More Details box:
Dear IT
Please may we request an ID card for a new external library member? The details are as follows :
Membership Name : *Insert applicant name*
Membership Number : *Insert Library number*
Membership Type : *Insert External SCONUL Member A/B/C/D*
Expiry Date: *insert membership expiry date*
Many thanks,
47. Update details as necessary for your applicant
48. Upload the applicant ID photo to the attachments box
49. Press Submit when complete
50. Return to tab Processing the Application to complete the rest of the membership spreasheet
Start Here once the membership card is ready to be collected
54. IT will respond to the Minerva ticket once the membership card has been printed.
Reception will further notify us when the card is ready to collect
55. When the card is ready to collect, locate the original application ticket.
56. Contact the patron using the macro Membership - Access Card Ready. Re-close the ticket.
Once sent, return to the membership spreadsheet and populate the field Patron notified ID card ready with today’s date.
If a patron has not collected their membership card, we will receive further notification from the WF reception. In this case, we must follow up with the patron at the 4 and 8 week mark using the macro Membership - Access Card Reminder. If this is the case, populate the fields ID card collection chaser (4 weeks) and ID card collection chaser (8 weeks) where necessary.
Passport Photo ID Guidance :
Photos submitted for membership application must meeting the following criteria:
| A close-up of your full head and upper shoulders |
| Contain no other objects or people |
| Be in clear contrast to the background |
| Should not be a photo of a photo |
The applicant must adhere to the following guidelines when taking their photograph:
| Applicant is facing forward and looking straight at the camera |
| Applicant has a neutral expression and mouth closed |
| Applicant has eyes open, visible, and free from reflection or glare from glasses |
| Applicant does not have hair in front of your eyes |
| Applicant does not have a head covering (unless it is for religious or medical reasons) |
| Applicant does not have anything covering their face |
What are common application issues and solutions?
| Incomplete / Incorrect Application |
All correct contact information and attachments must be uploaded during application. If a patron cannot provide us with either email address or phone number, please contact either LTL or LSS to discuss. If the wrong membership type has been applied for, close the request, and ask them to fill out a new form. For all other incomplete application issues, simply request the full correct information via LibAnswers and continue. No need to start over. |
| Insufficient ID Photo |
ID criteria can be found above. Use the Membership - Application Issue macro to contact the patron via LibAnswers and request a new ID photo |
| Alumni Student Number |
Applicants need to have successfully completed a course with UOS to qualify for this membership. To verify this, enter their previous student number (provided on the application form) into SITS. The letters “SC” will confirm that they have successfully completed a course with us. If ineligible, advise patron to join on Public membership instead. |
| Public Application Supporting Letter |
Public applications require prospective members to submit a supporting letter. The supporting letter must show interest in the use of our resources and not simply study/reading space or IT facilities. If ineligible or rejected, advise patron to join public library instead. |
When will the membership start?
Membership is linked to payment date, not bill date. As such the membership year will not begin until the membership is paid on WMS.
What public libraries are open nearby?
The closest public library is Ipswich Public Library, Northgate Street, Ipswich, IP1 3DE. A directory of further local libraries and study spaces, as well as opening hours, can be found here Suffolk Libraries Homepage.
What happens if a patron does not pay their membership fee?
When first applying for membership patrons will be contacted with a request for payment. After four weeks, if no payment has been received, we will contact them again using the macro Membership – Fees/ Reminder After 8 weeks if no payment has been received, we will contact the patron to let them know we are closing their membership application, and they need to re-apply if still interested. A note should be added to the Excel Membership Checklist to explain application closure.
No. As we cannot access their student records, we cannot confirm they have successfully completed a course. We can only approve Alumni membership for those directly with us. Please advise Public membership instead