How to Configure Password Requirements by Patron Category

Managing Patron Categories

Patron Categories are created and configured in Administration > Patrons and Circulation. The configuration allows the library to define default settings that are applied at the time of registration. 

Passwords


Libraries can specify which patrons are allowed to change their password when logged into the OPAC, per patron category. Often a library that uses authentication for their patrons, like LDAP or Active Directory, still have a few categories that do not use authentication and just require local login. For example, an academic library may use single sign on for their students and faculty, but community members may just need a local login.

System Preferences

The first thing you will want to do is check your system preference for OpacPasswordChange.

Go to Administration > Global System Preferences
  1. Search for OpacPasswordChange
  2. There are 2 options
    1. Allow patrons to change their own password on the OPAC. Note that this must be off to use LDAP authentication.
    2. Don't Allow patrons to change their own password on the OPAC. Note that this must be off to use LDAP authentication.
Choose one and save.

Password Expiration

Password expiration settings can be defined at the patron category level.

The system preference, EnableExpiredPasswordReset, is introduced in this release as well, which would allow the library to give/don't give the ability for patrons to directly reset their password when it is expired. If not enabled patrons must either use the 'Forgot your password' feature or have staff reset their password. *See below on how to manually send a "password reset email".

System Preference, OpacResetPassword, is also a system preference that can be enabled or not enabled to allow patrons to reset their password.

Patron Categories

Next you will want to update your patron categories that you want to allow or not allow to log in to the OPAC.
  1. Go to Administration > Patrons and circulation > Patron Categories
  2. Select the category you want to update / change
  3. Under actions click edit
  4. Scroll down and you will see an option for Password change in OPAC:
  5. There will be 3 options
    1. Follow the system preference for OPACPasswordChange. (Either allow or don't) it will just follow the system preference.
    2. Allowed - this specific patron category can change their password even if the system preference is set don't allow.
    3. Not allowed - this specific patron category can not change their password even if the system preference is set to allow.
  6. Min Password Length: If a library would like to make this patron category's password length different from the System Preference, they could set a number in this field. This would make this patron category need to have a longer or shorter password length.
  7. Require Strong Password: A few options exist for this one, a library can choose to have this follow what the library has in the system preference, set it to YES or set it to NO.
  8. Add the number of days for a password expiration.
Click Save.

Automatically Update Patron Categories

Koha can run a cron job to automatically update patron categories from one category to another. This is especially helpful when updating a child patron to an adult patron category when the child reaches the upper age limit defined in the patron category. In order for this to work, the patron category must have the upper age limit set in the patron category. Other triggers can be applied such as updating a patron category when a patron has a certain amount of fines associated with their account. The cron can specify specific branches of a multi-branch installation.

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