Patron Point and Koha - Library Setup
How does it work?
Patron Point can send email, SMS, and/or phone messages. Similar to SIP users, an API patron/user allows third party integrations such as Patron Point to connect to Koha. The API patron will have permissions that allow it to communicate between Koha and Patron Point.
System preferences
These are the Koha system preferences that control REST_API features:
RESTdefaultPageSize - Set the default number of results returned by the REST API endpoints to __ per page. While the default is 20, libraries are free to adjust this to fit their needs.
RESTOAuth2ClientCredentials (must be enabled) - OAuth2 client credentials grant permissions for the REST API. This is the standard authentication protocol used for integrations such as OverDrive, Patron Point, and other large scale commercial vendors ByWater works with.
RESTPublicAnonymousRequests - Anonymous access to public routes (that don't require authenticated access). An example: a library may want to enable this if they have an app that needs to see the public branches and provide that directory information. Patron and bib data are not included here because they require authenticated access.
RESTPublicAPI (must be enabled) - The /public namespace of the API.
Messaging settings and related preferences
What messages can Patron Point send?
Currently, Patron Point can send PREDUE, DUE, AUTO_RENEWALS, HOLD, HOLD_REMINDER, and up to 3 ODUEs. A fines/bill notice beyond the 3 ODUEs is not currently supported. As of April 2025, Patron Point does not support Digest messages.
Do staff need to capture patrons' mobile provider for Patron Point SMS messages?
No, the mobile provider is not necessary for SMS messages sent through Patron Point.
Do SMS numbers need hyphens?
No, SMS numbers do not need hyphens.
Do SMS numbers need the leading 1?
No, SMS numbers do not need the leading 1. Patron Point will add it on their end. If your phone numbers have the leading 1, you do not need to remove them.
How does Patron Point know what messages to send?
Patron Point does not look at courtesy notice message preferences in Koha. These are instead set in Patron Point. This means that changes to an individual patron’s messaging preferences will not impact what messages they receive.
Similarly, ODUE timing and notice selection is set in Patron Point, not in Koha. However, if a library wants to set a restriction with an overdue notice, they do need to set that in Koha. This should be set as follows:
- Use the First notice tab (even if the restriction is being placed on the third notice - Koha will not ‘look’ at later tabs if First isn’t in use)
- Set the Delay (use the number of days at which the restriction should be placed)
- Select a notice (content can be blank)
- Select restriction box
- A delivery method does not need to be selected
- Repeat for all applicable patron categories
What changes do libraries need to make to the notices they will be sending through Patron Point?
Libraries need to empty out the content from the Email and SMS tabs for all notices they will be sending through Patron Point.
How will libraries know what Patron Point-controlled notices have been sent/delivered?
Patrons’ Notices tab will not update to reflect notices that have been sent through Patron Point. Libraries should contact Patron Point for questions about whether specific notices have been sent.
What other settings should libraries consider?
Libraries who are not using SMS through Patron Point or who do not allow patrons to update their SMS number or non-Patron Point messages via the OPAC/Aspen may want to set EnhancedMessagingPreferencesOPAC to ‘[Don’t show] patron messaging setting on the OPAC.’ However, consider:
- Libraries who allow patrons to update their own SMS number should keep EnhancedMessagingPreferencesOPAC set to ‘[Show]...’ since that will display the ‘SMS number’ box where patrons can update their information.
- The messages in EnhancedMessagingPreferencesOPAC include CHECKIN and CHECKOUT (with, for libraries not using automatic renewals, RENEWAL), so libraries who want to allow patrons to update their preferences for those messages will want to leave EnhancedMessagingPreferencesOPAC set to ‘[Show]...’.
For either of the above two cases, ByWater can hide the Patron Point-controlled message lines with CSS at the library’s request.
Libraries who are setting overdue restrictions should set OverdueNoticeCalendar to ‘[Ignore calendar] when working out the period for overdue notices’ so that restrictions are placed using the same timing that Patron Point uses to send overdue notices.
If the library will be sending other messages by Koha’s SMS function (such as CHECKIN or CHECKOUT), SMSSendDriver should say ‘Email’. If no notices will be sent by Koha’s SMS function, it should be set to ‘Patron Point’.
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