Wishlist: Ability to configure circ policy focused around item age protection

[Michael Peters]

Evergreen currently lacks the ability to configure a circ policy focused around age protection flags on an item. From discussion on IRC, it doesn't sound like this ability currently exists.

For example, we would like the ability to configure in-db circ rules that would prevent holds on age-protected items when the requesting users home_ou does not match the circ_lib of the item.

Obviously, the ability to configure circ policy based around age protection could apply to many other scenarios.

[Thomas Berezansky (tsbere)]

As I mentioned in IRC, age protection exists and can be configured. What can't be configured is what age protection checks.

All age protection, script based or otherwise, is based on transit distance from the circ library to the pickup library. Checking the user's home library isn't possible unless you are also restricting pickup to the user's home library globally.

It *is* true that indb rules can't check the item's age protection setting to change rules when items are age protected.

I already have plans to enhance the indb hold rules to allow for duplicating age protection 100% in the hold matrix without using the age protection option on copies. I may be able to add the ability for hold matrix lines to check if an item has age protection turned on or not.

Other options will exist when I work on that development, such as ditching the age protection rules as they stand currently entirely. That would allow for age protection to be applied with the full power of the hold matrix rather than by force regardless. As an example, in an academic environment, instructors could not be subject to age protection while students are.