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Introduction

What the Guide is About

This guide will take you through the skills you need to use the Horizon circulation system.

The guide provides illustrated examples of core tasks, such as checking items in and out, and registering new borrowers.  Most explanations are also accompanied by a video guide, and links to the video guides are clearly marked throughout the guidance:

[INSERT SNAPSHOT: screenshot of a link to the video guide]

The guide also provides links to other useful resources, such as the printable Quick Guides for common tasks, and to useful forms and guidance found in the Staff Portal.

 

How it’s Organized

The guide is divided into sections, and each section covers a set of related tasks, such as the different ways to search for items or how to add and edit items.

The sections are listed in the navigation bar on the left side of the screen, and to go a section just click on it.

Each section contains several subsections that describe a skill or task in more detail.

When you have selected a section, its subsections will appear in the side navigation bar.

You can read through an entire section simply by scrolling down the screen, but if you want to jump straight to a subsection then just click on it in the navigation bar.

All the guidance is reachable from the side navigation bar with just two clicks:

      1. select a section
      2. select a subsection

[INSERT SNAPSHOT: side navigation bar]

If you are a new user then you can read through the guide in the order it’s written and use it as a training reference.

If instead you are looking for quick guidance on a particular subject, then the modular sections let you go straight to what you need.

[INSERT SNAPSHOT: link within a sentence]

There’s a Troubleshooting section at the end of the guide which explains how to handle general problems with Horizon, including what to do if it stops working.

If after using the guide you still need help then contact your local Horizon superuser or your divisional office.  During evenings and weekends contact staff at another library in your division.

 

Let's begin with opening Horizon and a tour of its interface.

Opening and Closing Horizon

Logging into Horizon

video-play-icon-11385.gif  Video Guide: Logging into Horizon

 

Double-click on the Horizon icon ierf3aqFVxJytin0-image-1551795743946.png on your desktop.  The login window will open:

Login-Window.PNG

The username should already be completed.  Contact your supervisor or regional office if it isn’t showing, or if you don’t know your site’s password.

Type in the password and then press [Enter] on your keyboard or click on OK.

Horizon will launch.

 

Logging Off

To close Horizon at the end of the day just click on the X in the top right corner of the screen:

Logging-Off-[Edited].PNG

 

Changing the Default Font Size

Depending on your personal viewing preferences and the size of your screen you might want or need to change the default size of text in Horizon.  This is done from the login window:

      • type in the password
      • click on Options:

Options-Button.PNG

 

The Login Options window will open:

Login-Options-[Edited].PNG

From here you can change the font size.  Select Make Default and Horizon will remember this preference.

 

Understanding the Interface

video-play-icon-11385.gif  Video Guide: Understanding the Interface

 

After you have logged in Horizon opens the Launcher window:

Launcher-[Edited].PNG

Click on the image to view it full size in a new tab.  When finished, close the tab to return to this guide.

The window is split into several areas, with a main work area surrounded by a toolbar and navigation bar that help you to do tasks easily.

 

Workbook Window

This is where most work takes place.  For example if you are checking in items then they will be listed here.  If you are editing a borrower’s record then their details will be shown here.

You can open different windows to do different tasks.  InA thetab abovewill screenshot the Checkin and Checkout windows are open, with the Checkin windowappear at the frontbottom andfor each window currently beingopen:

used.

 

Open-Window-Tabs.PNG

 

The workbook tabs let you switch between open windows to get different tasks done. 

During a typical working day you will regularly switch between the Checkin and Checkout windows to check books in and out, and often open the Search window to find items for borrowers.

 

Toolbar

The toolbar lets you quickly reach the most commonly used functions.

Toolbar.PNG

 

To see what a button does, hover over it and a tooltip will appear:

Toolbar-Tooltip.PNG

 

Click on a button to use its function.  Here’s what each button does:

SPPZcjc03EEM8UfU-image-1551815451129.png

Toggle Navigation Bar

hides or shows the navigation bar

 

 

vcTqL0VQtAkFZDfL-image-1551815496131.png CKI opens the Checkin window

CmaG99X852mSMAIg-image-1551815459608.png

Toggle Workbook

hides or shows the workbook tabs

 

 

z0qkm0E4p2XBYPmd-image-1551815502915.png Circulation Reports opens Circulation Reports in a separate window

2vuPEu4ASDIhLbBz-image-1551815468825.png

Toggle Full Screen

makes the workbook window full screen, closing or shrinking other elements.

  vX4Sd64N7tTkihkt-image-1551815511325.png Item Search begins a new Item Search

wY1MMn0k4gqeTd71-image-1551815478951.png

Send To

sends an item record to another process

 

 

k3BE8dVdLJvbYPln-image-1551815486260.png

CKO

 

opens the Checkout window

 

 

vcTqL0VQtAkFZDfL-image-1551815496131.png

CKI

opens the Checkin window

 

 

z0qkm0E4p2XBYPmd-image-1551815502915.png

Circulation Reports

opens Circulation Reports in a separate window

 

vX4Sd64N7tTkihkt-image-1551815511325.png

Item Search

begins a new Item Search

 

 

4oZUhmndnkXyVLuq-image-1551815518501.png

Item Group Editor for Staff

opens the Item Group Editor process

 

 

auUMPeAoM4ZZu8gl-image-1551815529610.png

k3BE8dVdLJvbYPln-image-1551815486260.png CKO

opens the Checkout window   auUMPeAoM4ZZu8gl-image-1551815529610.png Item Report

opens the Item Report process

 

 You will see how to use all of these functions as you progress through the guide.

Navigation Bar

The navigation bar contains folders that group related Horizon functions together.

Navigation-Bar.PNG

You won’t need to use the Navigation Bar very much in day-to-day use because the most commonly used functions found there can also be reached from the toolbar or top menu.

 

Top Menu

Almost everything that you can do in Horizon can be reached from the top menu.  So if you’re trying to do something and it’s not obvious which toolbar or navigation bar option to use, take a look in the top menu and see if you can find the answer here.

 

IHfiEew7OaDbFtIR-image-1551815700691.png

 

Some functions, such as recording an item as lost, can only be reached from here.

 

If there’s a shortcut key to a function then it will say so in the top menu.  In this example the shortcut for Find Borrower is [F4] and the shortcut for New Borrower is [F5]:

Top-Menu-with-Shortcuts.PNG

 

The contents of the top menu can vary depending which window you are currently using.

 

Shortcut Keys

Some frequently used functions can be accessed by using shortcut keys, which can speed things up for you.

For example, Item Search can be opened in 3 different ways using the interface:

    1. click on the searchSearch button:
    AdouLpvhqUW6P84s-image-1551815785441.png 2. select from top menu Item > Find Item:
    Item    : x6YTo2kRM7lkb7fJ-image-1551815887660.png 3. select from navigation bar Searching > Item Search:
    TqctFetTopHg5h4Q-image-1551815894110.png

    But 

    ...but simply pressing [F2] on the keyboard is a lot quicker.quicker!

    This 

    guide

    To help you to get used to the mostcommon commonlyshortcuts, usedprint shortcutout keysthis canguide beand printedkeep out:it somewhere near your screen:

    Shortcut-Key-Guide.PNG

    Here’s a full list of circulation shortcuts:

    function

    key

    		  
    function key

    item search

    [F2]

    find borrower

    [F4] from checkout window

    create new borrower

      make

    [F5] from checkout window

    edit borrower record

    request

    [F6] from checkout window

    close the current window

    escape

    toggle between checkout and checkin

    [F8]

    send to

    [F10]

    place request

    [F5] from item copies window

    find

    view title requests list

    borrower

    [Ctrl] + [F5]F4] from item copiescheckout window

    make request

    [F5] from item copies window

     

    move forward to next field in record

    [Tab]

    create

    new borrower

    [F5] from checkout window   move back one field

    [Shift] + [Tab]

    edit

    borrower record

    [F6] from checkout window   save record

    [Ctrl] +[S]

    close

    the current window

    escape   copy

    [Ctrl] +[C]

    toggle

    paste

    between checkout and checkin [F8]

      paste [Ctrl] +[V] send to

    select 

    all

    [F10]

     

    select all [Ctrl] +[A] place

    cut

    request [F5]

    from item copies window

      cut [Ctrl] +[X] view title requests list [Ctrl] + [F5] from item copies window      

     

    ShortShortcut CodesKeys

    Horizon uses a lot of short codes to represent information, such as:

          abr as ‘abr’the location code for Bay Roberts Public Library,Library or ‘tr’tr as the item status code to show that an item is in transit between locations.locations

           

          This can save a lot of time when typing information into the system, but there are a lot of codes to remember, so wherever a short code is usedused:

                a longer description will appear next to it,it anda nearby willCodes button can be aclicked Codeson button which willto bring up a list of valid codes.codes

                 

                Codes-Example-[Edited].PNG

                You will see lots of examples of short codes being used throughout the guidance.

                 

                To reach the next section about Borrower Records, click on the link or scroll up and use the side navigation bar.