Automatically Remove Documents From A Category

Some categories in your library are only meant to hold documents for a limited time. A New Acquisitions shelf should show what arrived recently, not everything you have ever bought. A Staff Picks or Book of the Month category should rotate on its own.

The Documents Retention Days setting on a document category does this for you. Set the number of days a document should stay in the category, and Oncord removes it from that category automatically once the time is up. The document itself is not deleted and stays in every other category it belongs to.

Where to find it

1. Go to Library and click Document Categories.
2. Click the category you want to set up, or click New Category to create one (for example, "Events" or "New Acquisitions").
3. In the Documents Retention Days field, enter the number of days a document should remain in this category.
4. Click Save Category.

Leave the field empty if documents should stay in the category until you remove them yourself. This is the default for every category.

How it works

Every night, Oncord checks each category that has a retention period set and removes any document whose time in that category has run out.

• Documents added after you set the retention period are removed from the category the set number of days after they were added.
• Documents already in the category when you set the retention period are removed the set number of days after you saved the category. Existing documents are never removed straight away, so it is safe to turn this on for a category that already has documents in it.

For example, with New Acquisitions set to 30 days, a book you add to that category on 1 March is removed from it on 31 March. It is still in your library, still borrowable, and still listed in any other categories you gave it, such as "Fiction" or "Level B1".

The check runs once a day, so a document may stay in the category until the night after its period ends.

Adding documents to the category

Documents join a category in the usual way. When adding or editing a document, scroll to Classification on the Document tab and tick the category in the Categories tree. Documents imported into a category, or added through the ISBN lookup, are treated the same way. The retention countdown starts from the moment the document is linked to the category.

Things to know

• Only the category link is removed. The document, its items, borrowings and reservations are untouched. Nothing is deleted.
• The setting applies to one category only. Sub-categories do not inherit it. If a child category should also clear itself out, set its own retention days.
• Editing a document restarts its countdown. Saving a document refreshes its category links, so the retention period for that document starts again from the date it was saved.
• Editing the category gives existing documents a fresh period. Each time you save the category with a retention period set, documents already in it get the full number of days again, counted from that save. Documents added afterwards still count from the day they were added.
• Clearing the field stops all removals. Empty the Documents Retention Days field and save, and documents in that category stay put.

Suggested uses

• New Acquisitions - Show recently added titles on your library page for 30 or 60 days, then let them drop off to their permanent categories.
• Staff Picks / Coup de cœur - Feature a selection for a set period without having to remember to take it down.
• Seasonal or themed shelves - Christmas stories, exam preparation, or a festival tie-in that should clear itself after the season.
• On display - Track which physical items are currently on a display stand and expect them back on the shelf after a few weeks.

Frequently asked questions

Will this delete my documents?
No. Documents are only removed from the category. They remain in your library and in all other categories.

Can I set different periods for different categories?
Yes. Each category has its own Documents Retention Days setting, and most categories will have none at all.

What happens if I set the retention period on a category that already has hundreds of documents?
They are all removed from the category on the same night, the set number of days after you saved the category. New documents added in the meantime follow their own countdown.

Can I remove a document from the category early?
Yes. Edit the document, untick the category under Classification, and save.

Can I keep a document in the category longer?
Saving the document restarts its countdown. Alternatively, increase the retention days on the category, which gives every document currently in it the new full period.