800-222-9711

Knowledge Base

The PIMMS error report is sent nightly to alert you to any errors returned by the PIMMS sync. These errors prevent any changes to the record from syncing, so they must be addressed to allow the patron or machine information to be updated. Errors remain in the report until they are corrected and the patron can successfully sync with PIMMS.

If an error is not listed below, or if the included recommended action / things-to-check do not clear the error, please contact Customer Support with the full row information from the report, including the Patron or Machine ID and the full error text.

Note that one line may include multiple errors. For example: “MaintainPatron - Edit Failed
First name must be a minimum of 1 and a maximum of 255 characters
Last name must be a minimum of 1 and a maximum of 255 characters
Individual patrons must have a 4 digit birth year (YYYY), or a full birth date (YYYY-MM-DD)”

If you need to change who at your library receives this vital report, contact Customer Support at

Error Text What it Means and How to Fix It
MaintainMachine - Edit Failed
MaintainMachine - Cannot edit a machine that doesn't belong to your custodian. Current custodian ([name] [library])  		This usually occurs when the patron and machine previously transferred out of your library and the machine has the status NAC/TFR. Change the item status to NAC/TFA to indicate that the machine is no longer at your library.
MaintainAddress - Delete Failed
Cannot delete final address		 Set a Contact Preference for a valid shipping address.
MaintainEmail - Add Failed
A valid email must be supplied		 Check the email format to make sure there is a valid email (with one @ and a .suffix) in the value field. Non-email text (such as a name, “N/A” or “none”) should not be included.
MaintainMachine - Edit Failed Machine Status - Not Found This usually means the machine has a Cir Status of NAC or WDR and nothing set for the Mat Disposition. PIMMS needs to know why it is NAC. Change the item status.
MaintainPatron - Add Failed
Institution name must be a minimum of 1 and a maximum of 255 characters		 Confirm that the Individual checkbox on the main tab is set appropriately.
Ensure that the Last Name field on the Main tab includes the name of the Institution.
MaintainPatron - Edit Failed
Invalid legal acknowledgement email
Invalid legal acknowledgement phone		 Ensure that the Alt Contact with the Legal subtype has a valid email and/or phone number.
MaintainPatron - Edit Failed
Invalid legal acknowledgement name
Invalid legal acknowledgement title Invalid		 Ensure that the Alt Contact with the Legal subtype has a job title in the Description field and a first and last name in the Name field.
The name can be entered as Firstname Lastname or as Lastname, Firstname Middle.
MaintainPatron - Edit Failed
Parent/Guardian info is required when answer is Yes or No 		Ensure that an Alt Contact record is present with the subtype of Parent or Guardian.
The contact’s full name should be included, with their phone number and email.
If multiple such records are listed, set a ParentalAck Contact Preference for the one that should be synced to PIMMS.
MaintainPatron - Edit Failed
Patron ID must be a minimum of 1 and a maximum of 12 characters		 Ensure that the patron has an ID in the Barcode field on the Patron Main tab. The ID must not be longer than 12 characters.
Contact Customer Support if you are unable to edit the barcode.
MaintainPatron - Edit Failed
First name must be a minimum of 1 and a maximum of 255 characters
Last name must be a minimum of 1 and a maximum of 255 characters		 Confirm that the Individual checkbox on the main tab is set appropriately.
Ensure that the First Name field on the Main tab includes the given name of the patron, and the Last Name field includes the family name of the patron.
MaintainPatron - Edit Failed
Individual patrons must have a 4 digit birth year (YYYY), or a full birth date (YYYY-MM-DD)		 Ensure that the Birth Date of the patron is filled in. If the patron does not give their birth date but you are certain they are an adult, 01/01/1900 can be used.
MaintainPatron - Edit Failed
MaintainPatronStatus - No Patron Status found with id -1		 Set-up error; contact Customer Support.
MaintainSubscription - Add Failed
Media Type Not Found		 Set-up error; contact Customer Support.
Patron ________ is not a Patron of this Library in PIMMS. The Patron is in [Library ID] at status 'Active'. The patron should be Transferred In to your library. Contact Customer Support for help “un-sticking” a transfer.

Knowledge Base

The following MARC records have had diacritic marks or other issues corrected. Please upload these files in place of the NLS version.

For more information on uploading MARC Records, see Are Your Records Up-To-Date? on the forums.

Note: You must be logged in to view and download these files.

Latest Updates

The first February files were uploaded 2/6/2026.

The Jan/Feb TBT Query Set was uploaded on 1/23/2026. 

Please log in to download content. Thank you!

Top portion of the Blocked Patron Report screen.

Knowledge Base

For patrons not in compliance with the NLS Parental Acknowledgement requirements, KLAS can automatically Block the accounts until the acknowledgement is corrected so nothing is sent to them. However, these Blocks are NOT communicated to NLS. Rather, they're a warning flag and a temporary measure while correcting data entry issues.

If you don't have these Blocks set up yet, please contact Keystone Customer Support, so we can enable them for you! 

Once the Blocks are in place, use the Blocked Patron Report to easily find these patron records for review and correction.

  1. From the Patron module, select Reports - Activity - Blocked Patron Report 
  2. Select one or all of the Acknowledgement-related Block Types: 532 - 535
  3. To get the current results now, use the Run button
    OR, To automatically get the report on a routine basis, set the Output Parameter to Email, enter your address, and select Run As Batch Job.
    Set the Frequency to Weekly, check the day or days on which you want the report, and enter the time to run the report in 24-hour format (for example, 1pm would be 13:00).

The Blocked Patron Report screen has multiselect parameters Library ID defaulting to your branch, Patron Type defaulting to All, and Patron Status defaulting to Active, Begin and End Patron ID entry fields with lookup buttons, and a checkbox to display the patron's phone number. Next is the Block Type multiselect field with blocks 532 to 535 selected. The Sort By combo-box defaults to Patron. Next is the report Description, the Output parameters with radio buttons for Preview or Email, with an email entry field only displayed with that option selected, a Format combo-box, and finally the Run, Run as Batch Job, and Cancel buttons.

Records with any of these Blocks should be either corrected or Suspended immediately. If you find you cannot correct a record or have questions about it, please contact Customer Support with the patron’s name and ID. 

We are seeing that many of the Active records not in compliance are cases where only part of the Acknowledgement is missing. For example, a patron may have a "Yes" answer but the Parent/Guardian Alt Contact is missing. There are different blocks for each part of the acknowledgement (Birth Date, Acknowledgement Answer Property, and Alt Contact), so patrons with only one of these Blocks are usually a quick fix! 

Save the Date! The next KLAS LBPD Users' Roundtable: Programming & Partnerships will be held at 3 PM ET / Noon PT Thursday, January 22!

Knowledge Base

On Thursday, January 22, 2026 several Library for the Blind and Print Disabled network libraries shared about the programming they do to engage library patrons in-person or virtually. Engaging our patrons is an important way to retain them and keep patrons connected to the library and their fellow library users.

This session included a discussion of partnerships with public libraries, including Florida’s Ambassador Program and New Mexico’s Scribe Mini DOD systems in public libraries.

Panel Participants:

  • Maureen Dorosinski, Florida Braille and Talking Book Libraries
  • Jennifer McGill, New Mexico Library for the Blind and Print Disabled
  • Ann Minner, Texas State Library and Archives Commission, Talking Book Program
  • Abby Chumin, Indiana State Library, Talking Book and Braille Library
  • Moderator: Josh Easter, South Dakota, KLAS Users’ President

Panelist Presentations & Resources

Session Recording & Chat

Chat Transcript: 012252026_Programming__Partnerships_Chat.txt

The patron Contact Tab with key fields highlighted, as discussed in the article.

Knowledge Base

As NLS makes sure that the "I"s are dotted and the "T"s are crossed on all the open collection acknowledgements, here's a run-down of all the required fields:

1. Patron Main

On the Main tab, the relevant Patron Types are:

  • IP or IS for Institutions (make sure that Individual checkbox is blank)
  • For juveniles, any patron type that begins with P will be checked for for the age (make sure that Individual checkbox is marked)

The patron main tab for Wayside School, with the Patron Type set to IP / School - Public or Private, and the Individual checkbox blank.

2. Contact tab

On the Contact tab, make sure the Alt Contact is present and complete:

  • Legal for Institutions
  • Parent or Guardian for juveniles
  • Title in Description field for Institutions
  • Full Name for either
  • Phone and email for both

The Contact Tab (alt-2) with an alternate contact record selected. The subtype Legal Representative is selected. The sample data is Desc: Principal, Name: Eric Kidswatter, e-mail kidswatter@WaysideSchool.edu, and a phone number.

2b. Contact Preference

If there is more than one Alt Contact of a relevant SubType (such as two Parents on a juvenile's account), you need to specify which one to sync to NLS as having provided the Acknowledgement Answer.

Do this by setting a Contact Preference for the ParentalAck.

The Add Contact Preference function is available from the Functions menu. The Type/Function combo-box is set to ParentalAck / Parental Acknowledgement, and the example alternate contact is selected in the browse table below. Buttons to Save Changes or Cancel Update are at the end of the screen.

Finally, you need the Property record (aka Preference) recording the Answer and the Answer Date.

  • For Institutions, the Property Type is Legal Acknowledgement
  • For Juveniles, the Property Type is Parental Acknowledgement
  • Either way, the answers are likely worded as "Parent Does Acknowledge" etc.
  • Include the Date Answered

The Preference Tab (alt-4) with the LegalAck property selected. The Ack Answer combo-box is set to Parent does Acknowledge. The example Answer Date is 12/19/2025.

Questions & PIMMS Error Report

If you aren't sure why an account is included in NLS' list of non-compliant records and/or in your PIMMS Error Report, please check each of the above fields, and let customer support know the Patron ID if you still need help! If the record was in your Error Report, please include the text of the error as well.

Save the Date and join join us for the KLAS IRC Census Prep & Reporting webinar to be presented Thursday, December 11 at 3 PM ET / Noon PT.

Knowledge Base

On Thursday, December 11, 2025 Marion and Katy presented a free, online KLAS IRC-focused webinar. During this session, they discussed and demonstrated KLAS functions that can help you prepare for and complete the 2025 APH Census as well as other reporting tools.

As we approach the end of the calendar year, do you know who was included in your last APH Census? Who is in your database but wasn't in the Census? Is your WebOrder Census section set up correctly to give errors and information that is useful to teachers? Do you have an up-to-date Help page with the FAQs and downloads you want to provide?

Hear about and learn all those end-of-year tasks, and any other reporting needs.

Resources mentioned:

Recording:

 

Catalog How-to header

Knowledge Base

The workflow you use to add new Copies and Items to inventory depends on whether they are Copy-Specific or Non-Copy-Specific.

Add Local Titles

If the new inventory is for a new Title, follow this guide to add a new, non-NLS monograph to your catalog.

Copy-Specific

When Items come with a suitable barcode already in place, or if you apply barcodes from a pre-printed label sheet, the Items then need to be received into KLAS individually so that KLAS knows which barcodes belong to the Title.

Using copy-specific barcodes on each Item allows you to track each specific Item’s status and history separately from any other copies of the same Title.

Non-Copy-Specific

When Items come without a suitable barcode already in place, or if you do not use unique barcodes on your Items (non-copy-specific), the Items can be received into KLAS using the Batch Add Items function.

Need more information about catalog inventory, such as the difference between a Copy and an Item, or how to add Consumable inventory? Please see Catalog Inventory.

Mat Req How-To header image

Knowledge Base

The Lines by Patron Role Report returns all of the Material Request lines that meet a flexible set of criteria for a given time frame, grouped by Patron Role. This report replaces the Students Served report previously run by Customer Support.

The document below includes instructions followed by examples:

Use the Reference Worksheet to record which parameters you use for easy reference the next time you run the report:

Save the Date! The next KLAS Users' Roundtable: Patron Retention will be held at 3 PM ET / Noon PT Thursday, November 13.

Knowledge Base

On Thursday, November 13, 2025 we hosted a KLAS LBPD Users' Roundtable session focused on Patron Retention moderated by Josh Easter, KLAS Users' Group President.

Session Description:

Our libraries exist to enrich the lives of people with standard print reading disabilities. How do we keep patrons active and coming back? How can we keep people connected and passionate about reading, using our services, and attending our programs? What strategies are other libraries trying? Join the discussion! We have several people on the panel, but it will also be an open floor for discussions.

Panel Participants:

  • Lorrie Spoering, Colorado
  • Michelle Roossien, Michigan
  • Miranda Loper, Mississippi
  • JD Burns, Mississippi
  • Mary Beth Parks, Pennsylvania
  • Moderator: Josh Easter, South Dakota, KLAS Users’ President

Resources shared by JD Burns, Mississippi:

11/13/2025 Patron Retention Roundtable Chat Transcript - 2025-11-13_Patron_Retention_Roundtable_Chat.txt

11/13/2025 Patron Retention Roundtable Recording

Title slide of the KLAS Users' Group Meeting from the 2025 NLS Midlands-Southern Conference.

Knowledge Base

Katy and Katharina hosted a KLAS Users' Group Meeting at the 2025 Midlands-Southern Conference for Talking Book Libraries on Tuesday, September 16 to share updates about Keystone and KLAS, future development, allow attendees to ask questions and provide feedback to Keystone staff as well as connect with other LBPD KLAS users.

Below you will find the Presentation we shared as well as the Recording of this session:

Join us at 3 PM ET / Noon PT Tuesday, September 23 for a Keystone webinar focused on LBPD end-of-year reporting!

Knowledge Base

During this session for Library for the Blind and Print Disabled KLAS Users, Katy shared information about your end-of-year reporting process, including updates to Mitake's "Circulation Summary" spreadsheets, the new report for NLS's officially requested statistics, queries for Referral Source and Inactive Reasons, and a brief look at Batch Patron Status Review (BPSR) and how it helps keep your database clean and your statistics accurate.

Slides:

  • EOY Reporting 2025 (PPT)
  • Note: these slides have been updated to include (tested and verified) example queries. I believe the queries that did not work during the session were due to an error on the Basic Tab. 

Recording:

Title slide of the KLAS Users' Group Meeting from the 2025 NLS Northern-Western Conference.

Knowledge Base

James, Katy, and I hosted a KLAS Users' Group Meeting at the 2025 Northern-Western Conference for Talking Book Libraries. on Tuesday, August 5 to share updates about Keystone and KLAS, future development, allow attendees to ask questions and provide feedback to Keystone staff as well as connect with other LBPD KLAS users.

Below you will find the Presentation we shared as well as the Recording of this session:

Save the Date! KLAS Users' Roundtable: Managing Local Collections will be held at 3 PM ET / Noon PT 8/20/2025!

Knowledge Base

Join us for an engaging panel discussion on the intricacies of managing local collections. The panelists will discuss the types of local collections held by their libraries, the frequency and significance of their usage within the community, and the lifecycle of managing these collections—from selecting new items to daily management and weeding practices. There will also be time for a Q&A session with the audience.

Add this session to your calendar:

Catalog How-to header image

Knowledge Base

Headings are used to ensure that author, narrator, series and subject entries are consistent from one bibliographic record to the next. Heading Maintenance allows you to add, merge and delete heading authority records.

Note: This function is intended for catalogers and KLAS admins. If you are not sure whether you have the authority to make these types of changes for your library, please clarify with a supervisor before making any changes in Headings Maintenance.

This document includes instructions on: 

  • Finding Heading Maintenance
  • Adding a new Author or Narrator Heading
  • Adding a new Series or Subject Heading
  • Modify a Heading
  • Merge Headings
  • Delete Headings
  • Adding MARC Data
  • Dewey Decimal Mapping

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How do you use Headings Maintenance? Share your tips in the comments--or let us know if you have questions!

Save the Date! The hybrid KLAS IRC Users' Meeting at APH 2025 will be held at 1:30 PM ET / 10:30 AM PT Wednesday, October 15.

Knowledge Base

Instructional Resource / Materials Center staff who use KLAS were invited to attend the KLAS IRC Users' Meeting on Wednesday, October 15, 2025 prior to the start of the 2025 American Printing House for the Blind Annual Meeting.

Slides:

Recording:

How-To header for Equipment

Knowledge Base

The Batch Receive function allows you to easily add Equipment inventory in KLAS.

To add a Range of machines, they must be a complete sequence (common for boxes of new equipment), and must have numeric serial numbers, not alpha-numeric such as the EBZ braille readers. For non-sequential and/or alpha-numeric equipment, the Single option must be used.

Download

Please log in to view available downloads. Thank you!

Remember: You are always welcome to call or email Keystone Customer Support with questions! 

 

KLAS Q&A with Katy promo graphic. Challenge Katy’s KLAS knowledge & get the answers to your nagging questions during this informal webinar. All experience levels, staff roles, and organization types welcome! 18 June, 3-4:00 ET. Graphic shows the hands of someone sitting at their laptop taking notes.

Knowledge Base

The Customer Support team is always happy to answer questions--but sometimes you just want to sit down with a KLAS expert and take a look at something. On Wednesday, June 18 we invited KLASUsers to challenge Katy's KLAS knowledge and get the answers to all their nagging questions during this informal webinar.

Didn't make it? Don't worry--this webinar was recorded and posted to KLASusers. Below are the chat, links to articles with more informations about some of the topics we discussed, and the webinar recording.

Chat

Relevant Articles / Forum Posts

Webinar Recording

Knowledge Base

On the afternoon of Tuesday, March 18, David Andrews, Chief Technology Officer, Minnesota State Services for the Blind presented a hybrid session titled "Braille: A Format for the Future" during the 2025 KLAS Users' Conference. 

This session provided an overview and brief history of paperless Braille devices, explored the evolution of the eBraille format, including the who, what, when, where and how, as well as the development of other formats, such as DAISY and ePub which led to it. David then spoke about about the implementation and what the future looks like.

For those unable to attend the conference or the session, you will find the recording of David's presentation below:

 

2025 KLAS Users' Conference Logo

Knowledge Base

Below are the slidedecks and recordings of the libraries for the blind and print disabled (LBPD) and instructional resource / materials center (IRC / IMC) KLAS New Features Sessions held on Tuesday, May 18, 2025 at the 2025 KLAS Users' Conference.

LBPD New Features in KLAS

 

IRC / IMC New Features in KLAS

Join us at 3 PM ET / Noon PT Thursday, May 15 for a KLAS Users' Roundtable where panelists will discuss "Serving the Correctional Community".

Knowledge Base

The KLAS Users' Program Committee held a free, online, roundtable on Thursday, May 15. During this session, KLASUsers from three libraries for the blind and print disabled (LBPD) discused how they use KLAS to provide materials to incarcerated individuals and how state / institutional policies effect circulation. Below are the slidedecks and recording of this session.

  • What: KLASUsers' Roundtable: Serving the Correctional Community
  • When: 3 PM ET / Noon PT Thursday, May 15
  • Who:
    • Jason Richmond & Emily Tracey, North Carolina Accessible Books & Library Services
    • Andrea Loughry, Colorado Talking Book Library
    • Judy Gray, Indiana Talking Book and Braille Library
    • Katy Patrick, Keystone Systems

Slidedecks

Recording

Patron How-to header image

Knowledge Base

Imagine this: you've just done a successful outreach program with the local TVIs (Teachers of the Visually Impaired), and now you have a stack of applications for new Juvenile patrons. Wonderful... right up until you realize that you need to enter all of the exclusions for each of them. If you're picturing spending all afternoon entering them one at a time, and worried that you'll miss one of the little 'exclusion' checkboxes along the way, I have good news!

The Quick Preference function allows you to enter all of your common exclusions at once, either by typing them in or by copying and pasting the whole list for juveniles, incarcerated patrons, and anyone wanting just the "clean reads." 

And it's not just for exclusions, either--if you learn or create a cheat sheet for your library's top 5 to 10 subject codes, you can save yourself a whole lot of time when entering preferences for your new patrons.

One-time Prep:

Create a list of popular subjects and exclusions, either by looking up the subjects on the patron Preferences tab and jotting down the code, or from the Headings Maintenance screen. See the download below for specific instructions, or your KLAS Admin would likely be glad to create a list of common subject and exclusion codes for your library.

Using Quick Preferences:

From the patron's Preferences tab (Alt-4) in the Patron module, open the Quick Preferences screen from the Functions - Preferences menu or by pressing Ctrl-Alt-n on your keyboard. Enter each code on its own line, and put an exclamation point ahead of any exclusions to say "No!" to that subject. For example, an exclusion against Westerns would be entered as !WES for "No Westerns."

For more detailed instructions, download the full Quick-Tip:

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Tips & Tricks

One option for an easy cheat-sheet is to use a blank application, and write the code next to each preference's checkbox. This ensures that you have the codes handy for everything on the application, and makes it easy to match up the codes to the application you are entering.

For easy copying/pasting of all the standard exclusions, you can also create a notepad .txt file with each exclusion on it's own line, prefixed by an exclamation point (for No!). For example, if my library's codes for Contains Violence, Contains Strong Language, and Contains Descriptions of Sex are VI, ST, and SE, my text file would be:

!VI

!ST

!SE

and so on through all the other exclusions.

I would then Save that file on my desktop or in my documents folder, and every time I entered applications from then on, I would open the file, select the whole list, and press Ctrl-c to Copy it. Any time a patron needed the whole list, or at least most of it, I would then use Ctrl-v on the Quick Preferences screen to Paste the list.

Do you use Quick Preferences? Do you have a lengthy subject code cheat-sheet on your desk, or do you have the codes for just the things on your standard application memorized? Share your tips in the comments--or let us know if you have questions!

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