Library operations: catalogue, circulation, reservations and fines

#Purpose and scope

This chapter follows a book from the shelf to the member and back: the rules that govern lending, the desk screen where items are issued and returned, reservations, inter-branch transits and the fines that result. Cataloguing, acquisitions, serials, electronic resources and inter-library loan have their own screens and are not covered here.

#Before you start

1. Branches and shelving locations exist (Branches); optionally group branches in Branch groups.
2. Bibliographic records exist (Bib records) with a material type. A material type that is marked as non-circulating cannot be issued.
3. Member categories exist (Patron categories); a category carries default loan days and item limit.
4. Charge types for overdue, lost and damage charges are configured (Charge types). If a charge type is not configured, the charge is not raised.
5. Closed days are entered in Closures so due dates roll past holidays.

#1. Define circulation rules

1. Open Circulation rules and choose New.
2. Optionally narrow the rule by patron category, material type, branch or branch group. A blank field means any.
3. Enter Loan Days, Max Items, Max Renewals, Renewal Days, Fine per Day, Grace Days, Max Fine (0 means uncapped) and Priority. Tick or clear Reservations Allowed.

#2. Add copies and members

1. In Copies add each physical copy against its title with a barcode, branch, optional shelving location, condition and status. Tick Reference only for a copy that must never be issued.
2. In Patrons add the member with a membership number, category, validity dates and, if needed, a member type (external, student, employee, patient, doctor or system user). Tick Blocked and give a reason to stop a member from transacting.

#3. Issue, return and renew at the desk

1. Open Circulation desk. Scan or type the membership number and press Enter (or Load). The patron card shows category, validity, whether the member is blocked and any amount owed.
2. To issue, scan the copy barcode in Issue a copy and choose Issue. The due date is set from the rule and moved forward past any closure of the copy’s branch.
3. To return, scan the barcode in Return a copy. No patron needs to be loaded, so a book drop can be processed directly.
4. To renew, choose Renew against the loan in the On loan list.
5. Read the Activity panel: each scan shows a green success or a red refusal with the reason.

#4. What happens on return

Returning a copy closes the loan. If it is overdue, BSuit raises an Overdue charge: Fine per Day multiplied by the chargeable days (after Grace Days and closed days), capped at Max Fine when that is set. If the next member in the reservation queue is waiting, the copy is held for them; if it belongs to another branch, or is wanted at another branch, a transit is created. Returning a copy that was not on loan is refused (“That copy was not on loan.”).

#5. Reservations

1. Reserve from the Circulation desk (the Reserve button on a catalogue search result, with a patron loaded) or add a record in Reservations.
2. A member can hold a title only once (“You already have a reservation on this title.”). A new reservation joins the queue at the next position.
3. The reservation list shows Queue position, Status (pending, available, fulfilled and others), Placed and Expires.
4. Members can reserve and cancel their own reservations in My Library.

#6. Lost and damaged copies

The API supports marking a copy lost, marking it found, and flagging it damaged or sending it for repair. Marking lost closes the open loan and raises a replacement charge when a LOST charge type is configured; damage raises a DAMAGE charge in the same way. Marking a copy found puts it back on the shelf but leaves any replacement charge in place: waive it if your policy refunds. The Circulation desk screen does not show lost or damaged buttons.

#7. Charges, payments and waivers

1. Review fines and fees in Charges (date, patron, type, amount, balance, status). Staff can also add a charge by choosing a patron, charge type and amount.
2. To collect, load the patron at the Circulation desk and choose Pay on the charge, or review the receipts in Payments.
3. To forgive, choose Waive and enter the reason. The reason is added to the charge description.

#8. Offline desk actions

A kiosk or terminal that loses connectivity can post its captured actions in a batch once it reconnects. Offline sync is a read-only log showing the action, device, patron, item, time, status (pending, applied or failed) and result message, with counts at the top. There is no manual entry form on that page.

#Loans list

Loans lists all loans with barcode, title, patron, issue date, due date, renewals and status, and flags overdue ones. Use it to review overdues; routine issues and returns belong on the Circulation desk.