Circulation Manager

Circulation Manager is the daily workspace for lending library items. It helps staff work quickly with barcode scanners or manual search, review warnings, and complete issue, return, renewal, reservation, overdue, and exception actions without opening separate item records.

Use Circulation Manager when you need to:

• Issue several items to one member in one action.
• Return or renew active loans in batches.
• Reserve an unavailable title for a member while working in Issue.
• Review active loans, due-today rows, overdues, lost or damaged exceptions, and reservation queues.
• Review rental, deposit, and fine estimates during circulation without creating final accounts records.

Main Areas

Area	What it is for
Circulation Desk	Fast scan-first Issue, Return, and Renew work, with contextual title reservation when no copy is available.
Circulation History	At-a-glance circulation, collection, digital-resource, periodical, membership, reservation, fine, and exception totals followed by the complete transaction history.
Active Loans	Current issue and renewal records, with direct Return and Renew actions.
Reservations	The live title queue, including queued and Ready for pickup records and cancellation.
Overdues & Exceptions	Operational attention list for overdue loans and pending rental or deposit decisions.

On narrow screens, Active Loans and the related circulation lists place page actions in an equal-width row, stack the field and match selectors with search at full usable width, keep Smart List and Filters balanced, preserve horizontal table scrolling, and center the record and page controls below the table. The Go to page field uses the available width, while Previous, the page number, and Next stay together on one row.

Daily Desk Flow

1. Open Circulation Manager > Circulation Desk.
2. Choose the desk mode: Issue, Return, or Renew.
3. Use Scan Desk Settings in the header for desk-wide scanner, workflow, confirmation, and Transaction Memo behavior. Use the settings icon beside Member lookup or Item lookup for that lookup only. In a multiple-match popup, use Member Search Results or Item Search Results to control filters and visible result details.
4. Scan or search the member when the mode needs a member. Issue is member-first; Return and Renew can start from the item.
5. Scan item barcodes, QR values, accession numbers, RFID values, or titles.
6. Review the member card and the queue. Each row explains whether it is ready or blocked, including cases such as under repair, already on loan, or no active loan found.
7. Complete the action. Issue eligibility is checked before an item enters the queue.

Use the back arrow immediately before Scan Desk to leave the focused workspace and return to the main dashboard.

The Scan Desk uses one focused header instead of the normal application header and a separate desk toolbar. It keeps Back, the fixed organization context with its Library selector, the Scan Desk title, Issue/Return/Renew modes, and the settings gear in one compact row. Back returns to the main dashboard. An account belongs to one organization, so the menu lists only libraries available to the signed-in user in that organization. Global search, notifications, profile actions, and module navigation stay outside the counter workspace. Changing the library clears the current member and item queue before loading the selected library context, preventing one library's circulation session from carrying into another.

The workspace follows the counter sequence from top to bottom. Scan or search for the member first. After a successful match, the compact member card keeps the large photo and identity on the left and places the real Details and Current Loans tabs on the right on wide screens. Membership Plan, Member Since, Membership Expiry, Member Status, Items Overdue, and Amount Due remain immediately available. The current-loans table includes accession number, title, issue date, due date, and status. On narrow screens the same sections stack without losing any information.

The member and item scan fields stay compact and left-aligned on desktop while using the available width on smaller screens. Select the scan icon to open the camera and read a barcode or QR code; USB scanners and keyboard entry continue to work directly in the field. The item scanner and transaction queue sit immediately below the member area. There is no separate preview column or decorative success banner. Policy checks run while an item is added; a rejected item never enters the issue table and its specific reason appears beside Item lookup. Use the information button in the Scan Desk header to open this guide.

When the item lookup contains a value, press Enter to search or add that item. When the item lookup is blank and the visible queue is ready, press Enter to run the active transaction—such as Issue All in Issue mode—without moving focus to the action button.

In Return mode, scan a Member ID to load every active loan for that member in the lower Item Lookup table. If a member is already displayed when you enter Return mode, their active loans are loaded there immediately. You may also scan any one issued item; the desk identifies its borrower, displays the member, and loads that borrower’s other active loans. Scanning an item selects that item automatically, while scanning a member leaves the rows ready for deliberate selection. Select individual checkboxes or use the heading checkbox to select all visible loans, then choose Return Selected. Clear Selection unchecks the rows without removing the member’s loan list.

The member card’s Current Loans table includes a copy button beside every available accession number. After copying, the button briefly changes to a tick so you can confirm the action without leaving the desk.

In Renew mode, scan an issued item first. The desk automatically loads the member who borrowed it for visual confirmation, validates the effective renewal policy, and adds the item to the queue. The queue shows both the current due date and the proposed new due date. Unless an authorized date is supplied by another workflow, the new date is calculated from the current due date plus the effective renewal duration from the member’s plan and matching borrowing rule—not from today.

Reservation is not a separate Scan Desk mode. While working in Issue, an unavailable or repair-status item can offer Reserve title when no issuable copy of that title exists in the active library. Finish or clear any normal issue queue first, then place the reservation for the selected member. Reservations belong to the catalogue title rather than the scanned physical copy and are queued first come, first served. A queued reservation has no pickup deadline. When any copy of that title is returned, the earliest queued reservation becomes Ready for pickup, the returned copy is assigned to it, the member-notification event is prepared, and the pickup deadline starts using the effective Membership Plan or Borrowing Rule setting. If a copy is already available, issue it instead; the desk will not create a reservation.

The desk is designed for scanners, keyboard use, and large libraries. An exact member or item identifier is selected immediately. A search that returns only one member or item is also selected automatically, so the librarian can continue scanning without clicking a suggestion. When several non-exact matches remain, a vertically scrollable selection table opens in a popup and fits its columns without horizontal scrolling. Member rows always include the member photo, while item rows always include the cover, together with identifiers and status. The first row is selected by default; use Up or Down to move, Enter to confirm, or click anywhere on a row.

Settings are deliberately split into five scopes. Scan Desk Settings contains only global scanner, workflow, transaction-confirmation, Transaction Memo, and printer choices. Member Lookup Settings contains member search fields, member-card display choices, and member validation warnings. Item Lookup Settings contains item identifiers, item display choices, and item warnings. Member Search Results filters membership status and type and controls member columns; Item Search Results filters availability and collection types and controls item columns. No member option appears in item settings and no item option appears in member settings. These choices are saved for the signed-in user. Every title, tab, option, warning, and action follows the language selected for the Standalone app. The borderless information button stays at the far right of the header. Lookup rows use status colors for quick recognition: issued, unavailable, blocked, or lost records use red; reference-only and inactive records use amber; damaged or repair records use orange; reservations use blue; and processing or expired records use purple. The highlighted keyboard row keeps a teal focus outline regardless of its status color.

Settings button	Controls
Header gear	Duplicate-scan handling, sounds, automatic clearing, transaction confirmations, automatic Transaction Memo printing, and printer templates.
Member lookup gear	Member identifiers, member-card fields, expiry/block/limit warnings, loan history, and the expired-membership renewal popup.
Item lookup gear	Barcode/RFID/accession/call-number/title search, cover and location details, and reserved/damaged/missing/rental/deposit warnings.
Member result settings	Which membership statuses and member types appear, plus photo, email, phone, and department columns.
Item result settings	Which availability and collection types appear, plus cover, accession, barcode, and shelf-location columns.

The member-information area remains reserved before a member is selected. A neutral skeleton previews the photo, identity, tabs, and metric layout without showing sample member data, preventing the item area from jumping vertically when member details appear or are cleared.

Items added by mistake can be removed from the current queue with the red bin button on that row.

Member Scan Settings are grouped into Scanner, Identification, Member Information, Warnings, and History. Identification choices restrict which returned member fields may match the entered search. Auto-clear, duplicate-scan protection, and success/error sounds apply immediately at the desk; information, warning, and history choices control the member context librarians want available during circulation.

Queue actions are aligned to the right. Clear Queue appears immediately before the mode's primary action, with Issue All, Return Queued, Renew Queued, or Reserve Selected kept as the rightmost button.

Reference-only items can be issued for reading-room use. They are automatically due before the library closes on the same day and appear in Circulation History's dedicated Reference Issued section until returned. Other unavailable, issued, reserved-for-another-member, lost, damaged, repair, processing, or blocked copies are not added to the issue queue.

Member lookup errors appear beside the member search field, and item lookup errors appear beside the item search field, so staff can correct the relevant scan without losing the rest of the desk. Before items are scanned, the item table keeps its column headings, four skeleton rows, and disabled action buttons visible. The queue displays four rows at once and becomes scrollable when more items are added. Its Return date column uses the policy preview due date when available, then falls back to the return or due date supplied by the item record.

After a successful transaction, a short completion message appears beside Clear Queue with a close button. Errors remain prominent so staff do not miss required action. When Auto clear after transaction is enabled in the Workflow tab, the completed queue and selected member are cleared and focus returns to Member lookup for the next patron. When it is disabled, the member stays selected and the Current Loans tab refreshes immediately so newly issued, returned, or renewed items are visible without scanning the member again.

By default, a member cannot borrow two active copies of the same title. The Scan Desk checks both the queue and the member's active loans before issue and explains when the configured limit has been reached.

The same-title restriction is a circulation policy setting, not a Scan Desk setting. In Policy Settings, choose Organization default or Active library override, then use the real Issue Policy, Return Policy, and Renewal Policy tabs. Same-title active copy limit defaults to 1; enter 2, 3, or another number when the library permits several copies, or 0 for unlimited. Matching uses the canonical catalogue identity shared by the copies, not the displayed title text, so separately held copies of the same catalogue are counted together.

Policy precedence is organization default → library override → Membership Plan-targeted override → matching Borrowing Rule exception. Membership Plans remain authoritative for total borrowing limits, normal loan periods, renewal counts and duration, reservation limits, fines, deposits, reference access, and reading-room access. Policy Settings currently expose the enforced same-title active-copy limit; the Return and Renewal tabs identify the Membership Plan as the source of those rules instead of presenting inactive controls.

The member's Current Loans table has a bounded vertical scroll for longer loan lists and a horizontal scrollbar for wide columns. Staff can drag the table with a mouse, trackpad, stylus, or touch gesture, or use the visible scrollbars. In the WebApp, focus the table and use Left/Right Arrow to move across columns or Up/Down Arrow to move through the visible rows.

At the start of an empty Issue session, the desk shows the three required stages instead of an empty transaction table: select the member, scan or search items, then review and complete. The item queue appears as soon as the first item is scanned, and the preview counters appear only when they contain useful information.

Member photos and item covers are shown as quick visual checks when they are available. If a library wants a faster, text-only counter view, staff can hide those visual helpers from Circulation Settings without changing the circulation data.

Each settings group is a real tab. Use Tab to enter the tab strip, Left or Right Arrow to change groups, and then Tab again to reach the settings in the active panel. In Member Lookup Settings, Open Renew Popup for Expired opens an on-the-spot renewal dialog after an expired member is selected. The dialog shows the member, current plan, and current expiry, then uses the same renewal service as Member Manager so cloud and local setups preserve the same plan calculation and renewal history.

Item search results use compact two-line rows with a larger cover preview. The first line shows the title, while the smaller second line shows the author and publisher so similar copies are easier to distinguish. The Location column shows the physical shelf/location while a physical copy is in the library, the borrowing member's visible Member ID while it is issued, or Digital for a digital resource.

For issued copies, hover or keyboard-focus the visible Member ID to open a reusable compact member card with the member photo, name, Membership Plan, and expiry date. The expected return date is displayed directly below the Issued status and remains available in its hover or keyboard-focus tooltip. If older or incomplete transaction data has no due date, the row clearly says Return date not set instead of hiding the problem. The same member card is shared UI and can be reused by other operational screens.

Circulation History

Use Circulation History to review circulation activity and find earlier work without opening several reports. Its compact top cards stay focused on circulation: today's issues and returns, active and overdue loans, pending reservations, reading-room reference issues, collected fines, and lost or damaged items. Collection and membership totals belong to their own management areas and are not repeated here.

Below the summary, the history table uses recorded circulation events rather than sample or calculated activity. The newest event is always first. Search by member, item title, accession number, barcode, library, staff member, or transaction ID, and filter by Issue, Return, Renew, Reserve, Fine, Fine payment, or Cancel. Each row shows the event time, member, item and library, accession, status, due-date change, staff member, and transaction ID. Use the page controls to move through large histories; searches and filters run against the database rather than loading the full history into the screen. In a narrow window, the previous arrow, page count, and next arrow stay together as one centered group.

History and totals are scoped to the active library when one is selected. Cloud setup reads cloud circulation events, while Local setup reads the Standalone app's local event ledger; the two remain separate. The layout reflows on tablets and narrow windows, and the wide table remains horizontally scrollable so identifiers are not truncated into unreadable columns.

Transactions completed before Circulation History was introduced are recovered automatically and appear together with newer activity. This recovery is safe to run again and does not create duplicate history rows. If older activity is not visible immediately after an update, restart the application or refresh the page after the update has finished.

Borrowing Rules In Plain Words

Membership Plans define the normal borrower entitlements: borrow limit, default loan days, renewal limit, reservation limit, hold days, and plan-level fee or deposit defaults.

Borrowing Rules are for exceptions. Use them when a material type, library, collection, lending restriction, or special case should behave differently from the member's Membership Plan.

Charges

When a matched rule or Membership Plan requires a rental or deposit, the issue transaction records it as pending. In Overdues & Exceptions, staff can mark the pending charge collected. Staff with Circulation Override permission may waive it only after entering a reason; both decisions remain in Circulation History. Final invoicing, tax, refunds, and the general payment ledger remain Accounts responsibilities.

Good Practices

• Keep scanner focus on the lookup box during desk work.
• Preview a large issue queue before choosing Issue All.
• Configure normal borrowing limits in Membership Plans.
• Use Borrowing Rules only for exceptions and restrictions.
• Keep reference-only and restricted items marked in copy/material settings so the desk can warn staff.
• Use Overdues & Exceptions daily before closing the circulation counter.
• Use batch return when a member brings many items together.

Troubleshooting

Problem	What to check
A scan finds the wrong record	Check whether the barcode, accession, RFID, or visible Member ID is duplicated. Use exact search in the relevant table to verify.
An item is blocked	Read the row warning. The item may be reference only, already issued, reserved by another member, lost, damaged, or outside the member's borrowing limit.
A second copy of the same title is rejected	The member already has an active copy from that catalogue, or another copy from it is already in the queue. Return or remove the first copy before issuing the second.
Due date looks wrong	Check the member's Membership Plan first. Then check whether a Borrowing Rule exception matched the item.
Issued status says “Return date not set”	The active transaction is older or incomplete and has no stored due date. Review and correct that loan record; the desk does not invent a replacement date.
A member cannot borrow	Check member status, membership plan, active loan count, and any expired membership or block note.
A reservation queue looks unexpected	Review existing active loans and earlier reservations for the same item or title.
A charge remains pending	Open Overdues & Exceptions, use the row action to mark it collected, or ask an authorized supervisor to waive it with a reason.

Cloud setup and Local setup remain separate. Circulation work in one setup does not silently sync to the other setup.