Circulation

A loan connects the patron reference, collection item, responsible team member, organization, copy count and due date. Its status tells the Collection Coordinator whether work is requested, reserved, issued, overdue, returned or cancelled. The record number and subject help staff find the right transaction when a patron returns to the desk. Keeping those facts together prevents a handoff from depending on a private note or somebody’s memory.

Operations Overview helps the team see what is out, late, waiting on review or in exception. The coordinator can then open the loan and its linked evidence. A current status is useful, but it cannot explain custody by itself. Custody events record when a particular copy was reserved, issued or returned and where custody moved. Read the loan and its events together when a question concerns a physical copy.

• Request. The loan starts with a patron reference, item, owner, copy count and due date.
• Movement. Custody events document the copy code, event time and condition at handoff.
• Outcome. The loan status and return time show where circulation stands now.

Decide how staff verify a patron reference before reserving a copy. Set a consistent due date practice and identify who can change it. Agree when a requested loan becomes reserved and what physical check establishes that an item is ready for issue. A reserved status should match the actual copy held for the patron.

At issue, the team should record the copy code and source and destination custodians. At return, record the receiving custodian and observed condition. These entries help the next shift distinguish a returned copy from a loan that was only marked returned. Decide how discrepancies are escalated to the Collection Reviewer and how the coordinator should treat an operation receipt that still needs review.

Create a loan for a named collection item with a due date and one assigned coordinator. Follow it from request through reservation and issue. Confirm that the custody event describes the same copy staff handed over. Let the due date pass in a rehearsal and check that the due work can be found from the loan list and Operations Overview. Then return the copy with its condition, and confirm the current loan and the earlier issue event remain readable.

Repeat the review with a second team member. The new owner should be able to tell who has the copy, when it is due and what action remains without asking the original coordinator. An Auditor should be able to reconstruct the completed movement from the loan and events. The team should investigate any mismatch before treating the return as complete.

• My Loans — Loans assigned to the coordinator, with status, due date and item.
• Due Loans — Dated loan work for follow-up by the circulation team.
• Returned Loans — Returned loan records with issue and return times.

Use circulation for the full request and return cycle. Review custody and exceptions when the physical handoff or receipt needs attention.