Running the library

Titles are catalogued once with their copies tracked separately, so three copies of the same book are three lendable items rather than one record somebody has to remember about.

A loan links a copy to a student from the roster, with a due date. Because it uses the same student record as everything else, a child's borrowing sits alongside the rest of their record rather than in a separate system.

• Active — out on loan, within its due date.
• Overdue — past the due date and not yet back.
• Returned — closed.
• Lost — closed differently, because a lost copy should leave the lendable stock.

Overdue is derived from the due date rather than set by hand, so the chase list is a fact rather than somebody's housekeeping. Marking a copy lost removes it from stock, which is what keeps the catalogue honest about what can actually be borrowed.

A unit's reading list is most useful when it is the library's actual holdings rather than a separate document that slowly stops being true. Linking them means a teacher planning a unit can see what the school already owns.