Library: catalogue, issue, return and fines
Keep the catalogue and every copy with its accession number. Issue and take back books at the counter or on a phone, and late fines go to the student's fee account. Students see the books they have out, due dates and fines.
PLANSFrom Growth
The problem it solves
- The issue register is a ledger, and nobody can say which final-year student still has the reference book that went missing.
- Late fines are worked out by hand at the counter and rarely reach the fee accounts.
- A student leaves with three library books, and the transfer certificate is already signed.
- Students learn about an overdue book only when they come to the counter.
How it works
- The librarian sets up categories, authors and books, then adds the copies. Each copy gets an accession number and a QR code of that number.
- To issue, open Smart Library > Borrows and choose the borrower, the book and an available copy. Set the due date or the number of days.
- On a phone, the librarian scans the copy's barcode or the student's ID card in the Campus app's Library desk and taps Issue.
- Once a day the system marks loans past their due date as Delayed. The dashboard and the Delayed filter show them.
- When the book comes back, End Borrow closes the loan. If it is late and the borrower is a student, days late times the fine per day becomes a due on the fee account.
- A lost book is marked with Book Lost: the copy becomes Lost and the book's price is charged to the student.
Everything it does
Catalogue
- Books with authors, category, language, edition, ISBN, pages, price, purchase invoice number and a cover
- Copies with accession number, QR code, shelf (Place) and status: Available, Borrowed or Lost
- Your own accession numbers are kept when you import
- Categories can be shared by every college in the account or kept to one
- Publishers kept as a reference list
Loans
- Statuses: Draft, Running, Delayed and Ended
- Due date typed, or worked out from the number of days; the app uses the copy's loan days, 15 to start with
- Only available copies of the chosen book are offered
- A running loan is locked; a library manager can put it back to draft to correct it
- Renew from the Campus app's Library desk
- Faculty and staff borrow too: any contact can be a borrower
- No membership cards, no cap on books per borrower and no separate loan period for faculty
Overdue books and fines
- A daily check marks overdue loans Delayed; Check Delayed runs it at once
- Fine = days late times the rate per day, charged once per loan, on return or when the book is marked lost
- Rate: the Entity's Library Fine per Day, or a Delay Penalty chosen on the loan
- The fine goes to the student's fee account under the Library Fine head and is paid like any fee
- Students only: loans to faculty and staff are not charged
- A lost book charges the book's price
Blocks and clearance
- With the Library Borrowing block rule, a student with overdue fees cannot be issued a book
- Books not returned stop the transfer certificate
Reports
- Dashboard: Running Borrows, Delayed Borrows, the most borrowed books and loans by borrower and book
- Loans as a list, calendar, table, chart or cards, grouped by status, borrower or book
- Copies filtered by Lost, Borrowed and Available
Who uses it
Librarian (Library User)Issues and takes back books, renews loans and marks books lost, at the counter or on the phone.
Library ManagerAdds and removes books, copies, categories and authors, deletes loans and corrects a running loan.
Accounts officeCollects library fines with the other dues and sets the fine per day.
StudentSees the books out, their due dates, overdue books, returned books and fines.
FacultyBorrows books like students, without fines.
Where you use it
- Web: Smart Library (Dashboard, Borrows, Book Information, Configration) in the back office
- The Campus app, staff view: Desk > Library with Out now, Overdue, Due today, barcode scan, issue, return, renew and mark as lost. Built and in testing, not in the app stores yet
- Student portal and the Campus app: the Library page; parents see it with their view-only login
- Not sent today: overdue reminders to borrowers; students see overdue books on the portal and in the app
- Not built: a catalogue search for students, book reservations, membership cards and a record for damaged books
What you control
Settings
- Library Fine per Day: per Entity, under Fees > Configuration > General > Settings; 0 means no fine
- Delay Penalties: your own rates to pick on a delayed loan
- Loan days per copy: 15 to start with
- Library Borrowing block for overdue fees: off unless you add the block rule
- Library page for students and parents: on, with a switch on the Entity's Parent & Student Portal tab
Notifications
- No library notification events today: the library sends no reminder of its own
Questions
Can the librarian work from a phone?
Yes. The staff view of the Campus app has a Library desk. Scan the book's barcode or the ID card, then issue, return, renew or mark as lost. The app is built and in testing, not in the app stores yet.How are late fines collected?
When a late book comes back, the fine is worked out and added to the student's fee account under Library Fine. The student pays it at the counter or online with other fees.Are students reminded about overdue books?
Not by a message today. Students see overdue books with their due dates on the portal and in the app.Can we bring in our existing catalogue?
Yes. The import workbook has sheets for books, copies and current loans, and keeps your accession numbers.Can a student leave with books still out?
The transfer certificate cannot be issued while library books are not returned, unless the office deliberately overrides the clearance.Can faculty borrow books?
Yes. Any contact can borrow, faculty included. Fines are charged to students only.Related features
CERTIFICATES AND LIBRARYBonafide, conduct and transfer certificates onlineStudents ask for a bonafide, conduct, transfer or course completion certificate on the portal or the Campus app, pay its fee and download it signed. Every certificate carries a QR code that a bank, an employer or another university can scan to check it.FEESFee counter and receipts with a QR checkYour cashier picks a student, ticks the dues and takes cash, cheque, UPI, card or a bank transfer. The receipt carries a QR code that a bank or scholarship office can scan to check it. A bounced cheque opens the dues again.FEESDeposits, refunds, late fees and services held for duesHold caution deposits and give them back when a student leaves, with unpaid fees cleared first. Late fees are added each night by your slabs. Hall tickets, the transfer certificate and library borrowing can wait while fees are overdue.ADMISSIONS AND STUDENT RECORDSSet-up and import from spreadsheetsBring your college in from Excel: staff, departments, programmes, batches, semesters, sections, subjects and students with parents. Then the timetable, this year's attendance, fees, marks, credits and the library. The whole workbook is checked first, and nothing is saved until every row is clean.APPS AND PORTALFaculty view in the appThe faculty view of the Campus app puts the day on the phone: today's lectures and registers, assignments, marks, student leave and exam duties. The same app runs the library counter and the activity instructor's sessions, and each person sees only the pages their role allows.APPS AND PORTALCampus app and web portal for students and parentsStudents sign in to the Campus app or the web portal and act for themselves: attendance, timetable, assignments, results, electives, leave, certificates, placements and fees. Parents get their own login and see the same pages, view only unless you decide otherwise.
See your own semester run in it.
Tell us how many students you have, which programmes you run, how you hold examinations and how electives are chosen today. We will show you SmartMy College set up that way.