Archive or hide a book

Sometimes you need a book out of the patron-facing catalogue without losing the history. That's what archiving is for.

Archive vs delete

• Archive — Hide from patrons. Keep all data (loans, holds, copies, history). Reversible.
• Delete — Remove permanently. Cannot be done if there are loans referencing the book.

Archive is the right choice 99% of the time. Delete is only for books you've added by mistake.

Archiving

• Catalog → find book → Edit
• Set Status to "Archived" (or uncheck "Active")
• Save

What happens:

• The book disappears from the patron catalogue
• Active loans continue — patrons can still return their copies
• Active holds are cancelled with a notification to the patron
• The book is still visible in your back office under "Archived"

Unarchiving

Catalog → Filter by Archived → find the book → Edit → set back to Active. The book reappears in the patron catalogue immediately.

Deleting

For books with no history (added by mistake, etc.):

• Catalog → find book → Edit → Delete
• Confirm

If there are any loans or holds, you'll get an error. Either archive instead, or first delete the dependent records (not recommended).

What about lost copies?

If only one copy is lost or damaged but the book itself is still in your library, edit just that copy and mark it inactive. The book remains active and other copies stay borrowable. See "Lost or damaged copies".