Lost or damaged copies

When a copy is lost or damaged, mark it so it stops showing as available — but keep it in the record for history.

Marking a copy lost

• Loans → find the loan → Mark as Lost
• Or: Catalog → find book → Edit → Copies → set the copy's status to Lost

What happens:

• The copy is marked inactive immediately
• The patron's loan is closed (they may owe a replacement fee — handled outside Shelfwise)
• The book's available count drops by 1
• If other patrons were waiting via hold, the next in line is notified

Marking a copy damaged

• Catalog → find book → Edit → Copies → set the copy's condition to Damaged

What happens:

• The copy stays active by default (you can still circulate it)
• The condition field changes to "Damaged" for both library and patron view
• The patron's loan continues normally

To stop circulating a damaged copy entirely, also mark it inactive.

Replacement fees

Shelfwise doesn't bill replacement fees automatically. Track these in a separate spreadsheet or invoice the patron through your usual process.

When to delete vs keep

Keep the copy record even when lost — it shows up in:

• Patron loan history (what they had checked out)
• Total acquisitions count
• Analytics ("books lost this year")

Delete only if the copy was added by mistake and never circulated.

Recovering a lost copy

If a "lost" copy turns up:

• Catalog → find book → Edit → Copies → set status back to Available and active
• Send the patron a friendly note that the book was found if you'd already billed them