Families: grouping patrons

Families group patrons together — parents and kids, spouses, siblings.

Why families

• Parents can see what their kids have out
• One adult can place holds on behalf of kids
• Family-level borrowing rules (some libraries set per-family loan limits)
• One contact email can be the family's primary point of contact

Creating a family

• Patrons → Add Family
• Give it a name (usually the last name)
• Add primary contact email
• Save

Adding members

• Open the family
• Click "Add member"
• Enter patron details for each one
• Children can be added without their own email

Linking existing patrons

• Open a family
• "Add existing patron"
• Search by name
• Confirm

Family admin

The first adult in a family is the default family admin — they can edit family settings and approve children's activities. To change, mark a different adult as admin.

Family loan limits

Set in Settings → Loan Policies → Family Limit. Default: no limit. Some libraries cap at 10 loans per family.

Splitting a family

If a child grows up or moves out, remove them from the family. Their account becomes standalone with all loans/history preserved.