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Textbooks
Textbooks
The operational screen for bulk issuing textbook sets to classes, tracking individual student loans, and processing end-of-year returns.
The Textbooks screen is used at the start and end of each school year. At the start of year, it enables a librarian to issue a full set of textbooks to an entire class in a single operation. Throughout the year, individual corrections can be made — swapping a copy, recording a lost book, or issuing a late-joining student their books. At year end, bulk returns are processed class by class. All transactions are tracked per student and per copy (ARN), giving a complete audit trail.
The Textbooks screen is divided into two main areas: a filter bar at the top and an issue grid below.
| Area | Description |
|---|
| Grade selector |
A dropdown listing all Member Types configured for textbook issue in Textbook Settings. Select the grade to work with before proceeding. |
| Class / category filter |
Filters the student list to a specific Category (class group) within the selected grade. For example, selecting Grade 9 and then 9B shows only the students in class 9B. |
| Subject filter |
Narrows the issue grid to a single subject. Use this when issuing one subject's textbooks at a time, or when making corrections to a specific subject. |
| Issue grid |
The main working area. Rows represent students; columns represent subjects (or copies, if multiple copies per subject are configured). Each cell shows the barcode of the copy issued to that student, or is blank if no copy has been issued. |
| Student search |
A search box above the grid that filters the student list by name or member number. Use this to locate a specific student quickly without scrolling through the full class list. |
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Subjects visible in the grid. Only subjects mapped to the selected grade in Textbook Settings appear as columns in the issue grid. If a subject is missing, check the subject–grade mapping in
Textbook Settings.
The bulk issue process assigns one copy (ARN) of each subject's textbook to every student in the selected class. It is designed to be run at the start of the school year, class by class, working through each grade.
To run a bulk issue:
- Select the Grade from the grade selector.
- Select the Class (category) — e.g. 9A.
- Optionally select a subject if issuing one subject at a time, or leave blank to issue all subjects in one pass.
- Click Bulk Issue. The system will display a confirmation screen showing the number of students, subjects, and copies that will be issued.
- Confirm. The system assigns ARNs sequentially from available stock for each title, records the issue against each student's member record, and populates the issue grid.
| Field / option | Description |
|---|
| Issue date |
The date recorded as the start of the loan. Defaults to today. Can be changed to reflect the actual first day of school if the bulk issue is processed a few days late. |
| Skip already issued |
When enabled (the default), students who already have a copy of a given subject's textbook issued are skipped. This allows the bulk issue to be re-run safely if it was interrupted. |
| Stock allocation method |
Determines how ARNs are assigned to students. Options are Sequential (assigns the lowest available barcode numbers first) and Random. Sequential is recommended for easier physical sorting. |
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Ensure sufficient stock before running the bulk issue. The system will issue up to the number of available ARNs for each title. If there are fewer copies in stock than there are students, the remaining students will be left with blank cells in the issue grid. Resolve stock shortages before running the bulk issue, or issue the remaining copies individually once stock arrives.
Example — Bulk issue for class 10A
Class 10A has 28 students and takes 6 subjects, each requiring 1 copy. Running the bulk issue for Grade 10 → Class 10A assigns 168 copies in total (28 × 6), one per student per subject. The issue grid for 10A is fully populated in under a minute. The librarian then prints the issue list and uses it to physically distribute the books to the class teacher.
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Process one class at a time and print the issue list after each class before moving to the next. The printed list is used by the class teacher to hand out books and have students sign acknowledgement of receipt.
Individual issues are used when a student joins the school after the bulk issue has been run, or when a specific copy needs to be issued to a specific student (e.g. to replace a lost book).
To issue a textbook to an individual student:
- Locate the student in the issue grid using the student search or by scrolling to their row.
- Click the blank cell in the column for the relevant subject. A barcode entry field appears.
- Scan or type the barcode of the copy to be issued.
- Press Enter or click Issue. The cell is populated with the barcode and the loan is recorded.
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Late-joining students. When a new student is added to the system mid-year, they will appear in the issue grid with all cells blank. Issue their books individually using the steps above. Their loan dates will reflect the actual issue date, not the bulk issue date used for the rest of the class.
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A barcode scanner is strongly recommended for individual issues. Manual barcode entry is supported but slower and more error-prone.
Textbook returns are processed at the end of the school year (or when a student leaves mid-year). The Textbooks screen supports both bulk returns (entire class at once) and individual returns (one copy at a time).
Bulk return — entire class:
- Select the Grade and Class.
- Click Bulk Return. A confirmation screen lists all outstanding loans for the class.
- Confirm. All copies are returned simultaneously and the issue grid cells are cleared.
Individual return — one student or one copy:
- Locate the student in the issue grid.
- Click the populated cell for the subject being returned. A return confirmation prompt appears showing the copy's barcode and the student's name.
- Confirm the return. The cell is cleared and the loan is closed.
| Field | Description |
|---|
| Return date |
The date recorded as the return date. Defaults to today. If processing returns over several days, adjust this date to reflect the actual day each class's books were handed in. |
| Condition on return |
An optional condition note that can be recorded against the ARN at the time of return (e.g. Good, Damaged, Missing pages). This is used to flag copies for withdrawal or repair before the next issue cycle. |
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Do not run a bulk return unless all books for that class have physically been collected. Once a bulk return is processed, the loans are closed and cannot easily be re-opened. Process individual returns for any copies that come in late after the class bulk return has run.
Example — Year-end return for class 11B
Class 11B has 25 students with 5 subjects each — 125 copies outstanding. The class teacher collects all books on 28 November. The librarian selects Grade 11 → 11B and clicks Bulk Return. The confirmation screen shows 125 outstanding loans. After confirming, all 125 loans are closed. Two students are absent and their 10 copies are returned individually the following day.
When a student reports a book as lost or returns a book in an unacceptable condition, the copy must be marked accordingly. This removes the copy from active stock and (if configured) raises a replacement charge against the student's account.
| Action | Description |
|---|
| Mark as lost |
Closes the loan and changes the ARN's status to Lost. The copy is removed from available stock. If a replacement value is configured for the BRN in Textbook Settings, a charge is posted to the student's account. The cell in the issue grid is cleared and a lost indicator is shown. |
| Mark as damaged |
Closes the loan and changes the ARN's status to Damaged. A damage charge (if configured) is posted to the student's account. The copy is flagged for review before it can be re-issued. |
| Replace copy |
Issues a replacement copy to the student after a lost or damaged copy has been resolved. The new copy's barcode is scanned into the relevant cell, creating a new loan record. The replacement copy must be available in stock (status: On shelf). |
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Replacement charges are only raised automatically if a replacement value has been entered for the relevant BRN in Textbook Settings. If the replacement value is blank, the librarian must raise the charge manually through the student's member record or via the school's billing system.
A student's current textbook loans can be viewed from two places: the issue grid (click the student's name to open a summary panel) or from the student's member record in the Members module (the Textbooks tab within the member record).
| Column | Description |
|---|
| Subject |
The subject for which the textbook was issued. |
| Title |
The full title of the textbook as catalogued in the BRN record. |
| Barcode |
The barcode of the specific physical copy (ARN) issued to this student. |
| Issue date |
The date on which this copy was issued to the student. |
| Due date |
The date by which the book must be returned, calculated from the issue date and the loan period in Textbook Settings. |
| Status |
The current status of the loan — On loan, Returned, Lost, or Damaged. |
After completing the bulk issue, use the following screens to verify and monitor textbook distribution:
- Textbook Summary & Report — verify that all students have received their books and that no titles are over-issued or under-issued.
- Textbook Settings — review or update subject–grade mappings if any changes are needed after issuing has begun.
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Run the Textbook Report by class immediately after completing each class's bulk issue. This lets you identify and resolve any stock gaps (students with blank cells) before the class teacher distributes the books.