Manage Library Cards

Issue library cards to students and faculty to enable book borrowing. Cards track checkout limits, history, and membership status.

Time required: 2-5 minutes per card

Prerequisites

Library Manager or Assistant role
Student or faculty record exists
Library card type configured

Steps

Step 1: Navigate to Library Cards

Go to OpenEduCat → Library → Library Cards
Click Create to issue a new card

Step 2: Select Card Holder

Field	Required	Description	Example
Card Type	Yes	Student or Faculty	”Student Card”
Student	Conditional	Student record	”John Doe”
Faculty	Conditional	Faculty record	-

Note: Select either Student OR Faculty based on card type.

Step 3: Enter Card Details

Field	Required	Description	Example
Card Number	Yes	Unique card ID	”LIB-2024-0001”
Issue Date	Yes	Card issue date	2024-08-01
Expiry Date	Yes	Card expiration	2025-07-31
Book Limit	Yes	Max books at a time	5

Step 4: Configure Card Type Defaults

Card limits may be preset by card type:

Card Type	Book Limit	Loan Period	Fine Rate
Student	3	14 days	$0.50/day
Faculty	10	30 days	$0.25/day
Staff	5	21 days	$0.25/day
Researcher	15	60 days	$0.50/day

Step 5: Save Card

Click Save to activate the library card.

Card States

State	Description
Draft	Card created, not active
Active	Card is valid for borrowing
Expired	Past expiry date
Suspended	Temporarily disabled
Cancelled	Permanently revoked

Bulk Card Creation

From Student List

Go to Students list view
Select multiple students
Click Action → Create Library Cards
Configure defaults:
- Card type
- Issue/Expiry dates
- Book limit
Click Create

Import Cards

Go to Library Cards
Click Favorites → Import Records

Upload CSV with columns:

student_id,card_number,issue_date,expiry_date,book_limit
STU001,LIB-2024-0001,2024-08-01,2025-07-31,5

Card Operations

Renew Card

For expired or expiring cards:

Open the card record
Click Renew button
Set new expiry date
Click Confirm

Suspend Card

Temporarily disable borrowing:

Open the card
Click Suspend
Enter reason (optional)
Click Confirm

To reactivate:

Click Reactivate
Card returns to Active state

Cancel Card

Permanently revoke:

Open the card
Click Cancel
Confirm action
Card cannot be reactivated

Warning: Cancel only if card holder is no longer a member.

Card Information Display

Current Checkouts

View books currently issued:

Click Checkouts smart button
See list with due dates
Identify overdue items

Checkout History

View all past transactions:

Click History smart button
Filter by date range
Export for records

Outstanding Fines

View unpaid fines:

Click Fines smart button
Total fine amount
Pay/waive options

Self-Service Portal (Enterprise)

Card holders can access via portal:

Log into student/faculty portal
Navigate to My Library
View:
- Current checkouts
- Due dates
- Reservation status
- Fine balance

Portal Actions

Action	Description
View Catalog	Search library holdings
Reserve Item	Place hold on item
Renew Online	Extend loan period
View History	Past checkouts
Pay Fines	Online payment (if configured)

Card Type Configuration

Create Card Type

Go to Library → Configuration → Card Types
Click Create
Configure:

Field	Description	Example
Name	Type name	”Graduate Student”
Code	Short code	”GRAD”
Book Limit	Max checkouts	8
Default Loan Days	Standard loan period	21
Default Fine	Fine per day	0.50
Renewals Allowed	Number of renewals	2

Card Numbering

Configure automatic numbering:

Go to Settings → Technical → Sequences
Find “Library Card” sequence
Configure:
- Prefix: LIB-
- Padding: 6 digits
- Next number: starting point

Field Reference

Library Card

Technical Field	UI Label	Type	Notes
`card_number`	Card Number	Char	Unique identifier
`card_type_id`	Card Type	Many2one	Type of card
`student_id`	Student	Many2one	Student record
`faculty_id`	Faculty	Many2one	Faculty record
`issue_date`	Issue Date	Date	When issued
`expiry_date`	Expiry Date	Date	When expires
`book_limit`	Book Limit	Integer	Max checkouts
`state`	Status	Selection	Card state

Card Type

Technical Field	UI Label	Type	Notes
`name`	Name	Char	Type name
`code`	Code	Char	Short code
`book_limit`	Book Limit	Integer	Default limit
`loan_days`	Loan Days	Integer	Default period
`fine_per_day`	Fine/Day	Float	Default fine
`max_renewals`	Max Renewals	Integer	Renewal limit

Troubleshooting

”Student already has active card”

Each student can have only one active card:

Find existing card
Suspend/cancel old card first
Or renew existing card

Cannot issue books

Check that card:

Is in “Active” state
Has not expired
Has not reached book limit
Has no excessive fines

Card number conflict

Card numbers must be unique:

Check sequence configuration
Manually adjust number
Reset sequence if needed

Expiry date validation error

Expiry date must be:

After issue date
In the future
Within configured maximum period