Books (Catalog)

The Books section is the master catalog of every title in your library. A book record stores bibliographic details, rental settings, access rules, and aggregate copy counts. Physical items are tracked separately in Copies.

Navigate to Operations → Library → Books.

The Books catalog. Each card shows the cover, title, author, category badge, and available/total copy count. Use the filters to narrow down by category, format, or access level.

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Adding a book

Import by ISBN (recommended)

The fastest way to add a new title is to import it from Google Books using the ISBN:

1. Go to Operations → Library → Books
2. Click Add Book
3. Enter the ISBN in the ISBN field
4. Click Search Google Books
5. Select the correct result from the dropdown
6. Review the auto-filled fields (title, authors, publisher, cover image, description)
7. Set the Access Level and Rental Settings (not imported from Google Books)
8. Click Save

The Add Book dialog after an ISBN lookup. Review the auto-filled data before saving — especially the category and edition fields.

Enter manually

When the book isn't in Google Books or you need precise control:

1. Go to Operations → Library → Books
2. Click Add Book
3. Fill in the required fields (marked with *):
   • Title *
   • Authors — click + Add Author to add multiple *
   • Category *
   • Format *
   • Language *
   • Access Level *
4. Fill optional fields as needed (ISBN, publisher, edition, subject, grade level, etc.)
5. Configure Rental Settings:
   • Rental duration (days)
   • Late fee per day
   • Replacement cost
6. Upload a Cover Image (drag-and-drop or click to browse)
7. Click Save

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Editing a book

1. Find the book in the catalog (search by title, author, or ISBN)
2. Click the book card or the Edit icon (pencil) in the actions menu
3. Update the fields you want to change
4. Click Save Changes

Copy counts are read-only

The totalCopies, availableCopies, and related count fields on the book record are automatically computed from the physical copies. You cannot edit them directly — manage copies from the Copies section instead.

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Book detail view

Click any book to open its detail page. The detail page has five tabs:

Tab	What it shows
Overview	Title, authors, description, publication info, rental settings
Copies	All physical copies of this title with status and location
Rentals	Active and past rental history for this title
Reservations	Current hold requests for this title
Statistics	Borrow count over time, average rating, reviews

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Catalog fields reference

Required fields

Field	Description
title	Full title of the book
authors	Array of author names (at least one required)
category	See Book categories below
format	hardcover, paperback, or ebook
language	Language code (e.g. en, fr)
accessLevel	Who can borrow — see Access levels

Optional fields

Field	Description
isbn	ISBN-10
isbn13	ISBN-13
subtitle	Optional subtitle
editors	Editor names
illustrators	Illustrator names
publisher	Publisher name
publicationDate	Publication date
edition	Edition number or description
deweyDecimal	Dewey Decimal classification code
subjectArea	Subject area (e.g. "Mathematics")
gradeLevel	Recommended grade (e.g. "Grade 8")
pages	Page count
dimensions	Physical size
shelfLocation	Default shelf location for new copies
section	Library section name
description	Full book description
summary	Short summary (shown on card)
tags	Custom classification tags

Rental settings

Field	Description	Default
isAvailableForRental	Whether this book can be borrowed	true
rentalDurationDays	Default loan period in days	14
lateFeePerDay	Fee charged per overdue day	Set by school policy
replacementCost	Cost if the book is lost	Purchase cost

E-book settings

Field	Description
hasEbookVersion	Toggle on if an e-book version exists
ebookUrl	URL to the e-book resource

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Book categories

Category	Description
textbook	Curriculum-aligned course textbooks
reference	Encyclopaedias, dictionaries, atlases
fiction	Novels, short stories, plays
non_fiction	Biographies, history, science
periodical	Magazines, journals, newspapers

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Book formats

Format	Description
hardcover	Hardbound — more durable, higher replacement cost
paperback	Paperbound — lighter, lower cost
ebook	Digital only — no physical copies

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Book statuses

The status field reflects the overall state of a title's availability:

Status	Meaning
available	At least one copy is ready for checkout
processing	All copies are being catalogued or prepared
repair	All copies are in repair
lost	All copies have been reported lost
withdrawn	Deliberately removed from active circulation

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Access levels

Access levels control who can borrow a title:

Level	Who can borrow
all_students	Any enrolled student, plus all teachers
specific_grades	Students in specified grade levels only
teachers_only	Teaching and administrative staff only

Restricted books

For books that need extra control (e.g. exam materials), toggle Restricted on and enter a restriction reason. Restricted books can only be borrowed with explicit staff approval.

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Searching and filtering

Text search

Type in the search bar at the top of the Books page. The catalog searches across:

• Title
• Authors
• ISBN / ISBN-13
• Publisher
• Tags

Filter chips

Filter	Options
Category	Textbook · Reference · Fiction · Non-fiction · Periodical
Format	Hardcover · Paperback · Ebook
Status	Available · Processing · Repair · Lost · Withdrawn
Access Level	All Students · Specific Grades · Teachers Only
Available only	Hides books with zero available copies
Subject Area	Text filter on subject field
Grade Level	Dropdown filter
Language	Dropdown filter

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Deleting a book

Before deleting

Deleting a book record also removes all linked copy records and rental history. This action is irreversible.

If you want to stop a title from being borrowed without losing history, set its status to withdrawn instead.

To delete:

1. Open the book detail page
2. Click More actions (three-dot menu) → Delete
3. Type the book title to confirm
4. Click Delete permanently