The Library module turns skillSYMS into a smart institutional resource hub — one catalogue that links physical and digital resources to your learners, staff, and programmes. This guide gets you from an empty shelf to your first loan.
Where to find it
Open the sidebar and look under Learners → Library. You’ll see:
- Library — an overview with live counts (titles, copies, on loan, overdue, fines, reservations).
- Catalogue — add titles and copies, look up ISBNs, print labels.
- Issue / Return — the circulation desk.
- Reservations — holds and waiting lists.
- Fines — take payment or waive fees.
- Library Reports — overdue, fines, and circulation exports.
Step 1 — Add a title
A title is the bibliographic record (one per work). A copy is a single physical item with its own barcode.
- Go to Catalogue → Add title.
- Type an ISBN in the lookup box and press Look up — the title, authors, publisher, and year auto-fill from Open Library. Review everything before saving.
- Set the resource type (book, textbook, past paper, equipment, e-book, …) and how many copies to create.
- Press Save. Copies are created with auto-generated barcodes.
Step 2 — Print labels
Open a title’s Copies panel and press Label on any copy (or Print all labels) to generate a printable QR label sheet. Each label’s QR encodes the copy — scanning it at the desk or on the mobile app resolves the item instantly.
Step 3 — Issue your first item
Go to Issue / Return. In the Issue column, scan or type the item barcode, choose Learner or Staff, enter their ID, and press Issue. The due date is set from your circulation rules (14 days by default).
Circulation rules & fines
Loan periods, borrow limits, renewals, and fine rates come from per-tenant rules. Until you configure them, sensible defaults apply (14-day loans, 5-item limit, 2 renewals, no fines). Fines are standalone in this release — overdue, lost, and damaged fees are tracked in the Library and can be paid or waived on the Fines page.
What’s next
- Learners can search the catalogue and manage their own loans in the learner portal — see Using the learner library.
- Librarians can issue and return on the move with the mobile scanner.