Loans

Loans are transcations that document any use, touching, or removal of objects from a collection, temporary or permanent, including objects that are loaned with the intention of being destroyed or permanently transferred to another institution or collection, as well as the use of object information (data loan).

Loan Fields

transaction_id

Primary key, internal

loan_number

A Loan “number” is a string identifying the loan. The format usually follows local tradition (e.g., YYYY:nnn:Collection) but is uncontrolled. Loan number + collection (via trans) is constrained to be unique.

Arctos offers “next loan number” suggestions when a collection’s data can support them. File an Issue to activate this functionality.

loan_type

Foreign key –> ctloan_type

loan_status

Foreign key –> ctloan_status

return_due_date

Due Date is the date that a loan of the Type Returnable is expected to be returned to the lending collection. This date may be used to search for overdue loans, and/or to generate automated reminders to the appropriate agents.

closed_date

Returned, or Closed, Date is the date that a loan was completeld. (Recommendation: Set this after all material has been returned, publications with citations have been provided, or the terms of the loan have otherwise been met.)

loan_instructions

Instructions to the borrower on such things as storage and return of the loaned items.

loan_description

Free text.

Deleting Items

In general, an item which has gone out on loan should never be removed from the loan. Delete functionality exists only to correct mistakes – when an item was added to a loan but not shipped, for example. Loan items (parts) may not be deleted from the database. Item Disposition and/or Container information is used to signify that an item has been returned (or sent out on another loan). Maintaining this history is vital to recording collection activity, and for building Projects, which are transaction-based.

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