1 Scope - New feature
- 1.1 FOLIO supports circulation of items For use at location
- 1.2 🎥 Video:
- 1.3 Features
  - 1.3.1 Settings
  - 1.3.2 📝 Requests
  - 1.3.3 📖 Check out
  - 1.3.4 📚 Check in
  - 1.3.5 📖 Check out held items
  - 1.3.6 Circulation log
  - 1.3.7 Users
- 1.4 Reports
- 1.5 Permissions/capabilities
- 1.6 Known issues
- 1.7 Links and more background documentation

Scope - New feature

FOLIO supports circulation of items For use at location

When configuring your FOLIO installation to support For use at location by setting ENABLE_FOR_USE_AT_LOCATION in the configuration file to be true, then the workflow where the loan with daily check ins and out is supported and FOLIO now supports Loan of item For use at location.

The purpose of this feature is to create a modified workflow that enables patrons to use certain items within the library. These items are typically stored in closed stacks or are restricted to use within a location/reading room/library in the Integrated Library System (ILS). Patrons can request these items, which are then delivered to a designated servicepoint for use at the location. The patron must check in the item to the hold shelf at the end of the day and check it out again a following day. The item can be used by the same patron during the whole loan period and/ hold shelf expiration period (stated in the loan policy). Every time an item is checked in to the shelf the hold shelf expiration period is reset.

The work is developed by National Library of Sweden and Index Data as the Klemming development team.

🎥 Video:

Skærmbillede 2026-03-18 kl. 10.27.16.png

Features

Settings

In order to be able to do For use at location then in the configuration it’s important to set Environment variable to ENABLE_FOR_USE_AT_LOCATION to be true. As default for FOLIO then environment variable is set as default to be false.

Settings - Tenant - Servicepoint

Select a Default check-in action for use at location for the Serviepoints that is going to check out and in For use at location-items.

This setting is reflected in the Check-in action for use at location-dropdown menu in the Check in app.

Settings - Circulation - Loan policies

The for use at location-function is enabled in the the loan policy. All loans with a loan policy with For use at location enabled are for use location-loans.

Edit or add a new loan policy. Check the For use at location-box and add a Hold shelf expiration period. The period must be day(s), week(s) or month(s). The hold shelf expiration time will default to 11:59 PM so minute(s) and hour(s) will not work. The Hold shelf expiration period is reset every time a patron checks in the item to the hold shelf. If the patron does not check out the item within the Hold shelf expiration period the hold shelf period will expire and staff can close the the loan.

Settings Circulation - Circulation rules

Set the circulation rules for the For use at location-loan policy using the usual Folio specific criteria and logic.
Eg:

Items with loan type: Reading room → loan policy: For use at location:

Items with material type: Book → loan policy: For use at location:

Items with loan type: Reading room loaned by patron group Staff → loan policy: Home loan
Items with loan type: Reading room loaned by all other patron groups → loan policy: For use at location:

Related jira:

📝 Requests

The New request page displays the loan type in the Item information accordion and based on the circulation rules indicates if the loan is for use at location the in Request information accordion by displaying the text 'Use at location' and a green circle with white checkmark. If the user has the Request preferences set to Delivery the Delivery option should not be displayed if the loan is for use at location since the material should not leave the location.

📖 Check out

The item is checked out by entering the barcode in the Check out app. The loan policy displays in the loaned items list.

The item is now checked out with circ action In use.

📚 Check in

When the patron leaves the location they can either close the loan or keep it on the hold shelf to continue the loan another time.

In the Check in app there is a dropdown menu on the right side with three options, “Keep on hold shelf”, “Close loan and return item” and “Ask for action”. The defualt value is set in Settings - Tenant - Servicepoint.

Enter the item barcode to check in the item.

Keep on hold shelf - The patron wants to keep the item on the hold shelf. The loan will remain open, and the item status will remain Checked out. This action is recorded in the Circulation log with object Loan and Circ action Held.

When item barcode is entered the “For use at location”-column displays “Keep on hold shelf” and Status-column displays “Checked out”.

Close loan and return item - The patron wants to close the loan. The loan is closed. The item status will change to Available or In transit or Awaiting pickup. This action is recorded in the Circulation log with the Object Loan and Circ action Check in.

When item barcode is entered the “For use at location”-column displays “Close loan and return item” and Status-column displays “Available”.
Ask for action - On scanning in the item barcode, you will see a popup asking you to select Cancel, Close loan and return item, or Keep on hold shelf.

📖 Check out held items

Held items are checked out again/changed to “In use” in the Checkout app. Enter the patron barcode/id.

The pop up modal “Items awaiting pickup” will display if the user has held items on the hold shelf in the chosen servicepoint.

If the patron also has requests awaiting pickup in the chosen servicepoint there will be two lines, one with the request(s) and one with the held loan(s).

Enter the item barcode. Item and loan information are displayed below but the loan policy-field is empty if the loan is already open.

If the item is already checked out and In use a pop up modal will display with the text: Item is already checked out.

Circulation log

The circulation log will log all Held and In use-circ actions.

Users

The Loans accordion in the Users app displays the number of Held and In use for use at location-loans in all servicepoints.

In the Users app - User - Loan overview there is a For use at location-column. When the item is “In use” it displays In use in [Servicepoint]. When the item is “Held” it displays Held in [Servicepoint] until [Hold shelf expiration date/time].

The Loan details for the user’s open and closed loans displays all circ actions done within the loan.

Reports

These reports have sql-queries that can be used in metadb:

Expired loans on the hold shelf can be done in metadb.
Items currently in use

Se the sql-query on the FOLIO Wiki FOLIO Reporting Community GitHub Repositories

Circulation - For use at location - Trillium - Notes on functionality