Library Inventory

Verify what’s on your shelves and find what’s missing — scan barcodes over days or weeks, then generate a report.

Acceso Requerido

Library Admin — View

o Per-library permission — Clerk or Admin

Library Inventory lets you systematically check which items are physically present on the shelves. You scan each book’s barcode, and when you’re done, Mosaic generates a missing items report listing everything that wasn’t scanned.

Starting an Inventory

Navigate to Library → Inventory and use the Start Inventory panel.

You have two scope options:

• Whole library — covers every shelf item in the library.
• Single category — limits the inventory to one category (e.g., Fiction, Textbooks). Useful for tackling a large library in sections.

You can optionally add a note to describe the purpose of the session.

Multiple Inventories

You can run multiple inventory sessions at the same time — for example, one per category — so that different staff members can work on different sections simultaneously.

Conflicts

If someone has already started an inventory with the same scope, Mosaic will show a warning and offer a Join Session button so you can collaborate on the existing session instead of starting a duplicate.

Scanning

After starting an inventory, you’ll be taken to the Scanning page. Use a barcode scanner or type barcodes manually into the input field.

As you scan, Mosaic provides immediate feedback:

Feedback	What It Means
Success (green)	Item found and recorded. A short confirmation beep plays.
Already scanned (blue)	This item was already scanned in this session. No duplicate is created.
Warning (yellow)	Item recorded, but something noteworthy happened — for example, the item was checked out and has been automatically returned to the shelf, or it was previously marked missing and has been recovered.
Error (red)	Barcode not found, belongs to a different library, or is outside the inventory’s category scope.

Each feedback type has a distinct audio tone so you can scan without constantly looking at the screen.

Checked-Out Items

If you scan a book that is currently checked out, Mosaic automatically returns it to the shelf. The scan is recorded and a warning note explains what happened.

Progress Tracking

A progress bar shows the percentage of shelf items scanned. For whole-library inventories, a Category Progress panel on the inventory home page breaks this down by category so you can see which sections still need attention.

The Recent Scans table below the barcode input shows the most recently scanned items for quick reference.

Finishing an Inventory

When you’re done scanning, you have three options available from the buttons at the top of the scanning page:

Action	What It Does
Complete	Ends the session and generates the missing items report. Use this when you’ve finished scanning everything you plan to scan.
Continue Later	Returns to the inventory list while keeping the session active. You (or a colleague) can resume scanning at any time by clicking the inventory in the list.
Cancel	Marks the session as cancelled. Scan data is retained but no missing items report is generated.

Take Your Time

Inventories can stay active for as long as you need — days or even weeks. Use Continue Later to step away and come back whenever it’s convenient. There is no time limit.

Missing Items Report

After completing an inventory, the Missing Items Report shows every shelf item that was not scanned during the session. This is your list of potentially missing books.

The report excludes:

• Items currently checked out (in circulation).
• Items that were returned to the shelf after the inventory started.

This means the report focuses on items that should have been on the shelf but weren’t found.

Batch Actions

You can select items in the report and apply batch actions:

• Mark Missing — sets the item status to Missing, which removes it from active shelf counts.
• Mark Inactive — sets the item status to Inactive, which removes it from the library entirely. Use this for items you’ve confirmed are permanently lost.

Reopening an Inventory

If an inventory was completed or cancelled prematurely, click the Reopen Inventory button in the report header. This returns the session to active status so you can continue scanning. You can also reopen from the action menu on the inventory list.

FAQ

Can multiple people scan at the same time?

Yes. When an inventory is active, any staff member with library access can navigate to it and scan. Duplicate scans are handled gracefully — if two people scan the same book, the second scan is simply noted as “already scanned.”

What happens to items marked as Missing or checked out when I scan them?

Items with a status of Missing or checked Out are automatically updated to Shelf status when scanned. A warning message explains what happened so you’re aware of the change.

Can I run a whole-library inventory and a category inventory at the same time?

Yes. Each inventory session is independent. A whole-library session and a category-specific session can run simultaneously. However, you cannot start two sessions with the exact same scope (e.g., two whole-library inventories).

What happens to the scan data if I cancel an inventory?

Scan data is retained even after cancellation. If you reopen the session later, all previous scans are still there and scanning continues where you left off.

How do I review items that are checked out for a long time?

The missing items report only covers shelf items. To find books that have been checked out for an extended period, use the Circulation Report from the library reports page.