FAQs (Library Manager Inventory)

Below are questions to consider when conducting an inventory. To see the answer to a question, click the question.

How do I take inventory of my resources?

The following list gives an overview of the general procedure for Inventory:

1. Set up a schedule before you start. This will help you keep track of what you have done and what you still need to inventory. You can have multiple inventories open at one time and switch between them.
2. Make sure you have selected your preferred Library Inventory Options for shelf-checking in Back Office > Site Configuration > Catalog subtab.
3. Start the inventory.
• Decide what copies you want to inventory by choosing to limit your inventory by copies in a particular call number range, specific circulation types or sublocations.
• Decide if Destiny should exclude copies that have been seen recently.
4. Conduct the inventory
• Choose to verify or update the shelf order of your copies.
• Scan, enter, or upload the barcode numbers for your copies.
• Once you are sure you have entered the barcode numbers for all of your items, review the list of unaccounted-for items and mark them lost or found.
5. Finalize the inventory. Once the Unaccounted-for total is 0 (zero), your inventory is complete. .

To keep track of the resources inventoried, click View In-Progress & Completed Inventories for a list, details, and reports of the inventories.

Can multiple people work on an inventory simultaneously?

Yes; Library Manager permits multiple people to work on an inventory simultaneously. In fact, it can be beneficial to divide up your collection by Dewey ranges among several staff members to reduce the workload for any one person and provide a more accurate count.

Can I start a number of partial inventories simultaneously?

Yes; assign each partial inventory a unique name, use call number values to restrict the inventory to a subsection of your collection, decide which circulation types and sublocations to include.

Can I run a partial inventory based on a title's full call number (Ex. “E AAA” to “E CZZ”)?

Yes, you can create an inventory for part of your collection, based on a title's full call number and not just its prefix. For example, for a fiction collection, you could just inventory FIC DAA to FIC EZZ.

Can I leave the Dewey range empty?

Yes; doing so prompts the system to conduct a full inventory.

How do I change the starting date of an inventory?

Once an inventory has begun, you cannot change the start date.

Why can’t I find the Inventory option on the Back Office tab?

Your login doesn’t have the proper access level permission to inventory the library collection. Contact your Site Administrator or Destiny Administrator. 

Do I have to complete an inventory the day I start it?

No; an inventory can be left open as long as needed. However, we encourage you to complete inventories within reasonable time frames so you can use them as timely collection management tools.  

How does cataloging affect inventory?

You can continue to add new titles and copies while an inventory is in progress. Copies added manually or by an import become Accounted-for in Inventory. Copies replaced during an import by control number (Catalog > Import Titles > Update Only sub-tab) retain their inventory status (either accounted-for or not).

Can I circulate materials while an inventory is in progress?

You can continue to circulate your collection while an inventory is in progress. Copies checked out, loaned out, or sent out for repairs during an inventory become Accounted-for. Checking in a copy does not affect its inventory status; it stays Accounted-for. Copies scanned for in-library use use become Accounted-for.

How does the system handle resources that are already checked out during an inventory?

Destiny offers two options for handling checked out resources:

• Include checked out items and make these items unaccounted for.
• Check in currently checked out items when scanned into inventory.

The option you choose determines how the system handles checked-out items.

How do I start an inventory?

To start an inventory, select Back Office > Inventory. Then, click the Start New button.

What does the “date last seen” mean?

Date last seen means that Destiny last updated copy information during one of the following transactions:

• Checkout
• Checkin
• Inventory
• Individual Update
• Receive (in Catalog > Update Copies)

Adding titles to a resource list when adding records by using a barcode scan, a barcode list, or a barcode file. For example, if you received some transferred copies from your district cataloger last week, you can set the date to one week ago so you don’t have to scan those copies.

How do I start a full inventory when I have an incomplete partial inventory already in progress?

Close out of your current inventory by following these steps:

1. Select Back Office > Inventory
2. From the Library Inventory drop-down, select the partial inventory.
3. Click Finalize.
4. Select Ignore them (don’t mark them “lost”) in the message, and then click Yes.

What exactly does clicking Start New do?

Destiny checks the Status of the copies meeting your selection criteria and makes them either Accounted-for or Unaccounted-for:

• Unaccounted-for copies remain Unaccounted-for.
• Accounted-for copies that fit the parameters of the inventory and that have a status of Available or On Hold become Unaccounted-for. These copies should theoretically be somewhere in your storeroom or school and you will need to enter these into inventory.
• Accounted-for copies that fit the parameters of the inventory and that have a status of Checked Out, Loaned Out, On Order, Out for Repairs, or In Transit remain Accounted-for. You already have information regarding the current location of these copies.
• Copies that had previously been marked Lost remain Lost and Accounted-for.

What do the terms Accounted for and Unaccounted for mean?

Accounted for refers to items that have known statuses, such as Checked Out, On Order, or In Transit. Unaccounted for refers to items that appear to be available in the system but otherwise have unknown statuses.

How does shelf checking work during an inventory?

Shelf checking notifies you of copies in the wrong place on the shelves or are out of Dewey order. To enable shelf checking:

1. Select Back Office > Site Configuration > Catalog sub-tab.
2. From the During library inventories check shelf order based on drop-down, choose Call Number, Call Number/Author, or Call Number/Author/Title. You may also choose to check for differences between Dewey numbers, by selecting an option from the Also check for differences between Dewey numbers greater than drop-down.
3. In Back Office > Inventory, check the Check shelf order box.

How do I account for my copies?

You can use any combination of the following tools and methods to take inventory:

1. Enter them directly on the Inventory page.
2. Create and upload a file of barcode scans.
   
   • Use Follett Remote or Destiny Remote on a Follett wireless handheld device or a workstation, or a PHD Dolphin+, to create the file.
   • Use a text editor, with or without a scanner.

Can I use a laptop to gather inventory data?

Yes, use of a laptop with a scanner or handheld device is an excellent way to conduct inventory. If your equipment is wireless, you can scan directly into Resource Manager; if not, collect the scans and later upload the file to the system.

How does entering barcodes directly differ from uploading a file of scans?

When entering barcodes directly on the Inventory page:

• Copy information for the ten most recent scans appears on the page in the Most Recently Accounted For list.
• Destiny does not create an Inventory job summary in Job Manager for direct scans.
• If there is a problem with the barcode number or the copy, an alert message appears at the top of the Inventory page.
• The copy status of any Lost copy changes to Available. Inventory deletes any library fine charged to a patron for the lost copy. If it was paid, Inventory creates a refund.
• Inventory checks in a checked-out copy. Inventory creates a library fine, if you automatically assess them, for an overdue copy.

When uploading a file of scans:

• No item information appears in the Most Recently Accounted For list.
• Destiny creates an Inventory job summary in Job Manager.
• Lost copies remain Lost. Destiny adds an entry to the job summary indicating that the item is Lost.
• Checked out copies remain checked out. Inventory adds an entry to the job summary indicating that the copy is checked out, and includes its due date.

What does it mean if I’m scanning books but my numbers aren’t changing?

The items you’re scanning may have already been scanned and accounted for or you could be in an inventory that is already complete. Check the Library Inventory drop-down at the top of the screen to ensure you’re in the desired inventory.

Why does only a percentage of an inventory show as complete?

This means either the inventory started but no items have been scanned or you began to enter data by uploading files or scanning materials.

Is there a limit to the size of the upload/data file?

No; however, your local network may have limitations.

I uploaded a batch of scans containing lost books, so why do they still show up as lost?

Lost books are accounted for at the start of the inventory. Uploading lost books into inventory does not change the status. They can be removed from Lost by checking them in or clicking Found in Inventory.

Most of my collection is showing as lost when I know it isn’t. What do I do?

For an in-progress inventory, select Back Office > Inventory. Click View In-Progress & Completed Inventories. Click View next to the inventory and then next to Accounted for, click See Details.

If you do not have an inventory already in progress, you can also go to Back Office > Inventory, and click View Lost. Scroll to the bottom of the screen to reset or delete items marked “lost” by date.

What information does the Inventory job summary contain?

Inventory makes an entry in the job summary for every barcode number in the uploaded file. For exceptions, it enters one of the following messages:

• If the barcode does not match any barcode that belongs to your collection,
  Skipped: Barcode <barcode number> not found appears.
• If the copy is currently listed as checked out, it remains Accounted-for and checked out.
  Barcode <barcode number> has been accounted for, but is currently checked out and has a due date of <due date> appears.
  To make the copy Available, enter its barcode on the main Inventory page.
• If the copy was Lost, it remains Accounted-for and Lost. Any assessed library fines are unaffected.
  This barcode is currently marked lost appears.
  To make the copy Available, enter its barcode on the main Inventory page.
• If you opted to have Inventory check the shelf order and the copy's call number appears to be out of order,
  This item appears to be shelved incorrectly appears.
• If you opted to have Inventory check the differences in Dewey numbers and the copy's Dewey number is much greater than the previous one,
  The difference in the Dewey numbers of this and the previous item is greater than <number> appears.

How do I delete my lost copies?

Inventory allows you to remove any unneeded copy records from your database that were marked lost on or before a particular date.
To delete the lost copies, follow these steps:

1. Select Back Office > Inventory.
2. Click View In-Progress & Completed Inventories.
3. Click View next to the inventory and then next to Accounted for, click See Details.
4. Open the Lost Copies list.
5. On View "Lost" Copies page, scroll to the bottom.
6. Click the calendar icon next to Delete all copies marked "lost" on or before and select the date.
7. Click Delete All, then Yes on the confirmation message.

   Notes: Delete All deletes copies that have been checked out and then lost by patrons as well as copies that were marked Lost by Inventory. You may want to retain a list of these lost copies. Before deleting them, you can print the Lost Copies list. Copies deleted here are included in the Weeding Log that you can generate in Reports.

What does “pre-finalize” mean?

“Pre-finalize” means reviewing a report of your inventory’s unaccounted for items and locating as many of these missing items as you can before finalizing the inventory. Once you know what is in your collection, you will be in a better position to make acquisition decisions.

What exactly does clicking Finalize do?

After you have inventoried the copies based on your selections when you started the inventory, you will click Finalize to close the inventory. If you have any unaccounted-for copies, a message appears.

• Select Mark all unaccounted for items "lost" if you are sure that you cannot find the remaining Unaccounted-for copies. When you select Mark all... on the message, Inventory marks the Unaccounted-for copies Lost. Their copy status changes to Lost; they are added to the lost copies list; and they become Accounted-for.
• When you select Ignore them (don't mark them "lost"), Inventory does not change their inventory status or copy status. The Unaccounted-for copies remain Unaccounted-for. Their copy status remains Available, or, for ready holds, On Hold.

How do I finalize it?

Once all the included sites have finished their inventory, click Finalize on the main Inventory page.

If there are any unaccounted-for items, you will have the opportunity to mark them Lost or leave them as unaccounted-for.

Are printable reports available after my inventory is finished? If so, where are they located?

Yes, In-Progress & Completed Inventories reports are available in either Back Office > Inventory, select the View In-Progress & Completed Inventories hyperlink or in Reports > Library Reports.

either Back Office > Inventory, select the View In-Progress & Completed Inventories hyperlink or in Reports > Library Reports

Reports > Library Reports

Why can’t I view any completed inventories in the Reports option?

This means that either the job was deleted from the Job Manager queue or the inventory was removed from the Completed tab (in Back Office > Inventory, and then click View In-Progress & Completed Inventories) .