Borrowing a Book

Books on Agathos are shared so they get read — don’t be shy about borrowing one. Here’s how the request, pickup, and loan flow works end to end.

Finding a Book

Open any book to see where it’s available across the libraries you belong to. The book page shows, for each library:

Available — at least one copy is on the shelf right now
All copies loaned out — every copy is checked out (you can join the waitlist)
Not in this library — the library doesn’t carry this title

If the book is available in more than one of your libraries, you’ll pick which one to borrow from in the next step.

Requesting the Book

Tap Request to Borrow from the book page (tap the book cover from any page)
If the book is at more than one library, choose which one
Confirm

What happens next depends on how that library handles requests:

Auto-approved — the loan is approved instantly. The exact pickup spot (with photo and directions) appears in your approval notification and on the book page right away.
Needs librarian approval — a library admin reviews the request, picks the pickup spot, and lets you know once it’s ready.
From a member — a fellow member owns this copy. They get notified and decide whether to lend it. They’ll pick the pickup spot when they approve.

If no copies are available, the same button reads Join Waitlist — see Joining a waitlist. You’ll see your place in queue and be notifified once it’s available.

Tracking Your Request

Go to Loans → Borrowing to see every active request and loan. The card shows the current status and the next action (if any is on you).

Picking Up the Book

Once your request is approved, the lender drops the book off at the library’s pickup spot (or arranges a direct handoff). You’ll get a notification when it’s ready for pickup.

Go to the pickup spot shown in the notification
Pick up the book
Tap Confirm Pickup in the app to start the loan

Pickup window: You have 7 days to pick up the book. After that the loan is cancelled, the book goes to the next person waiting, and missing the window affects your reliability score.

Direct handoff: Some loans skip the pickup spot — you and the lender meet in person and both confirm the handoff in the app. The loan timer starts when you confirm pickup either way.

During Your Loan

Loan length — typically 21 days (each library sets its own length, 7–90 days)
Reminders — 3 days before the due date, on the due date, and once the loan is overdue
Returning — go to Loans, open the loan, and tap Return Book. See Returning books for the full flow.

Extending a Loan

Need more time? Starting 7 days before the due date (and any time while overdue) you can request an extension:

Open the loan from Loans or the book page
Tap Request Extension and choose how many days you need

No one is waiting: extension is auto-approved. You can renew again the next time you need more time — there’s no cap as long as the book has no waitlist.
Someone is on the waitlist: the lender decides. If they don’t respond within 48 hours, the request is auto-declined. When a waitlist exists, you’re limited to one renewal per loan so the lender isn’t pestered repeatedly.

Each renewal is capped by the library’s per-renewal limit (typically 14 days at a time).

Lenders Can Give You More Time

Lenders and library admins can also push your due date out without you asking. If a lender does this you’ll get a notification (“{their name} gave you more days”) with the new due date — no action needed on your end.

Cancelling a Request

You can cancel any time before the book is in your hands — while it’s pending, being dropped off, or waiting at the pickup spot. Open the loan and tap Cancel Request. The book becomes available for the next person in line.

Once you’ve picked up the book, return it instead of cancelling.

Still Need Help?

If you’re stuck on a request or pickup, contact support.