How Lending Works

Agathos Books makes it easy to share physical books with your community. Here’s how the lending process works from start to finish.

The Lending Flow

Every loan walks through the same five steps:

1. Request — You find a book and ask to borrow it
2. Approval — The library or the book’s owner approves the request
3. Transfer — The book gets to you, either via a pickup spot or a direct handoff
4. Loan — You have the book for the loan period
5. Return — You return it when you’re done

Two Kinds of Books

Libraries hold two kinds of books, and they’re approved in slightly different ways:

Library-owned

Books that belong to the library itself, like a traditional library’s collection.

• Approval — depending on the library’s settings, requests are either approved automatically or reviewed by a library admin
• No personal owner — the library manages the copy

Member-owned

Personal books that a member has chosen to share with the library.

• Owner approval required — the member who owns the copy decides whether to lend it
• Personal property — the member keeps ownership; the book just travels for a while
• Fallback — if the owner doesn’t respond, the request can fan out to other members who also own the book

Requesting a Book

1. Open the book’s page
2. Tap Request to Borrow
3. If the book is at more than one of your libraries, pick which one
4. Confirm in the dialog — the text tells you whether the request is auto-approved, needs a library admin, or goes to a member who owns a copy
5. If more than one source can lend the book right now (the library plus one or more members, or several members), choose Where do you want to borrow from?
   • Library — borrow a library-owned copy. If the library holds more than one edition of the same title, any available copy may be lent.
   • Member — borrow a specific member’s copy. Each row shows their name, reliability, and whether you’ve borrowed from them before. When sources hold different printings, the row also shows a short edition line (year and binding) so you know which one you’re asking for.
   • Let the system pick for me — Agathos routes the request automatically based on availability and reliability. You are not choosing a specific edition.
6. After you submit, the book page status card shows whose copy you requested (the member’s name when applicable).

Member-owners see your name and reliability score when they decide whether to lend.

If no copies are available, the same button reads Join Waitlist. See Joining a waitlist.

Different editions of the same book

Agathos separates the work (the title, e.g. “The Holiness of God”) from editions (specific printings with their own ISBN, publisher, binding, and cover).

On a book’s detail page, Available Editions lists the physical formats when more than one exists. Expand the section to compare covers and ISBNs — it is informational only, not a separate page.

• Waitlists are for the title, not a specific ISBN. Any edition can fulfill your request when a copy returns.
• Choosing a specific edition happens when sources hold different printings and you pick a member (or the library) in the source picker (step 5 above). If every available source has the same printing, the picker omits edition details. You cannot request “this ISBN from anyone” through the waitlist.

When you add books by scanning, the barcode picks the exact edition. See Adding books if you need the right ISBN on your shelf.

Getting the Book

When the lender approves the request, they choose how the handoff will happen and commit to a specific day — you’ll see that day on the loan so you know when to expect the book.

Pickup spot

The default for most community libraries:

1. The lender drops the book off at the library’s pickup spot
2. You get a notification when it’s ready
3. Pick the book up within 7 days (after that the loan is cancelled and the book goes to the next person in line)
4. Tap Confirm Pickup in the app when you take possession to start the loan

If you already have the book but the app still says On Its Way (lender hasn’t marked dropoff yet), tap I Have the Book instead.

Direct handoff

For loans where you and the lender meet in person:

1. The lender selects In person when approving the request
2. You arrange a time to meet (coordinate however you usually do — the app doesn’t share contact details)
3. After the handoff, both parties confirm in the app — the lender taps Mark handed off, and you tap I have the book to acknowledge it. Until you confirm, either of you can undo the handoff.

Direct handoffs skip the pickup-spot step entirely. The loan becomes active once both confirmations are in.

Plans can change either way: a pickup-spot loan that turns into an in-person meetup is fine — the lender just taps I handed it off (instead of Mark dropped off) and the loan starts the same way.

Loan Period

• Length — typically 21 days. Each library sets its own (7–90 days).
• Reminders — 3 days before the due date, on the due date, and once the loan is overdue
• Extensions — starting 7 days before the due date, you can request a renewal of up to 14 days (each library configures the per-renewal cap). When no one is on the waitlist, renewals auto-approve and you can renew as many times as you need. When a waitlist exists, the lender decides and you’re limited to one renewal. Lenders can also push your due date out without you asking — handy when they know they don’t need the book back soon.

Returning a Book

1. Go to Loans, find the book, and tap Return Book
2. Pick a return method:
   • Return to Pickup Spot — drop it back at the library
   • Return to Owner — hand it directly to the owner (member-owned books only)
3. Confirm in the app

If someone is on the waitlist, they’re notified when the book is back. Full details in Returning books.

Talking to the Other Person

Every loan has its own private chat — coordinate the handoff, ask about the book, or sort out a misunderstanding. For member-owned books the chat is between you and the lender; library admins never see it. For library-owned books the chat is with the library admin team. If chat isn’t enough, you can pull a library admin in by tapping Get help at the top of the Messages tab. See Messaging on a loan for the details.

Reliability Scores

Your reliability score reflects your lending history. Owners can see it when you request their books, and a good score makes approval more likely.

• Improves it — responding to requests promptly, picking up on time, returning on or before the due date
• Lowers it — missing the pickup window, returning late, no-shows

See Understanding your reliability score for the full picture.

Tips

• Keep notifications on — pickup windows, extension responses, and recalls are all time-sensitive
• Add your dropoff day to your calendar — after you approve a request, the confirmation screen offers Add reminder to calendar so the day you committed to lands in Google, Apple, or Outlook
• Pause lending if you need to — going on vacation or just need a break? You can pause new requests from Settings → Lending availability, or right from the Lending tab on your Loans page — it won’t affect your reliability score. If a request catches you at a bad time, the approval dialog’s Can’t make it within a week? link offers the same pause right there.

Related Articles

• Borrowing a book
• Returning books

Still Need Help?

If you have questions about lending, contact support.