Recalling a Book

If you need a book back sooner than expected, you can recall it from the borrower. Every recall gives the borrower a 7-day return window.

What Is a Recall?

A recall is a request to a borrower to return a book before its original due date. It’s a soft nudge, not a new hard deadline:

The borrower’s reliability score is judged against the original due date. Missing the recall date but still returning by the original due date is treated as on-time.
Returning by the recall date earns a small reliability bonus.
There’s no separate penalty for missing the recall date.

When a recall makes sense:

You need the book back for personal use
It’s been out for a long time and you want it back in circulation

You can recall a book while it’s checked out, including once it’s overdue.

Going the other way? If you don’t need the book back any time soon, you can push the borrower’s due date out instead. On the loan details for any checked-out book, tap Give more time alongside Recall Book to extend the loan by up to 14 days. The borrower gets a friendly “more time” notification — no action needed on their end. If a waitlist exists, you’ll be asked to confirm the queue impact before pushing the due date out.

How to Recall a Book

Go to Loans and open the Lending tab
Open the loan details for the book
Tap Recall Book
Write your reason in your own words (up to 500 characters)
Tick the confirmation checkbox and tap Initiate Recall

The reason you write is shown to the borrower, so be specific — a clear, concrete reason (“I need it back for a study group on the 18th”) helps the borrower prioritize and respond.

What the Borrower Sees

When you start a recall, the borrower receives a notification, including the requested return date, the original due date, and your reason.

From the loan details screen they can either Return this book or Request more time. Reminders may follow as the recall date approaches; if it passes without a return, the borrower gets a soft “still not returned” reminder. The borrower isn’t double-penalized for missing the recall date — the normal overdue lifecycle picks up once the original due date passes.

Your email address and phone number are never shared with the borrower as part of a recall. Coordinate through the loan details and the reason field instead.

Cancelling a Recall

Changed your mind? You can cancel any time before the book is returned:

Open the loan details
Tap Cancel Recall
Provide a brief reason — the borrower will see that the recall was cancelled

The original due date is unchanged either way; cancelling just removes the recall request.

Who Can Recall Books

Book owners can recall their personal books
Library admins can recall any active loan in their library (member-owned or library-owned)
Regular members can’t recall books they don’t own

Tips

Use recalls sparingly — they’re for genuine needs, not routine speed-ups
Be specific in the reason — the borrower sees it verbatim, so a clear reason helps them prioritize
Recalls are requests, not demands — borrowers may need a few days to coordinate, and the loan details modal gives them a one-tap way to ask for more time

Still Need Help?

If you need help with a recall, contact support.