Returning Books

When you’re done with a book, return it promptly so the next person can read it.

How to Return a Book

Tap Loans in the navigation
Under Borrowing, find the book
Tap Return Book

What happens next depends on who owns the copy.

Library-owned books

Pick the pickup spot you’ll drop the book off at, optionally upload a proof photo, and confirm. The return is recorded instantly — no second confirmation needed.

Member-owned books

You’ll be asked how you want to return it:

Drop off at a pickup spot — leave it at the library for the owner to collect
Hand off in person — give it back to the owner directly

You can also upload a proof photo and attach a short note to the owner before confirming.

Proof Photos

When you return a book, you can optionally upload a photo as evidence of the return — the same way the lender does when dropping a book off. This is helpful when:

The library is unmanned
You want a record of what condition the book was in
The book is valuable or rare

The photo is attached to the loan and visible to the owner and library admins. For member-owned books the photo is recommended; for library-owned books it’s optional. You can take the photo from your camera or upload from your gallery (JPEG, PNG, WebP, or HEIC up to 5MB).

Owner Confirmation

After you confirm the return on a member-owned book, the owner gets a “Confirm Return” prompt with two options:

Yes, I Got It Back — the loan closes immediately
I Haven’t Received It — opens an admin escalation so a library admin can help resolve it

If the owner doesn’t respond within 7 days, the return is auto-confirmed and the loan closes.

Returning On Time

Each loan has a due date set when you picked the book up. You’ll get reminders 3 days before the due date and on the due date itself.

Returning on or before the due date helps your reliability score. If you need more time, request an extension before the due date — see Borrowing a book.

Late Returns

If the due date passes without a return:

The loan moves to Overdue and you’ll get an overdue notification
Your reliability score gradually drops the longer the book is out
The owner can recall the book, which gives you 7 days to return it — see Recalling a book

The return process itself doesn’t change when a loan is overdue — just complete it the same way as soon as you can.

After You Return

Once the return is recorded:

The loan moves to Returned
The book becomes available again
Anyone on the waitlist is notified

Still Need Help?

If you’re having trouble returning a book, contact support.