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Interface walkthrough2 min read

The reader account: four counters and a request timeline

Readers don’t need a transaction history. They need to know three things: is the book ready, when is it due, and is anything overdue. The account is built around those questions.

Alexander Ananyev

The reader account is the shortest part of Katlog. That is a deliberate choice: the less on the screen, the faster people see what matters.

Katlog: the reader account (test account) — four counters and a request card
The reader account on a test account.

Four counters

At the top: “In progress”, “Ready for pickup”, “On loan”, “Overdue”. The first version written by the agent showed different numbers: “total”, “active”, “in history”. Formally also information, but it answers none of the reader’s questions. The most important event — “the book is ready, come and get it” — wasn’t visible at all.

The request timeline

Every request goes through four stages: requested, ready, on loan, returned. Completed segments are filled in; the current one is in bold. Below the timeline, only the dates that matter: “Pick up by…” for a book that is ready, “Due…” for a loan, and how many renewals are left.

The “New” badge

When the librarian changes a request’s status, the reader sees a green frame and a “New” badge on their next visit. The number of such changes appears on the “My account” tab right in the site header. There are no email notifications yet; this badge stands in for them.

Katlog: a request card with a green frame and the “New” badge
How readers see that the librarian has changed a request’s status.
An implementation subtletyThe time of the previous visit must be remembered before the new visit is recorded. Otherwise, the moment the account opens, every change becomes “old” and the badge never appears. That is exactly what happened in one version.

What readers can do themselves

Katlog reader account: a book on loan
A book on loan: due date, renewals left and the call number of the issued copy. Test account; the screenshot shows the Russian interface.
  • Renew a book on home loan, as long as it isn’t overdue and renewals remain.
  • Cancel a request until the book is issued. If a copy has already been set aside, the librarian will see it under “Return to shelf”.
  • Change their password. On first login this is mandatory.