Why can’t I check this out?
“It won’t let me check this out” almost always comes down to one thing on this page. If the Check out button is disabled, missing, or you’re blocked partway through, one of the reasons below is almost always why. Work down the list in order.
The carrier isn’t Available
A carrier can only be checked out when its status is Available. If it’s On loan, Out for Repair, Reserved, or Archived, the Check out button won’t appear on its detail page.
- If it’s On loan, it needs to be checked in first.
- If it’s Reserved, it’s being held for a caregiver. See reserve a carrier.
- If it’s Out for Repair or Archived, change its status back to Available first — see change a carrier’s status.
More on what each status means: carrier statuses.
The carrier isn’t loanable
Some carriers are marked not loanable (for example, display-only pieces), and equipment items are never loan-eligible. These won’t offer a check-out. Check the carrier’s settings in edit a carrier.
The caregiver is flagged Do Not Lend
If the caregiver has been flagged Do Not Lend, a Do Not Lend notice appears at check-out. As a User (volunteer) you’ll be blocked from completing it — contact a Library Owner. A Library Owner or Org Admin can override the notice with a reason, which is logged.
See what the Do Not Lend gate does.
You’re not assigned to this library
In every access mode, you can only act in — check out, check in, edit — the libraries you’re explicitly assigned to. Under org-wide mode you may be able to see a carrier in another library but not act on it; under per-library mode other libraries’ records are hidden from you entirely. Either way, if you can’t act on a carrier, you’re likely missing an assignment to its library. Ask an Org Admin to add you — see manage team access and libraries and access modes.
Your organization is over its plan limits
If your organization is over its plan’s carrier or library limit, new check-outs are paused (soft lock) — on every carrier, including ones you already own. Check-in and returns keep working, so you can still bring loans back, but you can’t start a new loan until you’re back under the limit or upgrade. The fix is a Library Owner or Org Admin action: archive carriers you don’t need active, or move to a tier whose limits cover your usage. See limit and lock questions.
Still stuck? Find your Library Owner — nothing on this list is something you broke.