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4.3. Changing the Item Status

Last Updated 08/28/2026

How to Change an Item's Status

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Circulators may change an item's status in theHoldings Editor ifthe current status is not included in an unclosed transaction (meaning checked out, o the holdshelf, in transit, or lost) and the item is owned by a branch in the CIrculator's library system.

Circulators may manually change an item's status:

1. Open the item in the holdings editor.
2. Click in the Item Status box to open the editable field.
3. Select the new status from the drop down menu.
   
4. Click the Apply All, Save & Exit button in the bottom right of the page.
   

Limitations

While Circulators have permission to change an item's status, there are some limitations to this permission.

Current Status

Before staff manually change any item's status, the item must be in the staff member's hands and already be in an Available or Reshelving status (or checked in first, to achieve an Available/Reshelving status). Do NOT manually change the item status from Checked out, In transit, Long Overdue, Lost, Lost and Paid, or On holds shelf to another status using the Item Editor screen, as this simply relabels the items and does not close the underlying transaction correctly in the patron account (for Checked Out, Lost, Long Overdue, or Lost and Paid); or target a new item to fill the patron hold (for In transit or On holds shelf items).

For example, you would never want to manually change an item from a Checked out status to Available (or any other item status, for that matter) instead of checking in the item, because that manual action does not close out the open circulation transaction on the patron account. The same would be true for a manual status change from In transit or On Holds Shelf to something else (such as Available). Evergreen needs to close out those automated processes and transactions during checkin. 

 Items marked Missing that cannot be found should also be checked in to an Available or Reshelving status before staff change to Discard/Weed status or delete the item. This prevents the items from continually showing up on missing items reports.

Item Statuses that may not be changed manually include:

• Checked out: Open transaction in which an item is assigned to a patron account. 
• Lost: Open transaction in which an item is assigned to a patron account and marked as lost based on patron report or a time interval designated by the library system.
• Long Overdue: Open transaction in which an item is assigned to a patron account and marked as long overdue based on interval designated by the library system. 
• Lost and Paid: Open transaction in which an item marked lost has been paid for.This removes the item from the patron's account, but may not be manually changed.
• In transit: Open transaction in which an item is moving from one library branch to another.  
• On holds shelf: Open transaction in which an item is waiting for a specific patron to pick up the item from the library. 

Location

Items must be owned by the same system where the staff user is logged in. Circulators may not change the status on items owned by other systems. Circulators may change the status of itemsowned by other branches in their system.