Policy
Please refer to Holds Policy for information regarding items lost In-Transit
Damaged Materials Policy
This policy replaces both the Receipt of Damaged Materials Policy, last updated on 7 November 2019, and the Notification and Billing Policy for transited RSA Member Library Items, last updated 22 November 2019. The current version is dated 4 April 2025.
Download the Damaged Materials Policy
Procedures
Damaged Materials Procedure
This procedure only covers steps for how to deal with items that the receiving library does not own. Please see your library’s internal procedures for how to process your library’s damaged items.
Download the Damaged Materials Procedure
Lost Materials from Other Member Libraries Procedure
This procedure covers how to deal with lost materials originally checked out at your library that are owned by other member libraries. All notifications to the patron for transited items come from the checkout library. The checkout library will be responsible for notifying the patron concerning overdue, damaged and lost items.
Also covers steps for payment of lost/damaged material, handling funds, and discarding the lost and paid for item. May 2025.
Download the Lost Materials from Other Member Libraries Procedure
Cheat Sheets and Guides
Mark Item Missing Wizard
When an item can not be located on the shelf or in the location WorkFlows thinks it should be, a library can mark it Missing. This status will keep holds from being placed on that item. October 2023.
Download the Mark Item Missing Wizard guide
Mark Item Lost Wizard
Use the Mark Item Lost Wizard when a patron loses an item or an item is damaged and must be replaced and needs a bill immediately. This wizard is not part of the overdue notices and billing cycle. If your library does not own the lost or damaged item, you must send the replacement cost to the owning library. April 2025.
Download the Mark Item Lost Wizard guide
Processing LOST-TRANS Lost in transit items
On the first day of the month, your library will receive the “Long Transit Pre-Cleanup report – Items in Transit 45 Days or More” in the RSA email. The following cheat sheet has steps to process a found LOST-TRANS item and answers the question, “How do items become lost in transit?” March 2025.
Download the Processing LOST-TRANS Lost in transit items cheat sheet
Video: Adding a Bill and Bill Note Before Removing a Lost Item from the RSA Database
When you want to check an item out to discard but make a bill that notes the item on a patron’s account, use the LOST-NO-ID bill reason. This video shows the order of steps to create this bill, discharge the item after copying the original item number and title into notes, and then finally checking the lost item out to discard.
View Adding a Bill and Bill Note Before Removing a Lost Item from the RSA Database Video – 1:25 minutes 
Adding a Bill and Bill Note Before Removing a Lost Item from the RSA Database
Instructions on how to use the bill reason LOST-NO-ID to create a bill for a lost item that includes the title and item ID. Once the bill is created, the item can be discharged and deleted from WorkFlows. August 2024.
Download the Adding a Bill and Bill Note Before Removing a Lost Item from the RSA Database guide