[Feature Request]: 📛 Late Return Tracking, Strike System, and Reminder Notifications for User Accountability #1956
Description
Contact Details
Is your feature request related to a problem? Please describe?
Yes — while Shelf.nu does a great job managing asset check-in/out, there’s currently no system to track late returns, no behavior logging tied to users, and no automated reminder or daily dashboard for admins.
In an academic setting where students regularly borrow gear, the following problems arise:
- Students forget or miss return dates
- Students sometimes call in for extensions, but staff forget to update the system
- There's no structured or transparent way to follow up on late returns
- Admins must manually check for what gear is due or overdue, every single day
We need a reliable system to:
- Automatically flag late returns for review
- Track repeat behavior via strikes
- Prevent future checkouts for repeat offenders
- Remind students proactively before equipment is due
- Present staff with an at-a-glance daily dashboard of actions that need to happen
Describe the solution you'd like
We propose a full Late Return Accountability System, composed of four main components:
🧾 Late Return Dashboard
A dedicated admin view showing:
- Student name + contact info (phone, email, student ID – from [Feature request]: Real-Time User Provisioning API / Webhook #1891)
- Checkout ID
- Due date / Actual return date
- Number of days late
- Buttons to Approve Strike or Ignore Strike
If "Ignore Strike" is selected, Shelf.nu should prompt the admin to optionally extend the checkout.
⚠️ Strike System
A user-based behavior tracker:
- Configurable penalties based on strike count:
- 1 strike → 1-week checkout ban
- 2 strikes → 2-week ban
- 3 strikes → ban through semester end
- Admin option to enter semester end date
- Strike history viewable per user profile
- Override/clear strike options for edge cases
- Blocks new checkouts for banned users (unless overridden)
đź•“ Late Return Logic
- Ignore time-of-day for returns — only dates matter
- Gear returned after its due date gets flagged for review
- Items not yet returned are shown as “Overdue”
- Banned students cannot check out new gear
✉️ Automated Reminder Emails
Build a simple email template + scheduling tool for automated reminders:
- Reminder the night before gear is due (e.g., 7:00 PM)
- Reminder the morning of the due date (e.g., 8:00 AM)
- Final reminder 2 hours before close (e.g., 4:00 PM)
Each email should:
- Be customizable with variables like
[STUDENT_NAME],[ITEM_LIST],[DUE_DATE] - Be previewable/testable
- Include details on consequences of missing the return
- Log whether the message was successfully sent
This can be implemented as a standalone feature first and integrated later into the strike system.
🧠Admin “Action Items” Dashboard
A new admin home dashboard that highlights:
- âś… Checkouts to be pulled today
- 📦 Checkouts due today
- đź”´ Late/Overdue gear
⚠️ Late returns pending review
This daily view ensures staff don’t need to manually search or filter for what matters each day — everything is clearly surfaced at login.
Describe alternatives you've considered
| Alternative | Why It’s Insufficient |
|---|---|
| Manual tracking in Excel/Google Sheets | Error-prone and disconnected from Shelf.nu |
| Power Automate reminders from Excel | Works in isolation, not scalable or integrated |
| “Mental notes” or calendar events | Unreliable and inconsistent |
| Manual emails after missed deadlines | Sent too late to prevent issues |
Previously, I used Excel with Power Automate to send timed reminder emails. Students would get:
- A reminder the night before their return date
- A reminder the morning of
- A final warning 2 hours before the equipment room closed
This dramatically reduced late returns, but it was a fragile workaround with no connection to the real-time status of gear in Shelf.nu.
Additional context
This feature builds on:
- [[Feature request]: Real-Time User Provisioning API / Webhook #1891 - Real-Time User Provisioning API]: Provides student ID, phone, and email for follow-up.
- [[Feature request]: Tiered Equipment Access Based on User Fields and Asset Tags #1893 - Tiered Access by Course]: Supports accountability based on access to higher-tier gear.
If the full strike system can’t be implemented all at once, I’d recommend starting with:
- Automated Reminder Emails
- Admin Daily Dashboard
- Late Return Flagging + Strike Tracking
At minimum, exposing an API endpoint that returns items due today or overdue would allow staff to build their own notification logic.
This system would have a major impact on accountability and gear preservation in education environments. Thank you for building a tool we already love — and for helping us take it even further.
—
Brian Lovelace
Cinema & TV Dept., Los Angeles City College