Library circulation or library lending comprises the activities around the lending of library

Library

In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...

 books and other material to users of a lending library

Lending library

A lending library is a library from which books are lent out. The earliest reference to or use of the term "lending library" yet located in English correspondence dates from ca. 1586; C'Tess Pembroke Ps. CXII. v, "He is .....

. A circulation or lending department is one of the key departments of a library.

The main public service point is the circulation desk or loans desk, usually found near the main entrance of a library. It provides lending services and facilities for return of loaned items. Renewal of materials and payment of fines are also handled at the circulation desk. Circulation staff may provide basic search and reference services, though more in-depth questions are usually referred to reference librarians at the library reference desk

Library reference desk

The reference desk or information desk of a library is a public service counter where professional librarians provide library users with direction to library materials, advice on library collections and services, and expertise on multiple kinds of information from multiple sources.- Explanation...

. The circulation desk is in most cases staffed by library aides instead of professional librarians.

Functions of the circulation desk staff may include:

• Lending materials to library users
• Checking in materials returned
• Monitoring materials for damage and routing them to the appropriate staff for repair or replacement
• Troubleshooting circulation technology, i.e. library circulation software, scanners, printers, etc.
• Collecting statistics on library use, i.e. patron transactions, material checkouts, etc.