Things

Learn how to add things and configure settings for each thing added in MuseumKey and LendingKey.

Add a thing

To add a thing, from Key Central:

  1. Click Things.
  2. Click Add.
  3. Select a category for the thing from the drop-down list.
  4. Enter a name for the thing.
  5. Click Add.

Delete a thing

To delete a thing, from Key Central:

  1. Click Things.
  2. Click Settings for the thing you want to delete.
  3. Scroll to the bottom of the screen and click Delete.

Configure settings for a thing

For each thing, the following settings can be configured. To configure thing settings, from Key Central:

  1. Click Things.
  2. Click Settings for the thing you want to update.
  3. Configure the settings.
  4. Click Update to save your changes.

Thing settings

Field Description
Status Choose from two different statuses:
  • Active
  • Disabled - Hides the thing from the public interface
Name Name of the thing.
YouTube Video ID Enter a YouTube Video ID to embed a video in the thing description on the public interface.
Instructions Link Provide a link to instructions for the thing, if available.
Loan Period Default loan period applied to all things added. This value can be changed per museum/thing. (i.e. if this value is set to 3, a reservation made on December 15 will be due back on December 17. December 13 and 14 will also be made unavailable to avoid a reservation conflict.)
Maximum Reservations within a Year Designate the number of reservations allowed for this item within a rolling year. (i.e. If the field is set to 1, if a reservation exists for August 15, 2021, the next available date allowed for a reservation is August 16, 2022).  If set to Disabled, limits will default to those defined in Library > Settings.
Maximum Reservations within a Month/2 months/3 months Designate the number of reservations allowed for this item within a rolling month or months. (i.e. If the field is set to 1, if a reservation exists for August 15, 2021, the next available date allowed for a reservation is September 16, 2021).  If set to Disabled, limits will default to those defined in Library > Settings.
Description Description of the thing.
Image The image chosen for the thing can be changed here.
Category The category chosen when creating the record can be changed here.
Expiration Date Used to manage annual subscriptions to things.  All dates past the expiration date will be made unavailable on the public calendar.

Configure availability dates for a thing

You can configure the dates a thing is available for use. To configure availability dates for a thing, from Key Central:

  1. Click Things.
  2. Click Dates for the thing you want to update.
  3. Set a listed date as Available or Not Available, using the radio buttons.
  4. Click Set Dates to save your changes.
Field Description
Available The thing is available for pickup.
Not Available The thing is not available for pickup or has a due date.

Configure thing items

You can add new items, update existing items, and delete items for each thing.

Add thing items

To add a thing item, from Key Central:

  1. Click Things.
  2. Click Items for the thing you want to update.
  3. Click Add.
  4. Select which branch the item belongs to from the drop-down list.
  5. Enter an item number. If these items are cataloged, use the item ID barcode. Otherwise, use a sequential item number (i.e., Copy 1, Copy 2, etc.).
     Note: If ILS integration is enabled, then you must use an item ID barcode for all circulating passes.
  6. Click Add to save your changes.

Update existing thing items

To update an existing thing item, from Key Central:

  1. Click Things.
  2. Click Items for the thing you want to update.
  3. Click Update.
  4. Update the branch or item number.
  5. Click Update to save your changes.

Delete thing items

To delete a thing item from Key Central:

  1. Click Things.
  2. Click Items for the thing you want to update.
  3. Click Delete.
  4. From the Delete Item dialog window, click Yes to confirm that you want to delete the item.
     Note: Reservations that require this item will not be removed.