Frequently asked questions
Short answers, with a link to the full guide.
At the desk
The Wi-Fi in our hall is patchy. Will the desk work? The desk needs a connection to lend and take payments. A phone hotspot is usually enough: each scan sends very little. If the connection drops, wait a moment and try again; nothing is half-saved.
A family has a toy we never catalogued. Can I still lend it? Yes. Type what it is, press Lend it anyway, then Add and lend. See Lend a toy that is not in the catalogue.
The desk keeps locking. It locks after two minutes without use to keep families' details safe. Your visit is parked; tap your name and type your PIN to carry on. See When the desk locks.
I forgot my PIN. Ask an admin to set a new one in Settings > Team and devices.
The toy is reserved for someone else but the family in front of me wants it. The line explains who it is reserved for. A coordinator can override with a reason, but it may leave the other family without it. See When the desk stops a line.
A piece is missing. Do we charge? That is your library's choice. Gizzago records the missing piece against the toy and the member, emails them a kind note, and shows it at the desk until it is sorted. No fee is added unless your rules say so. See Take toys back and check the pieces.
Can a member pay part cash, part card? Not in one payment yet. Put part on their account, or take two payments.
Members
Do members have to give their children's details? No. Children are optional, and Gizzago only ever stores a birth month and year, never a full date of birth. See Children's data.
A member has forgotten their password. They press Email me a link on the sign-in page, then choose a new password on their account's Security page.
We have the same family twice. Tick both in People and press Merge. See Merge duplicate people.
Can members renew a toy themselves? Yes, from their account, unless it is overdue, has reached the renewal limit, or someone else has reserved it.
Toys
What is the difference between a labelled copy and counted stock? A labelled copy has its own code and history. Counted stock is several identical things on one code ("five balance boards, four out"). See Labelled copies and counted stock.
Can we lend party packs that are made of other toys? Yes: that is a kit. Its parts are checked out and back in with it. See Kits, party packs and crates.
We have boxes of donations. What is the quickest way to catalogue them? Capture: photograph each toy on a phone, add a few words, and Gizzago suggests the details for a person to check. See Photograph donations with Capture.
Money
Can we claim Gift Aid on memberships? Usually not: HMRC treats a membership that gives the right to borrow as paying for a service. Gizzago captures Gift Aid declarations on donations and exports a schedule for them. See Money and the Gift Aid schedule.
Can members pay by card online? Yes, once your library connects its own Stripe account in Settings > Fees and payments. Money goes straight to your library's account.
Your website
Can our site use our own colours and logo? Yes. See Colours, fonts, icons and shape.
Can we use our own web address?
Yes, for example borrow.yourlibrary.org.uk. See Use your own web address.
Trustees
Where are the numbers for our funders? Reports > Funder report. Small numbers are shown as "fewer than 5" so no family can be identified. See The funder report.
Can we get all our data out? Yes, at any time. An admin can download everything from Settings > Data, privacy and billing. See Export all your library's data.
Still stuck?
Email hello@gizzago.com with the name of the screen you were on and what you expected to happen. A screenshot helps, but please do not send families' personal details.