A Student Left and Came Back: Seat, Old Dues and Records
Key takeaways
- Students often return after an exam, a trip home or a coaching change. Decide your rules for seats and old dues before it happens.
- When a student leaves, free the seat and stop their plan the same day, so the seat can earn again.
- Keep one record per student. A second entry for the same person splits their fee history and causes arguments later.
- Old unpaid fees are your choice: ask for them again or forgive them. Write the decision down either way.
- In Libolink, Mark as left frees the seat and ends the plan, and Rejoin brings the student back with the same Student ID and history.
Every library has students who leave and come back. Someone goes home for a few months, clears a prelims and returns for the mains, or tries another library and misses yours. It should be a pleasant moment. In a register, it usually means hunting for an old page while the student waits.
This guide covers what to decide in advance and how to handle the return smoothly.
The day a student leaves
Do these on the day, not at the end of the month:
- Free the seat. A seat held for someone who has gone earns nothing, and a new student may be waiting.
- End the plan. Otherwise they keep showing as a member, and you keep chasing a fee nobody will pay.
- Note what is unpaid. Write the amount and the date they left.
- Settle the deposit. If you hold a security deposit, return what is owed. See Library Security Deposit.
- Part on good terms. Many students come back only because leaving was easy.
Three questions to settle before they return
1. Do they get their old seat?
Your seat may have gone to someone else, and that is fair. A simple rule works: the old seat if it is free, otherwise any free seat in the shift they want. Do not promise to hold a seat unless they are paying for it.
2. What about old unpaid fees?
You have two honest options. Ask for the amount again, or forgive it because the student is coming back and the amount is small. What matters is being consistent, and noting why you forgave it. A forgiven amount with no note looks like a mistake when you check your accounts later.
3. Is there a rejoining charge?
Most owners do not charge one. If your rules ask for a fresh deposit, or a new price because fees have gone up, say so plainly before they sit down.
Left, deleted or just absent?
These mean different things, and mixing them up hides real problems.
| Situation | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Absent for a few days | Still a member, plan running | Call them, and keep the seat |
| Left | Gone, and may come back | Mark as left, which frees the seat and ends the plan |
| Added by mistake, or never joined | You do not want them on your lists | Delete, which you can undo |
How it works in Libolink
When a student leaves
Open the student and choose Mark as left. Before you confirm, Libolink tells you exactly what will happen:
- Their login stops working and their seat becomes free.
- Their plan ends now, with the date it would have run till.
- Any unpaid amount leaves Fees due, so nobody chases them while they are gone.
- If you hold a deposit, it reminds you to return it from Memberships → Account & deposit.
- Payments and receipts stay in your accounts.
The student moves to the Left tab under Students, with the date they left.
When they come back
Open the Left tab and tap Rejoin, then choose:
- Joining date. The day they are back.
- The plan. If their old plan still had days left, you can continue it till its old end date. Or start a new plan.
- The seat. Their old seat is marked if it is free.
- Old dues. Keep it due puts the amount back in Fees due. Forgive it means it is not asked for again, and this is noted in the audit history.
They keep the same Student ID, login and history. You can send them a login link on WhatsApp from the same screen.
If someone adds them as a new student by mistake
When staff type a phone number in Add student and it belongs to someone who left, Libolink says so, for example "This number belongs to Riya Sharma (LIBO-00042), who left on 3 Sep". From there they can rejoin that student, or carry on if it really is a different person. Approving an online booking shows the same notice, so returning students do not become duplicates.
Deleting a student
Delete student is for records you do not need. It also frees the seat and ends the plan, and the student leaves your lists. You can bring them back from Students → Deleted.
Students marked as left still count toward your Libolink plan's student limit, and deleted students do not. If the limit is full when someone returns, delete another student or upgrade.
Only the owner can delete a student permanently, by typing their Student ID. That removes their personal details for good, while the money entries stay in your accounts without a name.
Mistakes to avoid
- Creating a second record. It splits the student's fees and attendance across two IDs.
- Keeping the seat "just in case". Give it to someone who is paying.
- Deleting instead of marking as left. If they may return, Left is the honest status and keeps them easy to find.
- Forgiving dues without telling staff. One person forgives and another still asks, and the student is rightly annoyed.
Keeping students is cheaper than finding new ones, so read Why Students Leave a Study Library too. To try this with your own students, start a free 30-day trial. No card is needed.
Frequently asked questions
What should I do when a student leaves my library?
Free their seat and end their plan the same day, note any unpaid amount and settle their deposit. In Libolink, Mark as left does the seat and plan for you and keeps their payments and receipts.
Can a student who left rejoin with the same ID?
Yes. In Libolink, Rejoin brings them back with the same Student ID, login and history. Open Students, go to the Left tab and tap Rejoin.
What happens to unpaid fees when a student returns?
You choose when they rejoin. Keep it due puts the amount back in Fees due. Forgive it means it is not asked for again, and this is noted in the audit history.
What is the difference between marking a student as left and deleting them?
Left is for someone who has gone and may return, and they stay on the Left tab and count toward your plan limit. Delete is for records you do not need, and they leave your lists and stop counting. Both can be undone.
What if staff add a returning student as new?
Libolink checks the phone number. If it belongs to someone who left or was deleted, it says who, and staff can rejoin that student instead of creating a duplicate.