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CampusVerleih Documentation: Core Concepts & Setup

Inventory & Lending Management for Universities

CampusVerleih is a web-based SaaS platform for managing inventory, lending processes, and communication – built for student unions, university departments, and non-commercial initiatives at colleges and universities.

The system is specifically designed for the university context and addresses the unique requirements of volunteer-run organizations such as student councils, faculty groups, or student projects.

Getting Started with CampusVerleih

Learn how to set up inventory, manage lending requests, and run a university lending system with CampusVerleih. This guide explains the core concepts, item types, and workflows required to get started.

Prerequisites

  • Active CampusVerleih account
  • Administrator or staff role
  • University email domain configured

Initial Setup Workflow

Setting up CampusVerleih for your organization involves the following steps:

  1. Configure your university email domain – Define which email domains are accepted for verification (e.g. @uni-example.de)
  2. Create user accounts – Invite administrators and staff members to the platform
  3. Set up your inventory – Add item types (individual items and bulk items) with categories, conditions, and storage locations
  4. Customize email templates – Adapt automated notification emails to match your organization's tone and language
  5. Publish the request form – Share the public or internal request link with students

Once these steps are completed, your lending system is ready to accept requests.

Typical Lending Process

A standard lending workflow in CampusVerleih follows these stages:

  1. Request – A student submits a lending request via the request form, selecting items and a lending period
  2. Verification – The student receives a verification email and confirms their university email address
  3. Review – An administrator or staff member reviews the request and checks availability
  4. Approval or Rejection – The request is approved or rejected, and the student is notified automatically
  5. Pickup – The student picks up the items at the agreed time and location
  6. Return – The student returns the items; staff records the return, noting any missing or damaged items

Common Use Cases at Universities

  • Student union event equipment – Manage projectors, speakers, and microphones for student events
  • Faculty lending pools – Share lab equipment, cameras, or tools across departments
  • Orientation week supplies – Track bulk items like cups, cutlery, and decorations for large-scale events
  • Student project resources – Lend specialized equipment to student projects or working groups

Core Concepts

Item Types and Inventory

The system clearly distinguishes between item types and inventory to efficiently manage both individual valuable items and large quantities of identical objects.

Individual Items

Suitable for high-value or uniquely identifiable objects:

  • One physical object per entry
  • Optional serial number
  • Individual status and history
  • Examples: projectors, speakers, microphones

Bulk Items

Suitable for large quantities of identical objects:

  • Managed by quantity instead of individual objects
  • No serial numbers required
  • Aggregated lending and return history
  • Examples: spoons, cups, cables, chairs

This separation prevents unnecessary data maintenance and ensures scalability for real university inventories.

Key Features

Inventory Management

  • Central inventory database
  • Support for individual items and bulk items with quantity management
  • Item attributes such as category, condition, and storage location
  • Automatic availability calculation
  • Complete lending history at item or item type level

Lending & Request Process

  • Public or internal request form
  • Selection of items and lending period
  • Quantity selection for bulk items
  • Automatic availability check
  • Approval or rejection by administrators
  • Status tracking throughout the entire lending cycle
  • Structured returns with recording of returned quantity, missing items, and damaged items

Mandatory Verification (University Email)

  • Every request must be made using a university email address
  • Only pre-approved university domains are allowed
  • Automatic verification email with confirmation link (double opt-in)
  • Requests are only visible to administrators after successful verification
  • Unconfirmed requests expire automatically after a configurable period

This process is mandatory and ensures identifiability, accountability, and protection against misuse.

Email Communication & Notifications

  • Automated emails for submission, verification, approval, rejection, as well as pickup and return reminders
  • Customizable email templates per university
  • Complete communication history per lending

Users & Roles

  • Role-based access control with the following roles:
  • Administrators – Full access to all features
  • Staff / Editors – Management of inventory and lendings
  • Requesters – Create requests and view own status
  • Fine-grained permission management
  • Clear responsibilities

Security, Privacy & Compliance

  • Mandatory double opt-in process
  • Enforcement of university email domains
  • GDPR-compliant data processing
  • Logging of inventory and lending changes (audit logs)
  • Hosting and data processing within the EU

Built for the University Context

  • Optimized for non-commercial use
  • Supports regular personnel changes and handovers
  • Reduces spreadsheets and manual email coordination
  • Scalable from small initiatives to large universities