---
type: Documentation
title: Recurring tasks
description: Define routine work such as stocktake, DIN standards updates, or cataloguing
  new journal issues once and let Librario create concrete tasks on schedule.
resource: https://www.librario.de/en/docs/bibliothekswesen/aufgabenverwaltung/wiederkehrende-aufgaben
tags:
- docs
- bibliothekswesen
- aufgabenverwaltung
---

# Recurring tasks

> **Plan option:**
> 
> Available in plans with **advanced task management**. [Compare plans→](/en/preise)



Every library has routines that come around regularly: yearly stocktake, quarterly DIN standards review for new editions, weekly cataloguing of newly arrived journal issues.
Instead of creating these tasks manually every time, you define them once — and Librario creates the concrete tasks at the right time.

## Definition vs. instance

![Flow diagram of a recurring task: a definition spawns a task instance at the spawn time, which then appears in the Open column of the Kanban board.](/en/docs/bibliothekswesen/aufgabenverwaltung/wiederkehrende-aufgaben/lebenszyklus.svg)

Two distinct terms matter:

- **Definition.** The template. It states _what_ needs to happen, _how often_, and _who owns it_. Definitions are managed separately and do not show up on the regular task board.
- **Task instance.** A concrete occurrence created from a definition. Instances behave like any other task — they show on the Kanban board, have a state, a due date, and an owner.

## Creating, editing, pausing

Manage recurring definitions under **Tasks → Recurring**. A new definition needs:

- **Title** of the resulting task (for example "Stocktake — start of quarter")
- **Frequency** — weekly, monthly, quarterly, or yearly
- **Day** — which weekday, day of month, or day of quarter the task should spawn on
- **Owner** — must be an administrator or librarian
- **Due in days** — how many days after spawn the task is due

Definitions can be paused at any time — no new instances are created while paused, but existing instances stay on the board.

![Form for a new recurring task with fields for title, frequency, day, owner, and due date.](/de/docs/bibliothekswesen/aufgabenverwaltung/wiederkehrend-formular.webp)
_Form for a new recurring task definition_


## Four examples

**1. Quarterly DIN standards review.** Frequency "Quarterly", day "1st day of quarter", due in 14 days. Spawns a task "Check DIN standards for new editions" on January 1, April 1, July 1, and October 1, due within two weeks.

**2. Yearly stocktake.** Frequency "Yearly", day "1 February", due in 30 days. Delivers the stocktake task right after the fiscal year end, with enough buffer to execute.

**3. Cataloguing new issues of "Der Bauingenieur" (weekly).** Frequency "Weekly", day "Monday", due in 3 days. Reminds the librarian every Monday to catalogue, scan, and link the issues that arrived during the past week to the journal's master record.

**4. Renew the SSO client secret in time (yearly).** Frequency "Yearly", day "1 October", due in 30 days. Reminds you once a year to regenerate the expiring [client secret for Single Sign-on](/en/docs/integration/sso-mit-microsoft) in Microsoft Entra ID and enter it in Librario before sign-in stops working.

![Overview of recurring task definitions with columns for title, frequency, owner, and status.](/de/docs/bibliothekswesen/aufgabenverwaltung/wiederkehrend-liste.webp)
_Overview of defined recurring tasks_


## What happens on spawn?

When the time arrives, Librario creates a concrete task instance from the definition — with copied description, priority, and computed due date. The instance lands in the Open column and is assigned to the owner from the definition.

> **What if the owner is no longer an administrator or librarian?:**
> 
> If the owner stored on a definition loses their administrator or librarian role (for example because they left the company or moved off library duty), they can no longer be assigned. Librario still creates the task — just without an owner. It appears in the Open column without burdening someone whose role no longer fits. Fix the definition when you notice the gap: if the original owner regains the role, future tasks are assigned to them again automatically.