BlueChalk Inventory Guide

Quick Access

Overview

BlueChalk's Inventory System was designed to help you keep track of district assets.  The steps below will show you how to manage the inventory assigned to you and your classroom(s). But first, a brief overview of the system:

  1. Assigned Assets – Based on your classroom, certain inventory items have been assigned to you. The items assigned to you will appear in your Inventory or Inventory Grid. You can add new items to your Inventory, edit items in your inventory, and change the status of your inventory items.
  2. Inventory Grid – your grid is a spreadsheet-like table of your inventory items. You can sort and browse your items in the grid, just as you could in an excel spreadsheet.
  3. Groups and Types – All items are first sorted into broad Groups, such as Furniture, Technology, or Appliances.   Under Groups are Types. Types are more specific classifications within a group. For instance, in the Furniture Group, you would find the Types – Bookcase, Cabinet, Cart, Desk, and Chair.
  4. Deleting Items – Items cannot be deleted. You can change their status to Inactive if they are not in your room, or have been broken, stolen, destroyed, etc. Items marked Inactive will no longer appear in your grid but will still be stored in the database.
  5. Fixed vs Current Assets - BlueChalk is for fixed items that will be used repeatedly.  Any fixed item that costs $25.00 or more should be recorded.  This system is unsuitable for consumable assets like pens, paper, janitorial supplies, etc.  As a rule of thumb, it shouldn’t be entered into this system if it has to be restocked often.
  6. Technology Assets - Please be aware that technology items are now stored in a separate database and are managed by the IT Department.  Items like desktop computers, laptops, monitors, phones, projectors, etc., should not be entered into BlueChalk.  If you have questions about which items should or shouldn't be entered into your inventory, please email inventory@pb.k12.mo.us for clarification.

Step 1: Log in

You can access the BlueChalk inventory system at https://www.bluechalkapps.com using the username and password provided by the IT Department.  The Org Code for Poplar Bluff School District is pbmo.  If you do not have your login credentials or need help with your password, please email inventory@pb.k12.mo.us.

Step 2: View your inventory

The home page of your inventory system allows you to browse all active inventory assigned to you.
To sort the inventory grid, click on the column heading you want to sort by. For example, to sort the grid by Name, click on the Name at the top of the Name column. This will sort the grid by Name in ascending or descending order. To switch between ascending and descending, click on the same column heading a second time.

Step 3: View inventory item details

To view an item in more detail, click on the Asset Tag Number at the far left of the grid. A new window will open (you may need to disable your browser's pop-up blocker or set the blocker to allow pop-ups from www.bluechalkapps.com).

All your item’s details will be listed on this page (you can scroll up and down to view more information). This screen allows you to edit this item's location, status, quantity, and general data. To return to your home page, close the details window.

Step 4: Search for items

Using the pull-down menus and textboxes on the search page, you can search for items you have in your room that are not shown in your database. You can also search for an item by serial number. To search, fill out the form and click Submit. NOTE: Your grid only shows active items; items with Disposal Notes are most likely marked Inactive and will not appear in your grid.

Step 5: Enter new items

To enter a new item, click on the Enter Inventory bar/button above the grid:

The Inventory Entry Screen will open:

Fill out the form, entering the details of the item.  The name is simply a short description of items such as Table, Bookcase, or Student Desk.  The system will alert you if you miss any required fields. Scroll down and click Update Record.  Your info will now be saved in your grid.

Step 6: Editing items

To edit an item, click on the Asset Tag Number for the item to be edited from your grid and then select one of the edit options from the top menu bar.

To edit an item's status:

Click Edit Status from the menu bar on the details screen:

Select a new status, and then click Update Record. Remember, if you choose Inactive , the item will no longer show in your grid. You will also be asked why you are setting the item as Inactive and be required to fill in more information.

To edit an item’s quantity:

select Edit Quantity from the top of the details screen. The Inventory Quantity Edit screen will open.

Change the quantity in the quantity text box, enter your reason for changing the amount, then click Update Record.

To add or edit notes about an item:

Click Edit General Data at the top of the details screen. The Inventory Details Edit screen will open.  Fill out the form to add notes or additional info to the item, and then click Update Record.

Step 7: Transfer items

While inventorying your classroom, you may find items not listed in your grid. These items may have been acquired when switching classrooms, changing faculty positions, etc. You can add these items to your inventory grid.
You can search for an item by serial number. The manufacturer’s serial number is usually next to a barcode and usually has S/N preceding it.  If the item is in the inventory database, it will open the item details screen.  You can add the item to your inventory from the item details screen by clicking Take It at the top right-hand corner of the details screen.

The Take It screen will then open. Click Take It, and the item will be entered into your inventory grid.
If the item is not found, you will need to add it to your grid as a new item (see Step 5: Entering Items).

Final Notes

Anytime you edit an item, scroll down to the bottom of the edit screen and click on Update. The edit you entered will not be saved unless you click on Update.

SUPPORT: Anyone from the IT Department will be glad to answer any questions you might have about this system. If needed, we can demonstrate the system to help you get started.  To request assistance, please email inventory@pb.k12.mo.us.
Inventory can be a complicated process, but we must have an accurate count of the physical assets in our buildings.  Accurate inventory assessments are critical when incidents like fires and theft occur, but are also required by federal and state audits.
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