Gene,
The problem is the query you’ve created. The query is read-only because it has multiple occurrences of the same column names. Four of the tables have MemberID so MemberID appears four times in the query result. ISBN and title appear twice. Access can't create updateable results under those conditions.
When you create a query, you cannot Select * from all the tables in the query unless all of the columns are uniquely named. You must select by column and where a name is duplicated, it must be aliased or left off the result list. In most cases, we would leave the duplicate column off the list. There is usually no reason to list it if it is the key field that establishes the relationship between the tables.
You normally would not update all the tables at the same time. You would update Loaned when an item was checked out or returned. You would update Patron when new members were added, addresses changed, or membership was renewed. These are just a few examples but you can see that updates only involve one or a few tables at most - never all the tables.
No rows show in the result your huge query because all of the tables are included and are related by an inner join. For any rows to be returned every join condition must be met. A patron must have checked out an item, owe a fine, donated an item and the loaned item must be listed by title in the items table. These exact conditions do not occur in your data.
It makes sense to create a query joining the Loaned table to the Patron table and the Item table. But you should only select specific columns in such a join - not all columns in the three tables. You could also determine relationships between other tables and create queries accordingly.
I recommend reading in Access Help about joins - specifically inner joins and outer joins for now. Read about working with relationships so you'll come to understand how and why to create joined queries.
Remember that all queries don't have to include multiple tables joined together. We often query one table for various reasons. For example, one might query the Patron table for name and address info to create mailing labels.
I also recommend obtaining a book about Access. There are several that would cover these basic issues and help you learn more quickly.
I hope this is helpful. Post any additional questions. Perhaps others in the forum have some helpful ideas. Terry
