FAQs: Understanding Holds
This FAQ explains how hold queues are formed and displayed and how holds are satisfied. In addition, this topic answers questions about holds in general, its information display, and how the iBistro/iLink e-Library and WebCat can be configured and used to place holds.
| • | What restrictions can prevent a hold from being placed? |
| • | How can I tell if someone entered an override code to place a hold? |
| • | How is a user’s position in the hold queue determined? |
| • | How is the hold rank assigned? |
| • | How can I reorder the hold queue for a title? |
| • | What does it mean when I reorder the queue for a title? |
| • | What happens to holds placed after a hold queue is reordered? |
| • | What happens if the user who has an available hold does not pick up the item? |
| • | How do I see the length of time a user has been waiting for an item in the hold queue? |
| • | How are holds placed and satisfied in Demand Management? |
| • | How do I suspend a hold? (How are Enhanced Holds in WebCat or the iBistro/iLink e-Library affected in Demand Management?) |
| • | If I enter a comment when I place a hold, where does it display? |
| • | How do I process holds? |
| • | What happens when a hold is canceled? |
| • | How do I display inactive hold information? |
| • | How do I clear the Holds shelf of items that have canceled holds? |
| • | What are the differences between mediated holds, immediate holds, and Enhanced Holds in WebCat and the iBistro/iLink e-Library? |
| • | How are Enhanced Holds in WebCat or the iBistro/iLink e-Library affected in Demand Management? |
| • | How do I place an immediate hold in WebCat? |
| • | How do I place a hold on a specific volume in WebCat? |
| • | Why do my WebCat or the iBistro/iLink e-Library users always have to provide their user IDs when placing a hold? |
| • | How do I cancel a hold in WebCat? |
| • | How do I place a hold in the iBistro/iLink e-Library? |
| • | How do I cancel a hold in the iBistro/iLink e-Library? |
What restrictions can prevent a hold from being placed?
A number of restrictions can prevent a hold from being successfully placed.
| • | Hold limit in the patron’s User Profile has been reached and no more holds are permitted for the user. |
| • | User cannot charge the item. |
| • | Item’s current Location policy does not allow holds. |
| • | Profile of the staff member who is attempting to place the hold does not have the access privileges required to place the hold. |
The following additional restrictions can prevent a hold from being successfully placed.
| • | Hold Permissions Libraries property in the owning library’s Library policy does not contain the station user’s library. |
| • | Hold Map policy does not allow the hold. |
| • | Item is available, and the Hold Available Item Libraries property in the owning library’s Library policy does not permit holds to be placed on available items. |
| • | The item’s current Location policy is set to the location is not considered as “available” for holds. |
How can I tell if someone entered an override code to place a hold?
Demand Management checks for certain conditions to be met before placing the hold. A number of restrictions may prevent a hold from being placed; however, in some cases the operator will be able to place the hold anyway by typing an override code. You should exercise caution when typing an override code to place the hold because you may create a hold that can never be filled, or the hold will be filled by an item you did not think was qualified to fill the hold.
When the operator uses an override code to place a hold, the Available or Unavailable hold glossary in the Display User Holds wizard, Display Item Holds wizard, or User Display wizard shows a Y (yes) in the No Hold Allowed Override field. If an N (no) appears in the field, no override code was entered to place the hold.
How is a user’s position in the hold queue determined?
When more than one user places a hold on a single item, a hold list or hold queue forms. Any number of users can wait in the hold queue. A user’s position in the hold queue depends on these factors.
| • | Number of holds shown as being Unavailable |
| • | Number of holds shown as being Available |
| • | Library’s policy for holds on materials in another library (if applicable) |
| • | Number of Title level holds |
| • | User’s hold rank |
| • | Hold priority according to the Hold Map policy |
| • | Hold range |
Available holds are disregarded when calculating the user’s position in the hold queue. In addition, only holds that belong to a library in which the user is allowed to place holds are counted.
Libraries that use the Demand Management feature may not find the hold queue position information to be useful. With the Demand Management feature, the priority of a hold can be based on which library’s copy becomes available first, and on the settings of the Hold Map policy. These factors will determine which user in the queue will receive the item, not the user’s current position in the hold queue. Therefore, SirsiDynix recommends that libraries using the Demand Management feature should turn off the USEHOLDQUEUEPOS WebCat environment parameter to make the hold queue position’s display unavailable.
How is the hold rank assigned?
The hold rank is assigned through the User Profile policy. The hold rank is a number from 100 to 199. A user with a rank of 102 has a hold honored before a user with a rank of 105. All users with the same hold rank wait in the hold queue in first-come, first-serve order. When a hold is placed, staff can force the current user’s hold to be first in the queue. The User Profile policy also determines how many simultaneous holds a user can have outstanding.
How can I reorder the hold queue for a title?
To reorder the hold queue for a title, use the Reorder Hold Queue wizard. This wizard allows you to re-order the hold queue for a title and move a hold or group of holds up or down in the queue. Only unavailable/active holds (including suspended unavailable/active holds) can be reordered by this wizard. For information about how to use this wizard, see the Reorder Hold Queue Wizard topic.
What does it mean when I reorder the queue for a title?
After reordering the hold queue using the Reorder Hold Queue wizard, the order of the holds in the holds list only indicates the order in which holds will be considered to be filled. How the holds are filled after reordering depends on Demand Management policies, hold ranks, and hold priorities.
If holds have not been previously reordered, the holds in the holds list will initially display in date placed order in the Reorder Hold Queue wizard.
The Hold Map policies affect hold priorities and will affect how the holds are filled once they have been reordered. If hold priorities are set equally in the Hold Map policies and system range holds are placed, then the holds list displayed in the Reorder Hold Queue wizard will be a fair representation of how the holds will be filled.
However, if priorities are not set equally in the Hold Map policies, then the holds list is only a representation of how these holds will be considered for fulfillment.
System Range Holds Examples
For example, the following holds exist in the list for a title (not all fields display in this table).
|
User Name |
Range |
Date Placed |
Pickup At |
|
George |
SYSTEM |
7/14/2008 |
MAIN |
|
James |
SYSTEM |
7/14/2008 |
MAIN |
|
Jessie |
SYSTEM |
7/14/2008 |
GREEN |
|
Jane |
SYSTEM |
7/14/2008 |
GREEN |
|
Greg |
SYSTEM |
7/14/2008 |
MAIN |
|
Sam |
SYSTEM |
7/14/2008 |
GREEN |
|
Cindy |
SYSTEM |
7/14/2008 |
GREEN |
And, you decide to move two holds (for Sam and Cindy) to the top of the list. The hold priorities for all Hold Map policies that affect the Main and Green libraries are set to NONE.
Since the hold map priorities are set to NONE and all holds are system range holds, after reordering the holds, the resulting holds list represents how these holds will be filled.
|
User Name |
Range |
Date Placed |
Pickup At |
|
Sam |
SYSTEM |
7/14/2008 |
GREEN |
|
Cindy |
SYSTEM |
7/14/2008 |
GREEN |
|
George |
SYSTEM |
7/14/2008 |
MAIN |
|
James |
SYSTEM |
7/14/2008 |
MAIN |
|
Jessie |
SYSTEM |
7/14/2008 |
GREEN |
|
Jane |
SYSTEM |
7/14/2008 |
GREEN |
|
Greg |
SYSTEM |
7/14/2008 |
MAIN |
You have the following holds list for a new title (not all fields are listed).
|
User Name |
Range |
Date Placed |
Pickup At |
|
Peter |
SYSTEM |
7/14/2008 |
GREEN |
|
Pattie |
SYSTEM |
7/14/2008 |
GREEN |
|
Richard |
SYSTEM |
7/14/2008 |
MAIN |
|
James |
SYSTEM |
7/14/2008 |
MAIN |
|
Jessie |
SYSTEM |
7/14/2008 |
GREEN |
|
Jane |
SYSTEM |
7/14/2008 |
GREEN |
|
Greg |
SYSTEM |
7/14/2008 |
MAIN |
You decide to move the holds for Jessie, Jane, and Greg to the top of the list. But, the Hold Map policies for Green library’s new titles (GR_NEWBK) are set to priority OWN_LIB which indicates that Green library users have priority for items owned by Green.
|
User Name |
Range |
Date Placed |
Pickup At |
|
Jessie |
SYSTEM |
7/14/2008 |
GREEN |
|
Jane |
SYSTEM |
7/14/2008 |
GREEN |
|
Greg |
SYSTEM |
7/14/2008 |
MAIN |
|
Peter |
SYSTEM |
7/14/2008 |
GREEN |
|
Pattie |
SYSTEM |
7/14/2008 |
GREEN |
|
Richard |
SYSTEM |
7/14/2008 |
MAIN |
|
James |
SYSTEM |
7/14/2008 |
MAIN |
After reordering the holds, the resulting holds list only represents how these holds will be considered to be filled because Green library users will have priority for new titles. If an item belonging to Green became available, Peter and Pattie would get the new book before Greg, since Greg is a Main library user.
Group Range Holds Example
To illustrate the affects of reordering group range holds, you have the following holds list for a new title (not all fields are listed).
In this example, group range holds are configured to use the hold group of the holds pickup library
|
User Name |
Range |
Date Placed |
Pickup At |
|
Cindy |
GROUP |
7/14/2008 |
GREEN |
|
George |
GROUP |
7/14/2008 |
MAIN |
|
James |
GROUP |
7/14/2008 |
MAIN |
|
Jessie |
GROUP |
7/14/2008 |
HUNT |
|
Jane |
GROUP |
7/14/2008 |
PARKER |
|
Greg |
GROUP |
7/14/2008 |
PARKER |
You decide to move the holds for Jessie, Jane, and Greg to the top of the list.
|
User Name |
Range |
Date Placed |
Pickup At |
|
Jessie |
GROUP |
7/14/2008 |
HUNT |
|
Jane |
GROUP |
7/14/2008 |
PARKER |
|
Greg |
GROUP |
7/14/2008 |
PARKER |
|
Cindy |
GROUP |
7/14/2008 |
GREEN |
|
George |
GROUP |
7/14/2008 |
MAIN |
|
James |
GROUP |
7/14/2008 |
MAIN |
After reordering the holds, the result holds list only represents how these holds will be considered to be filled because items that belong to the holds pickup library will only be used to fill the group range holds. As a result, Cindy or George could get the new book before Greg if an item belonging to Main or Green becomes available first. This is because Greg placed a group range hold for pickup at PARKER, and only items belonging to PARKER or HUNT can fill the group range hold.
What happens to holds placed after a hold queue is reordered?
Any new holds placed after a hold queue is re-ordered will be placed within the queue based on date placed and their hold rank.
What happens if the user who has an available hold does not pick up the item?
If the user who has an available hold does not pick up the item, you can decide what actions to take based on your library’s procedures and the expiration date of the hold.
Hold Expiration Date Passed
If the hold was created with a specific expiration date, and the expiration date has passed, mark the expired hold as INACTIVE and make the item available for the next user in the hold queue.
To mark a hold that has passed its expiration date as INACTIVE and make the item available for the next user
| 1 | Run the Expire Holds report to mark expired holds as INACTIVE. |
| 2 | Run the Clean Holds Shelf report to print a list of items with inactive holds that should be removed from the Holds shelf. By default, the report traps a hold to determine the next available hold on the item, if applicable. |
Hold Expired on the Holds Shelf
If the Days for Avail Holds to Expire attribute is used in the Library policy, and the item has been available and on the Holds shelf for at least the specified number of days, do the following to mark the expired available hold as INACTIVE and make the item available for the next user in the hold queue.
To mark a hold that expired on the Holds shelf as INACTIVE and make the item available for the next user
| 1 | Run the Expire Available Holds report to mark expired, available holds as INACTIVE. |
| 2 | Run the Clean Holds Shelf report to print a list of items with inactive holds that should be removed from the Holds shelf. By default, the report traps a hold to determine the next available hold on the item, if applicable. |
Hold Was Created with the Expiration Date of NEVER
If the library does not use the Days for Avail Holds to Expire attribute in the Library policy, and the currently-available hold was created with no expiration date or an expiration date of NEVER, you must remove the hold with the Remove User Hold wizard or Remove Item Hold wizard. By default, the Make Next Hold Available property and Remove From Holds Shelf property are enabled for these wizards, so the next hold in the hold queue for the item becomes available. If these properties are disabled, you must run the Clean Holds Shelf report to make the next hold available.
How do I see the length of time a user has been waiting for an item in the hold queue?
At any time, the library can find out who is waiting for any item in the collection and how long they have waited. SirsiDynix Symphony can automatically produce a list of titles that have long hold queues.
Use the Item Search and Display wizard to display hold information about the item. The Holds tab for the item record will show how many holds the item has. Library staff can select glossaries for each hold to see when the hold was placed, and determine how long the user has been waiting for the item.
Run the List Purchase Alerts report to print a list of items with numerous holds. Library staff can select items to list based on how many holds an item has, and which library owns the item. The report lists the title, how many holds each title has, and how many copies the library currently owns of the item. Library staff can use this report to decide if more copies of the item should be purchased to meet user demand.
How are holds placed and satisfied in Demand Management?
The following steps explain how holds are placed and satisfied.
| 1 | The staff member starts the hold process by using the Place Hold wizard. |
| 3 | SirsiDynix Symphony checks the Library policy to determine if the library allows holds to be placed on an item that is available to circulate. If not, a hold cannot be placed since the user can simply check out the item. |
| 4 | If the library is part of a multilibrary system, and the hold is for an item in another library, SirsiDynix Symphony checks the station library’s hold libraries group. If the item’s library is not in the station library’s hold libraries group, a hold cannot be placed. |
| 5 | SirsiDynix Symphony checks the patron’s User Profile to see if the user is permitted to place a hold. If the user cannot place a hold, or cannot place a hold on items in another library in a multilibrary system, SirsiDynix Symphony does not allow the hold to be placed. |
| 6 | SirsiDynix Symphony checks the hold permissions in the Hold Map policy to see if the hold can be placed on the item. If not, the hold cannot be placed. |
| 7 | SirsiDynix Symphony checks the hold priority in the Hold Map policy to determine where to place the user’s hold request in the hold queue. |
| 8 | When the staff member successfully places the hold, SirsiDynix Symphony creates a hold record and associates it with the item the user wants. The hold record contains information about the user and item, as well as the hold priority, its rank, and its creation date. |
| 9 | When the desired item is returned to the library or is otherwise made available for use, SirsiDynix Symphony checks to see if the item has one or more holds. If more than one hold has been placed on the item, SirsiDynix Symphony checks the hold’s priority, then its rank, and then its creation date to determine which hold to make available. |
| 10 | SirsiDynix Symphony notifies the staff member that the item is available to satisfy the hold, and displays hold information. |
Demand Management uses the priority and the default configuration of priority (by user library or pickup library) when determining which user’s hold to satisfy. You should exercise care in setting the priority in the hold map and in configuring the default priority for holds to be satisfied as your library expects. Go to FAQs: Making Hold Maps for more information.
How are Enhanced Holds in WebCat or the iBistro/iLink e-Library affected in Demand Management?
Demand Management will have some effect on how you and your patrons use WebCat or the iBistro/iLink e-Library to place holds on materials.
| • | Your library must use WebCat or the iBistro/iLink e-Library logins. You must create a WebCat or the iBistro/iLink e-Library login for each station library so that the station library varies from library to library. |
| • | Staff and patrons will continue to be able to place Enhanced Holds as usual. If you or a user places an Enhanced Hold, the hold will always be a Title level hold. If your library is part of a multilibrary system, the Enhanced Hold will always be a Title level hold placed across either the Group range of records, or the System range of records. You can select which record range is used for holds placed by users in WebCat or the iBistro/iLink e-Library by defining the HOLD_RANGE environment parameter. |
If I enter a comment when I place a hold, where does it display?
When you use the Place Hold wizard to place an item hold, the Comment field gives you the opportunity to add a comment to be recorded in the hold record. This comment displays in the item record, user record, alert messages, and in certain reports. The following lists describes where the hold comment will display.
| • | The routing message window when an item is checked in with the Discharge/Checkin wizard |
| • | In the alert message window when an item is recorded with the Inventory Item wizard |
| • | In the status message of the Check Item Status wizard display |
| • | In the Holds tab of the user record displayed with the Display User wizard, when you select the availability glossary link to see hold information |
| • | In the Holds tab of the item record displayed with the Item Search and Display wizard, when you select the availability glossary link to see hold information |
| • | When you select the Availability glossary link to see hold information in the Display User Holds wizard, Remove User Hold wizard, Display Item Holds wizard, and Remove Item Holds wizard |
| • | In the Modify User Holds wizard and Modify Item Holds wizard |
| • | In reports containing a Print User or Print Item tab |
Some commonly used reports that can print hold comments (if any were entered) are the List Holds report, the List Users report, and the List Bibliography report.
| • | To print hold information, use the List Holds report. Any hold comments will be included in the report output. |
| • | To print hold comments from the user information, use the List Users report. Under Holds Information on the Print User tab, select either All or Available in the Holds option to print hold information, and select the Full in the Format option to include any hold comments in the report output. |
| • | To print hold comments from the item information, use the List Bibliography report. Under Copy Information on the Print Item tab, select the Holds check box to print hold information. Any hold comments will be included in the report output. |
A user can place a hold in WebCat or the iBistro/iLink e-Library, or ask a staff member to place a hold. The hold can be placed on an item in another library or on your library’s shelf, if you have configured SirsiDynix Symphony to allow such holds. The following procedure explains how to process holds on items and get materials to users.
| 1 | Run the List Onshelf Items with Holds report to determine which holds were placed on onshelf items. The report lists the items which need to be pulled from the shelves and made available for placing the hold. The list is sorted by library if your library is part of a multilibrary system. |
Note: The List Onshelf Items with Holds report can be scheduled to run unattended at library-specified intervals.
| 2 | Once you retrieve items from the shelf, use the Trap Holds wizard to indicate that the desired items were indeed on the shelf, and are now available for the holding patron. You can scan actual barcodes of materials found on the shelves. |
| 3 | When the user places a hold on an onshelf item, SirsiDynix Symphony determines which copy is best for filling the hold. That particular item is listed in the report. If that item is not on the shelf, it will be selected again the next time you run the report unless it is marked as MISSING. If any items in the hold list were not on the shelf, identify the ones that were not found using the List of Onshelf Items with Holds report. Check out copies to MISSING using the Mark Item Missing wizard. When an item is marked as MISSING, that location is not holdable, so the item is not selected in the next List of Onshelf Items with Holds report. |
| 4 | When the user places a hold on an item at another library (if permitted), materials are sent from the other library to the pickup library. If your library is the pickup library for the hold, use the Receive Transit wizard, or Check Item Status wizard’s Receive Item to receive the item from transit. SirsiDynix Symphony indicates that the material fills a hold and that it should be placed on the Holds shelf. You can use the H glossary to see which user has the hold. |
| 5 | Run the Hold Pickup Notices report to create notices to send to users. |
| 6 | When the user comes to the library to pick up the material, use the Checkout wizard to check the item out to the user. |
| 7 | When the user returns the material, use the Discharge/Checkin wizard to put the item back in transit (if necessary) to the owning library, or to route the item to the appropriate shelving location in your library. |
| 8 | If you put the returned item in transit to the owning library, the owning library’s staff receives the transit item using the Receive Transit wizard. SirsiDynix Symphony indicates that the material should be returned to its proper shelving location. |
What are the differences between mediated holds, immediate holds, and Enhanced Holds in WebCat and the iBistro/iLink e-Library?
If your library uses WebCat or the iBistro/iLink e-Library, your patrons can place holds on items. Depending on how you configure Request Type policies for WebCat or the iBistro/iLink e-Library, your patron can place a mediated hold, an immediate hold, or an Enhanced Hold on an item.
| • | A mediated hold requires the user to send a request to library staff to actually place the hold. Depending on your policies, the user may need to enter information such as the date the item is needed, item’s call number, copy number, and item ID, and user’s ID. Library staff members place the hold for the user. |
| • | An immediate hold (also called a non-mediated hold) actually places a hold on the item as soon as the user submits the request form. No library staff intervention is required. Depending on your policies, the user may need to specify the call number, copy number, item ID, user ID, PIN, and pickup library. If the user displays an item’s catalog record first and then selects the immediate hold request, the item’s call number, copy number, and item ID are automatically entered onto the request form for the user. |
| • | An Enhanced Hold actually places a hold on the item as soon as the user submits the request form. No library staff intervention is required. Depending on your policies, the user may need to enter only the user ID or alt ID, PIN, and pickup library. If your library is a single library system, the pickup library list box does not display. If your policies are defined such that the user ID or alt ID, PIN, and pickup library are automatically determined by WebCat or the iBistro/iLink e-Library, the user does not see a request form; the hold is placed immediately on the item. |
How do I place an immediate hold in WebCat?
WebCat allows patrons to place their own immediate, System level holds (as defined by the Hold Libraries property of the Library policy). Patrons can perform the following functions.
| • | Specify a pickup library (if applicable) |
| • | Identify titles (whether to place a Title level or Call level hold) |
| • | View their position in the hold queue (User Services) |
| • | Cancel a hold (User Services) |
To place a hold using WebCat
| 1 | Log in to WebCat and search the library’s catalog. |
When a title on which the user wants to place a hold is found, click Request, and then select Place Hold from the list.
| 2 | Specify a pickup library and a call number. |
| • | If only one call number exists, a Call level hold is automatically placed. |
| • | If a title exists with multiple call numbers, but all of the call numbers are the same, a Call level hold is automatically placed. |
| • | If multiple, different call numbers exist, a selection screen displays, allowing you to select a specific call number or volume for which holds can be placed. |
| 3 | If multiple call numbers exist, select the First Available Hold, or place a Call level hold on selected volumes. Multiple volumes can be selected. |
If you are logged in with a personal login (not a shared login), and you place a hold on a single call number or on a title with multiple call numbers that are identical, the pickup library defaults to the patron’s owning library.
How do I cancel a hold in WebCat?
Patrons can cancel holds through WebCat.
To cancel a hold in WebCat
| 1 | Log in to Webcat. |
| 2 | Select User Status Inquiry. |
| 3 | Select Holds to display current holds. |
| 4 | Select the hold(s) to be canceled, and then click Cancel Selected Holds. |
What happens when a hold is canceled?
When a hold is canceled in WebCat, or by using the Remove Item Hold wizard or Remove User Hold wizard, the hold is marked as INACTIVE. When a hold is marked as INACTIVE, the hold can no longer be a part of any circulation operations.
The hold record is not physically removed so SirsiDynix Symphony can determine if a hold was available or not before it was canceled. The hold record is updated to include reason for the inactive hold, and the date the hold became inactive. The reasons for inactive holds are defined in the Hold Reason policy. The inactive hold reason is set on the hold record automatically depending on how the hold was made inactive (hold was canceled, hold expired, hold was filled, or the hold was canceled because the item was placed on reserve).
If a hold is removed on an item that is already in transit to another library to fill the hold, the following actions occur automatically.
| • | When a hold on an item in transit is removed, the hold status is set to INACTIVE, and the hold availability is set to UNAVAILABLE. |
| • | When the item is received at the destination library, the hold status is checked. Because the removed hold status is INACTIVE, this hold will not be made available. The staff member may be prompted to make the item available for the next hold in the hold queue, or to put the item back in transit to the owning library or to another library to satisfy the next hold in the hold queue. |
| • | If the Clean Holds Shelf report was run before the item is received at the destination library, the removed hold will have already been removed from the hold queue. When the item is received, the hold status of the next hold in the queue is checked. The staff member may be prompted to make the item available, or to put the item back in transit to the owning library or to another library to satisfy the hold. |
How do I display inactive hold information?
WebCat, the iBistro/iLink e-Library, and SirsiDynix Symphony cannot display inactive holds and inactive hold information. However, you can manage inactive holds using the following reports. You can select inactive holds on any report that has a selection for the hold status.
| • | The Expire Holds report will mark expired holds as INACTIVE. |
| • | The Expire Available Holds report will mark available holds that expired on the Holds shelf as INACTIVE. |
| • | The Clean Holds Shelf report prints a list of items with inactive holds that should be removed from the Holds shelf. By default, the report will trap a hold to determine the next available hold on the item, if applicable. |
| • | The Purge Inactive Holds report selects INACTIVE holds and removes their hold records permanently from the system. |
How do I clear the Holds shelf of items that have canceled holds?
The Remove Item Hold wizard and Remove User Hold wizard are delivered with the Remove From Holds Shelf property enabled. If this property is selected, SirsiDynix Symphony will automatically make the next hold available (if applicable), or instruct you as to what action to perform next, such as putting the item in transit to another library, or reshelving the item in your library.
If the Remove From Holds Shelf property check box is cleared for the Remove User Hold and Remove Item Hold wizards, you can do the following to clear the Holds shelf manually.
| • | Run the Clean Holds Shelf report. This report lists items with inactive holds, and you can use the list to remove items from the Holds shelf. |
| • | Use the Check Item Status wizard to know what action to take for the item. If you scan or enter the item ID of an item that should be removed from the Holds shelf, the “Remove from Holds shelf” message appears. |
The Remove From Holds Shelf button displays in the Check Item Status window. When you click this button, the hold status of the item becomes Unavailable, and the item is routed to its next destination. The item can be routed to satisfy the next hold in the hold queue, or the library staff may be instructed to reshelve the item.
How do I place a hold on a specific volume in WebCat?
When you select the Request button in WebCat to place a hold, the hold is placed by default on the first call number attached to a bibliographic record. For multi-volume sets, the hold is usually placed on volume 1. WebCat does not have a field on the screen to allow you to select a specific volume. However, the Enhanced Hold feature enables you to select a specific volume for a hold.
Enhanced Holds became available in Unicorn Version 98.2 for WebCat users. Although the Enhanced Hold feature is designed to allow users to select a specific volume when placing a hold, the feature was delivered as disabled. To use the Enhanced Holds feature, you must change policies to enable it.
If your site is running Unicorn Version 98.2 or later, make Enhanced Holds available by performing one of the following procedures.
To make Enhanced Holds available if the HOLD_ENHAN Request Type policy is present on your system
| 1 | On the Configuration toolbar, click the Access Control Configuration wizard. |
| 2 | Click the Request List Policy wizard. |
The List Policies window appears.
| 3 | Select the request policy name for your users (for example, PUBLIC), and then click Modify. |
The Request List Policy window appears.
| 4 | Click the Requests gadget. |
The Request Type window displays.
| 5 | If the HOLD_ENHAN policy is not already in the List Selected list, select HOLD_ENHAN from List to Choose From list, and click the right arrow button to add it to the List Selected list. |
| 6 | Click OK to close the Request Type window. |
| 7 | Click Save to save your changes and close the Request List Policy window. |
| 8 | Click Close to close the List Policies window. |
| 9 | Halt and run the workstation server to make your policy change take effect. |
To make Enhanced Holds available if the HOLD_ENHAN Request Type policy is not present on your system
| 1 | On the Configuration toolbar, click the OPAC Configuration wizard. |
| 2 | Click the Request Type Policy wizard. |
The List Policies window appears.
| 3 | Click Create. |
The Request Type Policy window appears.
| 4 | In the Name field, type HOLD_ENHAN. |
| 5 | In the Special Use property, click Enhanced Hold. |
| 6 | Click Save to save your changes and close the Request Type Policy window. |
| 7 | Click Close to close the List Policies window. |
| 8 | Halt and run the workstation server to make your policy change take effect. |
Why do my WebCat or the iBistro/iLink e-Library users always have to provide their user IDs when placing a hold?
When a user starts a WebCat or the iBistro/iLink e-Library session, SirsiDynix Symphony must know who is connecting so that it can verify that the user is permitted to access the catalog. You can configure WebCat or the iBistro/iLink e-Library in one of three ways to determine who is connecting to the catalog.
| • | WebCat or the iBistro/iLink e-Library does not prompt for a login, so the default WEBSERVER user ID is used. |
| • | WebCat or the iBistro/iLink e-Library prompts for a login, but allows users to accept the default user ID of WEBSERVER or PUBLIC. |
| • | WebCat or the iBistro/iLink e-Library prompts for a login, and requires users to enter their personal user IDs. |
When a user logs in automatically or with a user ID and PIN, SirsiDynix Symphony checks the user’s User Access policy. If a particular User Access policy is defined as a shared user access (that is, multiple users are associated with the user access), then SirsiDynix Symphony cannot determine which user is running a WebCat or the iBistro/iLink e-Library session. The WEBSERVER and PUBLIC user IDs are shared access user logins. When a shared access user places a hold, SirsiDynix Symphony prompts the user for a unique user ID so it can place the hold for the correct person.
When you create a login for an individual user, the user access for that user should be defined as a personal user access. If you enable logins for WebCat or the iBistro/iLink e-Library, and the user logs in using a unique user ID, the user is not prompted to enter a user ID when placing holds. The user ID for the hold request is already supplied by the personal login.
How do I place a hold in the iBistro/iLink e-Library?
Patrons can place holds on items through the iBistro/iLink e-Library.
To place a hold in the iBistro/iLink e-Library
| 1 | Log in to the iBistro/iLink e-Library and search the library’s catalog. |
| 2 | When you locate the item on which you want to place a hold, click Details to display full information about the item. |
| 3 | Do one of the following: |
| • | From the Full Details page, select the Hold icon. |
| • | Select I Need Material, then select Place Hold. |
| 4 | Enter your user ID or alternate ID, and PIN (if prompted). |
| 5 | If available, choose a library to pick up the item. |
| 6 | Do one of the following. |
| • | Click Place Hold to place the hold. |
| • | Click Reset Query Values to start over. |
How do I cancel a hold in the iBistro/iLink e-Library?
Patrons can cancel holds through the iBistro/iLink e-Library.
To cancel a hold in the iBistro/iLink e-Library
| 1 | In the iBistro/iLink e-Library, click My Account. |
| 2 | Click Review My Account. |
| 3 | Log in, if required. |
| 4 | In the Holds box, select the Cancel check box for the hold items to be canceled. |
| 5 | Click Cancel Selected Holds to cancel the selected holds. |
If you have not already logged in, you may be prompted to log in to the e-library when attempting to change information in My Account. This login is only valid for the duration of the current transaction.