Placing Hold for Checked Out Items or for Items Available at Another Location and Customer Does Not Want to Call Location

From MPLICWIKI

Table of contents

1 Intro 2 Enter User ID 3 Enter Item ID 4 Set Other Parameters 5 Level of the Hold 6 What if the Copy is Available? 7 What if the Customer Does Not Have Their Library Card? 8 What if the Customer's Account Privileges Have Expired?

Intro

• If a customer requests an item that is not available in the system, then they will need to be placed in queue for the item when it does become available.
• Or, if a customer wants an item that is available at another location and that location is closed or the customer would rather not call that location, then we will need to place a hold on that item.
• A customer will need to have their library card (do not use generic accounts).
• Click on Hold-Place on the Common Tasks Menu.

Enter User ID

• If the customer has their library card number, type or scan it into the User ID box.
• If the customer does not have their library card number, you will need to transfer the customer to a circulation representative (see below).
• Make sure you provide the circulation representative with the title, or preferably, the Item ID.

Enter Item ID

• Enter the Item ID number or...
• Search for the correct item.
  • Click the Item Search helper.

• • Search for the item.
  • Click on the correct item to highlight it.
  • Click on Place Hold
  • The item now appears in the Item ID box on the Hold-Place window.

Set Other Parameters

• In the Pickup at box, select the location where the customer wants to pick up the item held.
• If a customer does not need the item after a certain date, then you can set an expiration date for the Hold.
  • Click the gadget to the right of the Expires box and select the date of expiration.
• If a customer will be unavailable for a certain time period (ex. vacation), then set the Date Suspended and Date Unsuspended.
  • Example: Say a customer is in queue for a certain item.
  • The customer goes on vacation.
  • His turn comes up but he does not pick up the item because he is on vacation.
  • The customer's hold will be removed and the customer will need to get "in the back of the line".
  • Suspending a hold keeps the customer at the front of the line until he is available to pick up the item (the item will be made available to the person next in line but the vacationing customer will be next in line after the item is made available again.)

Level of the Hold

• When placing a hold on an item that is checked out or on an item that is available at another location, you must use a Title level hold.

What if the Copy is Available?

• If the item is available at your location, then follow these procedures.
• If the item is available at another location, then (just as we do now) urge the customer to call that location and speak to a staff member who can get their hands on the book.
• If the customer does not want to call the other location with an available copy, then go ahead and follow these same procedures. Place a title level hold on that item and inform the customer that they will be notified by phone or email (whichever they have noted as their preference) when the item is available for them to pick-up.

What if the Customer Does Not Have Their Library Card?

• If a customer does not have their library card number, then circulation staff will need to assist the customer.
• Since we will have to have some way to connect a hold to a customer account whenever the checked out item becomes available, this type of hold requires a customer's library card number.
• If a customer does not have their library card number, you can request that they call you back when they have the card, or you can refer them to Circulation staff.
• Circulation staff can pull up a customer's library card number with other types of information.
• Circulation staff can then place holds on the items.
• However, if Reference staff can provide Circulation staff with the Item IDs of the items that the customer wants to hold, then the transaction will quickly proceed.
• Since Title level holds will be placed on checked out items, it does not matter which copy's Item ID you choose.

What if the Customer's Account Privileges Have Expired?

• You will not be notified that the customer's account has expired until you click on the Place Hold button.
• You will see this window:

• Click OK and inform the customer that they will need to update their account before a hold is placed.
• The customer will need to update their account in-person at any library branch.