Book clubs
Book Clubs may not place multiple holds on bestsellers, nor can they place holds on every copy in the system. Additionally, they must follow the SAILS hold shelf policy of
returning items after seven days.
Damaged item arrives to fill a hold
Scenario: A patron requests a multi-part tape set, book, etc. When the pickup library receives the item, library staff notices it is too damaged for use. The item must be shipped back to the owning library and the patron’s hold reentered at the top of the hold queue for the next available copy.
- The Pickup Library places a copy specific hold using the Owning Library’s Circ Patron. (Library Code plus circ) e.g. foxborocirc.
- When placing the hold add a hold comment that the item is damaged. Be specific.
- Check the item out to the Pickup Library’s Circ Patron. Override the hold but don’t
cancel it. When the item is discharged it should go intransit to the Owning Library. - The Owning Library should then check the item out to Mending or Discard when it is received from delivery.
Missing items with holds
When processing your RHA you may need to set an item to MISSING. If that happens, you'll receive a daily report of holds that cannot be filled because the last copy has been set to missing, discard or lost. These reports are cumulative and holds will continue to appear on the report until you do something with them. How you wish to proceed will be up to each library. At a bare minimum the holds need to be cancelled.
You may want to see if there is another edition that can be used to fill the hold - we do find that sometimes patrons are not aware that there is another version on which there are more available copies. You may choose to wait to cancel holds on items set to lost in case the item is returned. And you do have the option of passing this on to the person in your library who handles ILL and Commonwealth Catalog so that a copy from another network can be requested to satisfy the person's request.