Managing the Holds Queue

The holds queue is the prioritized list of Active, Pending, Located, or Shipped hold requests for a specific title or item. By default, hold requests are arranged from the oldest request at the top to the most recently created request at the bottom. The oldest request is usually filled first. However, you can manually change the order of the requests.

Note:
Certain administration settings for your library may also affect a request’s queue position, so that requests are not always filled in strict date and time order. See Set Holds options: Trapping preferences, queue settings. Libraries may also choose not to display the request queue position in the PAC patron account. See Enable patron account access - PowerPAC.

To change the order in which hold requests for a title are filled, by rearranging the requests in the queue:

Note:

You need the Circulation permission Modify hold queues: Allow to do this procedure.

Open the Holds Queue by one of these methods:

• Shortcut Bar - Select Circulation, Holds Queue to find the bibliographic or item record. When you double-click the record in the Find Tool results list, the Holds Queue workform for the record is displayed.
• Patron Status workform - Requests view - Right-click the title, and select Links, Holds Queue from the context menu.
• Hold Request workform - Select Links, Holds Queue from the menu bar.

Tip:

To see all the requests for the title, not just the active and pending requests, select Links, All Hold Requests from the Holds Queue workform menu bar.

The Holds Queue workform opens. The workform lists the active and pending requests for the title. If your library allows item-level or first-available-copy requests, these are indicated by the item-level icon  at the beginning of the request line. Borrow by Mail requests are indicated by the Borrow by Mail icon  at the beginning of the request line. Item-level Borrow by Mail requests include an I in the Borrow by Mail icon .

Note:
Other users may be creating requests for a title, or request statuses may be changing. To view the most current request data for a title, select View, Refresh, click the Refresh button, or press F5.

To see the queue for a specific volume in a multi-volume set, or a specific serial issue, select the volume or issue from the Volume or Issue filter list in the workform header area.

Select the hold request line item to be moved in the Queue list.

Choose one of the following options:

• To move the request up in the queue one or more positions, click  or press CTRL+U. Repeat as needed.

• To move the request down in the queue one or more positions, click  CTRL+W. Repeat as needed.

• To move the request to the first position in the queue, click  or press CTRL+T.

• To move the request to the last position in the queue, click  or press CTRL+B.

The hold request appears in its new position, with the other requests in the Queue list rearranged accordingly.

Select File | Save to save your changes.

The status bar indicates that the order of the holds was changed successfully.

Related Information

• Local preferred - Patrons may not have their hold requests filled in the exact order of the queue. A pickup library may choose to have requests for its own items filled before requests for other branches’ items. Set Holds options: Trapping preferences, queue settings

• Queue position for patron-suspended or reactivated requests - If your library allows patrons to suspend and reactivate their own hold requests from the PAC, the library can specify whether these requests retain their positions in the holds queue or are placed at the end of the queue. See Set Holds options: Trapping preferences, queue settings

• Loan periods for high-demand items - Your library may choose to automatically shorten an item’s loan period if a specified number of hold requests are placed for the title.  This option allows high-demand titles to circulate more quickly. See Set Holds options: Define staff client and PAC alerts and blocks.